NATURE 



[January 13, 19 16 



sense of Canadian unity and of Imperial respon- 

 sibility ! 



In varyingf degree it is the story also of Aus- 

 tralia, of New Zealand, of South Africa; and is 

 the best vindication of our method or lack of 

 method in the world of affairs. As this book will 

 show, our mistakes in the past have been many, 

 but they have been repairable piecemeal. When 

 an unnaturally rigid organisation breaks down, 

 it breaks down utterly. 



Dr. Ami has proved himself well qualified for 

 the task of preparing this bird's-eye view of the 

 Dominion. His long service on the Geological 

 Survey of Canada has not only endowed him with 

 stores of direct knowledge, but has also brought 

 him in contact with the best and most recent 

 authorities for other information, as his preface 

 indicates. 



His account of the history and characteristics of 

 the maritime provinces and Old Canada, especi- 

 ally of the Province of Quebec, are of peculiar 

 interest to the British reader in presenting a 

 full and sympathetic view of the position of the 

 French-speaking Canadians, whose loyalty to the 

 Empire in the present crisis is doubly assured, 

 and whose influepce upon the future of Canada is 

 bound to be of prime consequence. 



In the first three chapters Dr. Ami deals with 

 the Dominion as a whole, its exploration, its 

 surrounding seas, its great lakes and their geo- 

 logical evolution, its spacious geography, its flora 

 and fauna, its aboriginals (no longer to be re- 

 garded as a moribund people), and its general 

 system of government, Then follow the chapters 

 (iv.-xx.) in which the separate provinces and 

 territories, along with the independency of New- 

 foundland, are severally dealt with, in each case 

 with an entertaining outline of its individual 

 history and an accurate account of its physical 

 features, geological structure, present economic 

 development, and future possibilities ; while 

 all along runs the cheery streak of good 

 Canadian satisfaction and optimism, illuminating 

 everything, even the tables of statistics. The 

 summary of o\.\x knowledge of the cold wilderness 

 and archipelago north of the Arctic Circle, con- 

 tained in chapter xix., and the concluding biblio- 

 graphy, are noteworthy additions to the value of 

 the book as a work of reference. 



The critical, reader may notice now and again a 

 repetition of the same facts and statements in 

 almost identical terms under different headings ; 

 but this is perhaps excusable where so many of 

 the sections are more or less independent and 

 may have to be consulted separately. The book 

 is illustrated with many clear maps, and with well- 

 chosen views of scenery, etc., as text-figures. 

 NO. 24 I I. VOL. 96] 



Most of the latter are reproduced from photo- 

 graphs, and are sometimes good, sometimes 

 smudgy. These vinimpressive process-photographs 

 are becoming superabundant, however, and one 

 regrets the passing of the old line-engravings and 

 wood-cuts, whicfi, though less accurate, more 

 directly carried their intention to the eye, , , 



'; .. ,." '■ G, W.'L. 



PRACTICAL BIO-CHEMISTRY. 

 Practical Organic and Bio-chemistry. By R. H. A. 

 Plimmer. Pp. xii + 635. {L9ndon : Longmans, 

 Green and Co., 1915.) Price 125. 6d. net. 



THIS work is a development of the author's 

 " Practical Physiological Chemistry," which 

 had been used by him for teaching purposes for 

 some years. New sections on organic chemistry 

 and the organic substances found in plants have 

 been added, and the work thus rendered much 

 wider in scope, whilst the inclusion of many of 

 the less familiar experimental methods has made it 

 of greater value to the advanced student or investi- 

 gator. As now presented the book appeals to a very 

 wide audience. The student of medicine, for whom, 

 even in its expanded form, it is still primarily 

 intended, will find in it instruction on every point 

 of practical organic or physiological chemistry 

 which is likely to be of use to him, and may, if 

 he think fit, advance much further in these sub- 

 jects than is at all usual. At the same time, 

 workers in every branch of biochemistry will find 

 a considerable amount of information, not only 

 concerning the fundamental substances which 

 form the chemical basis of all living organisms, 

 but also, with few exceptions, dealing with that 

 section of the subject in which they are specially 

 interested. 



An unusual feature for a work on practical 

 chemistry is the inclusion of a considerable amount 

 of descriptive matter, unaccompanied by any prac- 

 tical details, and often dealing with very complex 

 subjects, such as animal and vegetable colouring 

 matters, the terpenes, etc. Although the informa- 

 tion thus supplied is of great interest, and is well 

 and clearly presented, it is in many cases neces- 

 sarily extremely condensed, and seems somewhat 

 out of place in a professedly practical work. The 

 omission of much of this purely descriptive or 

 theoretical matter might possibly have rendered 

 j possible the production of the book at a price less 

 formidable to the student. 



Another feature of the work which is also a 

 little unusual is the inclusion of what may be 

 termed "ordinary" organic chemistry, along with 

 more purely biochemical and physiological sub- 

 jects. There are probably few text-books in which 

 Friedel and Crafts' reaction, the preparation of 



