u6 



NA TURE 



[February 5, 1903 



the task of disproving some of the contradictions dis- 

 covered by Mr. F. H. Bradley in the "appearances" 

 with which both popular and " scientific," as distinguished 

 from philosophical, thought do their work. Dr. Stout's 

 paper is specially important, as it deals with the concept 

 of " relation," which is central for all discursive thinking. 

 Mr. G. E. Moore discusses at great length and with 

 considerable acuteness, though not, perhaps, without a 

 tendency to ignorantia elenchi, the argument for human 

 mmortality put forward in Dr. McTaggart's recent 

 ''Studies in Hegelian Cosmology." Mrs. Bryant's paper 

 on the relation of mathematics to general formal logic, 

 though far from easy reading, should be valuable to all 

 who are interested in the problems of general scientific 

 method. Unfortunately, it is disfigured by several mis- 

 leading errors in the printing of symbols. Dr. Bosanquet 

 supplies a most instructive defence of the ethical doctrines 

 of T. H. Green against recent criticism. For the reader 

 who is interested in topics of a more general kind, there 

 are Mr. Boutwood's " Philosophy of Probability " and 

 Mr. Goldsbrough's essay on "The Ethical Limits of 

 Method in Philosophy." A. E. T. 



Directions for Laboratory Work in Physiological 

 Chemistry. By Holmes C. Jackson, Ph.D., Instructor 

 in Physiological Chemistry, Bellevue Hospital Medical 

 College. Pp. 62. (New York : John Wiley and Sons ; 

 London : Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1902.) 

 THIS little book is intended especially as a guide to 

 the author's own students, and it is a little difficult 

 to understand why it should have a wider circulation. 

 Every teacher has necessarily his own methods, and if 

 all of them were to publish their own rough notes, the 

 number of text-books would be endless. If there is marked 

 originality in any particular teacher's methods, or if he 

 has anything new and important in his material, there 

 would be an excuse for publication, and other students and 

 other teachers would then derive benefit from the book, 

 but in the present case it is impossible to find any such 

 reason. All one finds are directions for performing the 

 stock elementary experiments commonly performed in 

 practical classes. There is no pretence at completeness. 

 The only spark of originality the work possesses is its 

 incompleteness ; each exercise is studded with marks of 

 interrogation or terminated by a question or two. These, 

 we imagine, are to be filled in or answered on the blank 

 pages with which the book is interleaved. The student 

 will, therefore, require a second book, or a very inquiring 

 mind, in order that he may give the present note-book 

 any semblance of completeness. 



We imagine that the purpose of leaving out so much 

 needful information is to stimulate the pupils to inquire 

 for themselves. Such a method only appeals to the 

 better class of student. It is the rank and file that a 

 book such as this should aim at educating ; the best 

 students will find things out for themselves whatever 

 method they are taught by. 



The style of the book is as rough as its matter is in- 

 complete ; it is written in the note-book or blackboard 

 manner, of which brevity is the soul, and in which such 

 parts of speech as articles, nominatives and verbs are 

 not regarded as essential constituents of a sentence. We 

 have not come across anything in the shape of serious 

 error, but that is hardly to be expected from a teacher 

 of some experience ; and doubtless many a first-year's 

 student could write notes of his practical work which 

 would be equally free from mistakes of this nature. 

 Die Zerselzung stickstofffreier organischen Substanzen 

 durch Baktericn. By Dr. O. Emmerling. Pp. 151 + 

 plates. (Braunschweig : Friedrich Vieweg u. Sohn, 

 1902.) Price 4 marks. 

 This book is the outcome of a series of lectures delivered 

 by the author before a chemical audience, and is pri- 

 marily intended for chemists, but is also adapted for all 



NO. I/36, VOL. 67] 



interested in the subject from a physiological standpoint. 

 The treatment is in nature, but not in form, that of a 

 lexicon, being a compilation which is intentionally in- 

 complete, and practically devoid of critical observations 

 and considerations of theory or method. 



The work is divided into six sections — (1) ferment- 

 ations accompanied by oxidation ; fermentations yielding 

 (2) lactic acid ; (3) mucilage (Schleim) ; (4) butyric acid ; 

 (5) fermentation of cellulose ; and (6) partly-unexplained 

 fermentations. The fermented substances considered 

 are practically entirely carbohydrates. 



Of the 132 pages of text, sixty-one fall to lactic fer- 

 mentation and, roughly, fifteen each to fermentations 

 accompanied with oxidation, those yielding mucilage 

 and butyric acid respectively, while that of cellulose 

 receives seven. 



The general mode of treatment in each section is 

 enumeration of the more important organisms, with a 

 short account of their characteristics, the subsidiary 

 products of the fermentations and substances other than 

 the specific one fermented by the organisms. 



In the sections on lactic and butyric fermentations, 

 two acceptable tables occur. These are divided into 

 sections according with the compound fermented. Each- 

 section is divided into three columns, giving respectively 

 the names of the organisms, the subsidiary products and 

 the names of the authors responsible for the statements. 

 In the case of lactic fermentations, the photogyric nature 

 of the resulting acids is given. 



The economic aspect of lactic fermentations is con- 

 sidered somewhat briefly, but comprehensively. The 

 section devoted to partly-explained fermentations is 

 practically only an enumeration. 



The author constantly uses the word fungus {Pile) 

 as equivalent with Schizomycete, a fault that is botani- 

 cally inexcusable. He also states that respiratory pro- 

 cesses, in which small amounts of sugars are decomposed 

 with production of natural gases, are to be strictly 

 separated from fermentation. This is physiologically 

 erroneous. 



Seven photographic plates occur at the end. The 

 figures are, on the average, good, although the focus of 

 some is not perfect. The book will be useful to all who 

 desire a partial summary of recent work on this subject 

 within a small scope. F. ESCOMBE. 



Das Motor-Zweirad and seine Behandlung. By Wolf- 

 gang Vogel. Pp. vii + 154. (Berlin: Gustav Schmidt, 

 1902.) 



A NOTICE of Herr Vogel's " Schule des Automobil- 

 fahrers" appeared in Nature of July 31, 1902 (vol. Ixvi. 

 p. 313), and reference was made in it to the motor cycle. 

 In the little manual before us, the same author describes 

 concisely the theory and action of the motor bicycle, and 

 provides in text and illustration just the kind of inform- 

 ation which the motorist will find of service. To readers 

 familiar with German, the book will give many useful 

 particulars on the construction of the machine and 

 hints on its care and use. 



A Course of Simple Experiments in Magnetism and 



Electricity. By A. E. Munby, M.A. Pp. xvi + 90. 



(London : Macmillan and Co., Ltd., 1903.) Price 



is. 6a. 



The careful instructions for the eighty-five experiments 



contained in this little book, together with the useful 



hints for the construction of apparatus, should serve 



very well to introduce young pupils to the practical study 



of magnetism and electricity. The author gives just 



enough guidance in the form of statements and suggestive 



questions to ensure that the experiments will be perlormed 



intelligently. 



