482 



NATURE 



[August 21, 19 19 



tudes of the moon are observed at sea to-day 

 than at any time previously. 



There is one class of reader to whom the work 

 of Prof. Jacoby should especially commend itself, 

 and that is the fortunate owner of the palatial 

 steam yacht who would fain make himself 

 acquainted with what it is that his sailing master 

 is about. It was perhaps in the interest of this 

 type of reader that a final chapter is devoted to a 

 circumstantial account of the voyage of the hypo- 

 thetical steam yacht Nav from New York to Colon 

 on December 18, 191 7. Moreover, the story is 

 very well told. H, B. G. 



BEVERAGES. 



Beverages and their Adulteration. Origin, Com- 

 position, Manufacture, Natural, Artificial, Fer- 

 mented, Distilled, Alkaloidal, and Fruit Juices. 

 By Dr. Harvey W. Wiley. Pp. xv + 42 1 + 1 1 

 plates. (London : J. and A. Churchill, 1919-) 

 Price 215. net.' 



DR. WILEY remarks that his book "is not 

 written for the scientific investigator, but 

 for the average, sober-minded, reasonably well- 

 educated American citizen." A general account 

 of the beverages discussed is, in fact, what is 

 given, neither severely technical nor flimsily 

 "popular." The facts are stated carefully, as 

 would be expected from the author, but little or 

 no scientific knowledge on the part of the reader 

 is assumed. 



Water, as the beverage par excellence, is given 

 pride of place. Both ordinary drinking supplies 

 and mineral waters are dealt with, and the in- 

 formation given is such as will enable the reader 

 to obtain an Intelligent idea of water supply in 

 its bearing upon the public health and upon manu- 

 facturing operations. Various processes of water 

 purification are briefly described, and the utility 

 of chemical and bacteriological analyses of water 

 is explained. Touching on the widespread faith 

 of ordinary humanity in the virtues of medicinal 

 springs, the author dryly remarks that this faith 

 is "not so well founded in fact as it is extensive 

 in belief." At the same time, he indicates the 

 factors producing the undoubted benefits which 

 often result from "taking the waters" — namely, 

 the change of habits, the simpler diet, avoidance 

 of excesses, and so on. These, of course, are 

 active aids in restoring health even when the 

 water itself has no particular therapeutic value, 

 except, perhaps, as a laxative. 



Apropos of the habit of drinking ice-cold bever- 

 ages — a habit more common on the other side of 

 tlie Atlantic than here — the evil effects are 

 summed up in an amusing quotation : — 



Full many a man, both young and old, 



Has gone to his sarcophagus 

 By pouring water, icy cold, 



A-down his hot oesophagus, 



"Soft drinks" have an especial interest for 

 Americans just now, and perhaps they may pres- 

 ently acquire an added importance for ourselves. 

 NO. 2599, VOL. 103] 



The term is applied in the United States to "non- 

 alcoholic " beverages. Whilst the typical "soft 

 drink" is soda-water mixed with a flavoured 

 syrup, other "soft " beverages are legion. Apart 

 from the undesirability of much sugar in drinks 

 consumed largely by children, and the above-men- 

 tioned habit of taking them ice-cold in hot 

 weather. Dr. Wiley does not see much objection 

 to the general run of non-alcoholic beverages 

 when these are prepared in a hygienic manner from 

 wholesome materials. Some, however, contain 

 drugs such as caffeine or cocaine ; these are highly 

 objectionable, and should, the author considers, 

 be prohibited by law. 



In the sections devoted to tea, coffee, and cocoa 

 the reader will find soi^'e notes and historical 

 sketches that are worth perusing, apart from the 

 main descriptions of these beverages. 



• An interesting section is the one dealing with 

 wine. Dr. Wiley has personally inspected nearly 

 all the French vineyards where the most famous 

 wines are produced, and has also visited the' 

 Spanish, German, and other wine-growing areas 

 in Europe. His pages will be welcomed as giving 

 a present-day account of the industry. He 

 remarks, by the way, that the mean annual wine- 

 production of the Chateau Y'quem is only 90 tuns, 

 and opines that there is something miraculous in 

 this quantity supplying the large amount of 

 Chateau Y'quem wine, so-called, that is drunk 

 in the world. 



Some sensible advice is offered on the produc- 

 tion of uniform and distinctive types of wine in 

 the United States, and on the adoption of dis- 

 tinctive native names for them, instead of calling 

 them by foreign names which are not really 

 applicable. 



Whilst here and there one misses the facile 

 touch of the purely literary man. Dr. Wiley's 

 occasional notes and historical extracts serve 

 agreeably to enliven the substantial body of facts 

 which he has brought together. The book is, of 

 course, written from the American point of view, 

 but much of the matter is of quite general in- 

 terest, and will appeal to readers on both sides 

 of the Atlantic. C. Simmonds. 



OUR BOOKSHELF. 

 Les Symhiotes. By Prof. Paul Portier. Pp. xx + 

 315. (Paris : Masson et Cie, 1918.) Price 

 5 francs. < 



This book, dedicated to his Serene Highness 

 the Prince of Monaco, contains a lively ex- 

 position of a heresy, in regard to which the author 

 frankly admits that if some years ago he had seen 

 it stated at the beginning of an essay, he would 

 probably have read no more. The heresy is that, 

 apart from bacteria, all organisms are double, 

 being formed by the association and "emboite- 

 ment " of two different kinds of creature. There 

 are partners within every cell, partner-bacteria, 

 which the author calls " symbiotes. " A symbiote 

 is a domesticated micro-organism with two re- 

 markable properties, an extreme plasticity that 



