August 29, 1918] 



NATURE 



503 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 

 Dynamic Psychology. By Prof. R, S. Wood- 

 worth. (Columbia University Lectures.) Pp. 

 fio. (New York: Columbia University Press; 

 London : Humphrey Milford, 1918.) Price 

 65. 6d. net. 

 This short course of lectures is designed to give 

 an account of the distinctive character of the 

 modern movement in psychology. It provides a 

 sketch of the historical development of the science, 

 and shows the revolution it has undergone, as 

 essentially a part of, and determined by, the 

 general revolution in the whole conception of 

 modern science which has followed the abandon- 

 ment of the geocentric point of view. Psychology 

 is the youngest of the empirical sciences, but in 

 none has the revolution been more marked and 

 rapid. This is due to the fact that only in very 

 recent times have we come to recognise that psy- 

 chology is something more and other than a 

 f-hapter in general philosophy, that it has for its 

 -ubject-matter a class of empirical facts as distinct, 

 as obstinate, and as capable of being abstracted 

 for the purposes of special study as the facts 

 with which physics and biology deal. Prof. Wood- 

 worth sees the real beginning of modern psycho- 

 logy in John Locke and the English empiricist 

 philosophers. Its notable advance in recent times, 

 and the complete change it has undergone, are 

 mainly due to the discernment of the significance 

 of the facts revealed in abnormal psycholpgv, and 

 also to the study of the instinctive basis of human 

 nature. The "drive" and the "mechanism" are 

 ihe two factors which mutually condition one 

 ■another, and it is the object of the modern psycho- 

 logist to discover their true nature and relation in 

 order to lay the foundations of a practical or 

 applied science. Although the lectures make no 

 pretension to add anything to our theoretical or 

 r^ractical knowledge, they are very valuable as in- 

 iicating the new conception of the much-debated 

 -cope and method of psvchology. 



H. W. C. 



lids in the Commercial Analysis of Oils, Fats, and 

 their Commercial Products: A Laboratory 

 Handbook. By G. F. Pickering. Pp. viii + 

 133. (London: C. Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1917.) 

 Price 75. 6d. net. 

 This is a book intended for the works chemist 

 who has to deal with oils, fats, and their products 

 is raw materials for his industry. The author 

 'oes not treat of the elements of his subject, but 

 writes for those already engaged in the examina- 

 tion and utilisation of fatty substances. \ good 

 leal of sound practical advice is given, such as. 

 or instance, the directions for taking samples of 

 naterial.s to be examined. Bad sampling, it is 

 iiily said, has caused far more differences between 

 )uyer and seller than the use of different methods 

 >f analysis. 



The book includes a useful collection of ana- 

 lytical methods suitable for employment in works 

 laboratories. The author remarks that all the 

 ngures [numbers] given "are now published for 

 NO. 2548, VOL. 1 01] 



the first time." This, however, is not necessarily 

 a recommendation unless they cover a sufficiently 

 wide range of examples to be truly representative, 

 and not much is said on that point. The section 

 on fat "splitting" (i.e. decomposition into gly- 

 cerol and fatty acids) is one of distinct value, as 

 are also those on glycerine, resins, and recovered 

 products. 



In a work of this kind the facts are the import- 

 ant things, but it may be pointed out, without 

 hypercriticism, that the author is occasionally a 

 trifle careless in his expression of them. Thus 

 (p. 8) we are told that a certain distillation had 

 been "performed by dissolving resin in the oil," 

 which does not quite convey the idea intended. 

 On p. 87 there are directions to "drop in a little 

 sulphuric acid (347 c.c. of concentrated acid and 

 27-S c.c. of water)," which again must not be 

 taken too literally. The expression "ethyl ethers," 

 too, where esters of fatty acids are meant (p. 89), 

 is not very accurate — or, at best, is antiquated. 

 These, however, are minor blemishes. The 

 book, as a whole, is a very practical and useful 

 aid to the technical chemist. 



Natural Science in Education. Being the Report 

 of the Committee on the Position of Natural 

 Science in the Educational System of Great 

 Britain. Pp. viii + 272. (London: Published 

 under the authority of His Majesty's Stationery 

 Office, 1918.) Price is. 6d. net. 

 The report of the Committee, of which Sir J. J. 

 Thomson was chairman, appointed by Mr. .As- 

 quith in August, 1916, to inquire into the posi- 

 tion occupied by natural science in the educational 

 system of Great Britain, especially in secondary 

 schools and universities, was reviewed in our issue 

 of June 6 last (vol. ci, p. 265), and it is unneces- 

 sary to emphasise its importance again. We wel- 

 come the opportunity, however, of directing atten- 

 tion to its republication in convenient book form, 

 which will make it possible to have the report 

 among one's reference volumes easily accessible 

 for constant use. It may be hoped that all future 

 important Government reports mav be issued in 

 a similar style, for they will be much more likely 

 to be studied than if printed on the old familiar 

 foolscap sheets. 



Chemistry for Beginners and School I'se. By 

 C. T. Kingzett. Third edition. Pp. 211. (Lon- 

 don : Bailli^re, Tindall, and Cox, 1918.) Price 

 25. 6d. net. 

 The first edition of Mr. Kingzett 's little book has 

 been reviewed already in these columns (vol. xcix, 

 p. 422). The opportunity provided by the demand 

 for a new edition of the book has been taken to 

 add an additional part, illustrated by eighty-one 

 figures, dealing with chemical apparatus and ex- 

 periments. Originally the volume was planned to 

 give an introduction to chemistry to beginners 

 having no opportunity to witness or perform ex- 

 periments, yet it may be doubted if the addition of 

 the new part will render the book- sufficiently prac- 

 tical for use in most schools where chemistry is 

 studied. 



