DISCOVERY 



193 



Mr. Reade says in effect : " I do not pretend to be a 

 mathematician or a physicist, but I've done my best to 

 imderstand Einstein's theory, and to me parts of the 

 explanation which tliat tlieory involves appear to be 

 nonsense." 



We have, of course, no wish to criticise Mr. Reade for 

 reaching this view : our quarrel with liim is that he has 

 published it. If Mr. Reade is neither a mathematician 

 nor a phj'sicist, the opinions he may have on this difficult 

 subject, however cogent and logical they may appear to 

 be to himself, are worthless ; for the theory of relativity 

 belongs to a domain of advanced mathematical physics, 

 and none but students of that subject possess the necessary 

 knowledge properly to understand it or to question its 

 validity. We, all of us, are so accustomed to talk with 

 authority on matters about which we know little, or less 

 than we might, that a warning to keep off seems an in- 

 fringement of our liberty. Nevertheless such talk is bad. 

 The inexpert has no right whatever to criticise the expert. 

 If he wishes to do so because of a desire to make a genuine 

 contribution to the matter, or merely because he likes 

 to criticise, he can attain his desire by first getting 

 to know something about it. 



The book, we should say, is often extremely amusing, 

 and, on the whole, is best regarded, we think, as a jeu 

 d'esprit written not for those who believe in Einstein's 

 theory (for they would detect its fallacies quickly), or 

 for those who do not (for it would simply make their 

 confusion greater), but for Mr. Reade's own friends. But 

 if it be intended seriously, we may say this. The author 

 does not appear to understand the Michelson-Morley 

 experiment ; his views on relative velocity are queer ; 

 he fails to understand what a physicist means by time 

 as a fourth dimension ; his chapter on the unique position 

 of light is almost somnambulistic. We are not going to 

 quote chapter and verse to show up his errors ; there are 

 too man^r errors. Nor are we going to quote any of his 

 preposterous assertions. We feel that the opinion of 

 any fair-minded reader of this work may be best described 

 in the words of a great classical scholar with which we 

 close : Vainer exposition and worse argument than make 

 up the staple of this book it would be difficult to conceive. 



A. S. R. 



Problems of Modern Science. A Series of Lectures delivered 

 at King's College. Edited by Arthur Dendy, 

 D.Sc, F.R.S. (G. G. Harrap and Co., los. (>d.) 



This is a splendid book ; a series of popular lectures 

 delivered by experts on recent developments in science. 

 Dr. J. W. Nicholson deals with mathematics pure and 

 applied. In particular he emphasises how " useless " 

 development of pure mathematics may suddenly become 

 of practical consequence, occasionally even of great 

 consequence. The perfectly useless Theory of Tensors, 

 for example, developed by Riemann and others years ago 

 has become the backbone of the mathematical work of 

 Einstein's theory. The Quantum Theory is also described 

 in some detail. Mr. J. B. Dale deals with astronomy, 

 the magnitudes, motion and spectra of the stars, and the 

 latest views on stellar evolution. Dr. O. W. Richardson 



writes on problems of physics, the Quantum Theory, the 

 work of Bohr on the atom, of Sir E. Rutherford on atomic 

 disintegration, and of Aston on isotopes. Dr. Samuel 

 Smiles deals in a general way with the wonder of modern 

 organic chemistry and touches briefly on photo-synthesis. 

 Dr. Arthur Dendy, the editor of the volume, takes stock 

 <'f the present position of the Biological Sciences, and 

 carefully outlines their subject-matters, and says several 

 wise words on the interdependence of pure and applied 

 science. Dr. Ruggles Gates writes on recent discoveries 

 in pala?obotany, ecology, microscopic research and 

 genetics. Dr. Halliburton, writing on physiology, calls 

 attention to the importance of small things, illustrating 

 by describing the work of hormones and vitamins in the 

 body. Dr. Barclay-Smith's chapter on anatomy is one 

 of the best in the book. He describes, among other things, 

 the structure and functions of the bones of our body, 

 and how beautifully and wonderfully they have been 

 made. • A. S. R. 



Some Physico-Chemical Themes. By Prof. A. W. Stewart, 

 D.Sc. (Longmans, 21s.) 



Students of physical chemistry who have read the usual 

 books prescribed them, and have been appalled by the 

 number and complexity of the subjects they are expected 

 to " get up " in their advanced studies, will find this book 

 extremely useful. Dr. Stewart has taken the trouble to 

 go through the larger monographs and delve his way 

 through original papers to express in concise form the gist 

 of some twenty subjects concerning which the ordinary 

 textbooks say but a few words, and those often halting. 

 The subjects described include pseudo-acids, affinity, 

 theories of valency, the theory of indicators, colloids, 

 the Brownian movement, catalysis, the structure of the 

 atom, and the periodic classification. References are 

 given to original papers and bibliographies are appended. 

 The book indeed is more than merely useful, it is good 

 educationally. Dr. Stewart is to be congratulated upon 

 it. 



James Stirling. A Sketch of his Life and Works. By 

 Charles Tweedie, M.A., B.Sc. (Oxford : Claren- 

 don Press, 165.) 



A carefully compiled account of the life and work of 

 the distinguished Scots mathematician (1692-1770) whose 

 name is attached to the theorem in Analysis known as 

 Stirling's Theorem. The book includes also the whole 

 of Stirling's known scientific correspondence, most of 

 which is printed for the first time. 



.i Treatise on the Analysis of Spectra. By W. M. Hicks, 

 Sc.D., F.R.S. (Cambridge University Press, 35s.) 



Based on an essay with which the author won the Adams 

 prize at Cambridge in 1921. A book at once an introduc- 

 tion to the subject and a work of reference. The important 

 subject of X-ray spectra, however, is not dealt with. 

 Dr. Hicks realises the incompatibility of his own interesting 

 work on the " oun " and recent work on isotopes, and 

 admits that at present they cannot be reconciled. 



