REVIEWS. 



BIOLOGY. 



La Biologic Synthetique. — By Professor Stephane Leduc. 

 217 pages. 118 figures. 9-in. X5^-in. 



(Paris : A. Poinat. Price 6 francs.) 



This is a sequel to the author's Theorie Physico- 

 Chimique de la Vie et Generations Spontanees, translated 

 by Dr. Deane Butcher and published under the title of The 

 Mechanism of Life (Rebman, 1911). Professor Leduc 

 points out that hitherto life has only been studied analytically ; 

 that is to say, living organisms have been investigated by 

 studying in detail each separate part. He suggests that it is 

 time the synthetic method be applied in biology, since many of 

 the phenomena associated with living organisms are exhibited 

 (or, perhaps one would say, simulated) separately in the 

 inorganic world. The book is highly suggestive, and the pro- 

 posed synthetic method of dealing with biological problems 

 ought to prove of great value. The book is marred, however, 

 by a tendency to materialistic metaphysics — a domain which 

 in reality lies outside of pure science. What Professor 

 Leduc terms " physicisme " and " mysticisme " are comple- 

 mentary rather than antagonistic. Philosophy completes the 

 work of science. The latter is concerned with the correlation 

 of phenomena ; the former seeks their source. The latter 

 may adopt a mechanistic theory of life ; the former must 

 transcend this. 



H. S. Redgrove. 



BOTANY. 



Hutchinson's Popular Botany. — By A. E. Knight and 



Edward Step, F.L.S. Vols. I and II. 588 pages. 721 



figures. 18 coloured plates. 10-in. X 7-in. 



(Hutchinson & Co. Price 7/6 each Vol. net.) 



There was a time, and that not very long ago, when the 

 study of Botany meant to a very large extent the mere 

 collecting and naming of flowering plants. Hutchinson's 

 " Popular Botany " shows well how things have changed. 

 The inside of plants to many has become more interesting 

 than specific differences. The way in which the various 

 parts do their work and still more recently the interrelation 

 between plants which form communities and the connection 

 between plants and animals have attracted wide attention. 

 All these topics as well as those groups of plants which 

 do not bear flowers are considered and illustrated in " Popular 

 Botany " by a wealth of photographs and careful drawings, 

 the latter by Mr. A. E. Knight and the former, in many cases, 

 by Mr. Edward Step. There are also eighteen coloured 

 plates. The first volume contains chapters dealing with the 

 cell, with tissues, with physiological processes, with structure, 

 and lastly with the leaf in relation to environment. In the 

 second volume the last-mentioned topic is completed, floral 

 forms and their relations to insects are discussed at length, 

 and the reproduction of flowering plants and lower forms is 

 described and illustrated. Examples of the pictures, which 

 are a great feature of the book, we are permitted to give on 



Page 396. 



W. M. W. 



CHEMISTRY. 



Mineral and Aerated Waters. — By C. Ainsworth 

 Mitchell. 227 pages. 114 illustrations. 83-in. X54-in. 



(Constable & Co. Price 8/6 net.) 



From very early times the waters of certain springs and 

 wells were supposed to have medicinal properties which were 

 generally considered to be supernatural or miraculous. As 

 the chemists of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries 

 acquired a knowledge of the constituents to which the 

 therapeutic effects were due, it was natural that attempts to 

 prepare them artificially should be made. In this book the 

 author gives a short account of spas, wells, and natural 

 mineral waters, and then traces historically the development 



of aerated water manufacture from Bergmann's primitive 

 efforts to the complicated methods of the present time. The 

 latter involve not only the use of liquid carbon dioxide and 

 elaborate machinery for aeration, but also ingenious 

 mechanical methods of purification and bottling. 



An excellent description of these processes, accompanied by 

 many valuable diagrams and photographs, occupies a great 

 part of the book. The chapter on the bacteriological and 

 chemical examination of the manufactured products is 

 interesting, but we think that, in view of the fact that the 

 amount of lead in citric and tartaric acids has not reached the 

 minimum suggested by analysts, some of the common tests for 

 this metal might have been included. The work of Bardet has 

 shown lately that though lead, tin and silver are generally 

 constituents of well waters, they are only present in spectro- 

 scopic amounts, so that the acids and essences — which, by the 

 way, are scarcely mentioned in the book — are probably the 

 only sources of impurities. The bibliography might have 

 included, with advantage, such works as Raspe's " Heilquellen 

 Analysen " and the " Deutsches Baderbuch." 



These omissions however, do not detract from the merits 



of an excellent book, which is not only extremely interesting 



to the general reader, but should prove most useful to the 



manufacturer. . „ T 



A. S. Jr. 



Treatise on General and Industrial Organic Chemistry. 



— By Dr. E. Molinari. Translated from the Italian by 



T. H. Pope, B.Sc, F.I.C. 770 pages. 506 illustrations. 



(J. & A. Churchill. Price 24/- net.) 



This volume is practically a continuation of the author's 

 work on Industrial Inorganic Chemistry which was recently 

 reviewed in these columns, and deals with the subject upon 

 similar lines. The first part gives a general outline of the 

 physical and chemical methods of examining and identifying 

 organic compounds, and includes sections upon elementary 

 analysis, determination of molecular weights, and the relation- 

 ship between physical properties and chemical constitution. 

 • Part II gives an account of methane and its derivatives, and 

 includes hydrocarbons, fats, alcohols, and sugars ; while Part 

 III. deals with cyclic compounds, including aromatic hydro- 

 carbons, phenols, colouring matters, proteins, glucosides and 

 so on. In the case of each group of compounds, a general 

 outline is given of the characteristics of the principal 

 individuals, and this is followed by an account of industrial 

 methods of preparing those of technical importance. For 

 example, twenty pages are devoted to the description of the 

 manufacture and purification of illuminating gas, and a similar 

 space to petroleum and its products. 



The author's aim appears to have been not so much to give 

 exact details of experimental work as to enable the reader 

 to follow the principles upon which the industrial processes 

 are based. 



Dealing with such a wide range of subjects, it was obviously 

 impossible for one man to be thoroughly conversant with 

 them all, and in certain places this want of first-hand 

 knowledge is manifest. Taken as a whole, however, and 

 judged by those sections with which the reviewer is most 

 familiar, the book may be recommended as accurate and 

 up-to-date. Here and there small errors and inaccuracies 

 may be noted. For example, it is not correct to state that 

 " in comparison with all other fats, butter contains a large 

 quantity of volatile acids soluble in water." Possibly, how- 

 ever, it is the translation that is at fault here, and the reading 

 should be " a larger quantity than any other fat." The slip 

 on page 281 where it is stated that "the most favourable 

 temperature is 30 per cent. " makes the passage meaningless. 

 If "30°C." is meant, the statement is not borne out by the 

 facts. 



The book is profusely illustrated, but it is to be regretted 

 that worn electros have been used for many of the illustrations. 



397 



