July 28, 1904] 



NA TURE 



293 



/l.V IMPRESSIONIST TEXT-BOOK OF PAPER 



MAKING. 

 Chapters on Papcrmaking. \o\. \. By Clayton 

 Beadle. Pp. 151. (London : H. H. Grattan, 1904.) 



THERE is a " mission " for science in relation to 

 industry which is to re-infuse into its reiterated 

 routine operations that measure or kind of interest 

 which we know as " intelligent." Our factory 

 workers are not the craftsmen of the past centuries ; 

 division of labour makes this difficult, and in many 

 cases impossible. But though shut out from the 

 " joy " of the craftsman, and far removed from that 

 higher order of appreciation which makes the craft 

 of the Oriental a part of his religion, our workers 

 can cultivate an intelligent interest in their work. 

 The book before us is directed to this particular aim, 

 and is especially justified in regard to the art of 

 papermaking, not only because modern papermaking 

 is in all essential respects based on the ancient craft, 

 but the various operations are interdependent on such 

 obvious lines tlj^t whatever particular section of the 

 work a man may be engaged in, he can easily acquire 

 and keep an intelligent grasp of the whole. 



The book may be described as a series of studies of 

 special points, largely and evidently such special 

 points as have from time to time challenged the 

 interest of the author in the course of his occupation 

 as chemist to one of our oldest and most important 

 paper mills. There is no essentially logical sequence 

 in these studies, but we agree with the author that 

 there is no occasion to multiply routine text-books. 

 It is obvious, therefore, that there is no call to read 

 the chapters in any particular order. The subjects 

 treated may be briefly summarised as follows : — Raw- 

 fibrous materials and cellulose ; bleaching and general 

 view of the chemistry of the operations ; the whole 

 question of the function of water in relation to the 

 manufacturing operations, as well as the physical and 

 chemical points involved in the relation of water to 

 the celluloses; paper in relation to the entire range of 

 its applications, and the destructive agencies which 

 it is required to resist and survive. 



In dealing with these subjects the author follows 

 the original method, that is, he develops his theme 

 largely by original observations and investigations, 

 trusting to the particular perspective of his own ex- 

 perience to give the subject-matter its cohesion. The 

 result is quite satisfactory. There is room for con- 

 tributions of this kind. 



As a particular illustration of the author's methods, 

 we may mention the statistical discussion on pp. 00-93 

 of the total contribution of basic matters in working 

 up a rag pulp, both engine sized (resin) and tub sized 

 (gelatin and soap), in relation to the sulphate of 

 ;ilumina required to be used. This subject might be 

 very much extended to involve many of the most 

 interesting developments of modern chemical science, 

 e.g. the ionisation of salts and the peculiar functions 

 of the organic colloids in relation to electrolytes in 

 solution. There is no doubt that the reactions in the 

 beater will not be understood until studied in relation 

 to these questions. 



NO. 1813, VOL. 70] 



In a discussion of the theory of the bleaching 

 process, the author returns to some questions arising 

 in the study of one of the systems of electrolytic 

 bleaching, which was based upon the circulation 

 continuously of the electrolysed (MgCl,) solution 

 between the electrolyser and the potcher. There is no 

 doubt that this condition gives an unexpected maxi- 

 mum of bleaching efficiency, possibly because energy 

 may be carried in some particular forms not neces- 

 sarily expressed in the simple oxidising actions of the 

 solution, as, e.g., on HI or As^Oj. In this connection 

 it is to be noted that Brunck advances a similar hypo- 

 thesis in relation to ozone and its oxidising reactions 

 {Zcitscli. angeiv. Chem., 1903, p. 894). 



Further, according to the specification of recent 

 patents (Schuckert), the addition of certain organic 

 compounds, more particularly resin (soda resinate), to 

 a solution of an alkali chloride to be electrolysed 

 enables a very much higher concentration of " bleach- 

 ing chlorine " to be economically worked. Certainly 

 there are points here which should attract investi- 

 gators to a re-examination of the phenomena. 



On the general question of bleaching actions, the 

 author is somewhat discursive, and there are one or 

 two inaccuracies and omissions in small but not less 

 essential points. Thus, on p. 90, the reaction of 

 sodium sulphite as an " antichlor " is stated to add to 

 the alkalinity of the pulp. The normal sulphites in 

 oxidising to the normal sulphates do not affect the 

 balance of alkalinity. In cases where potassium 

 iodide is decomposed by a paper, i.e. by a constituent 

 of the paper, with liberation of iodine, the methods of 

 Wurster should certainly have been imported into the 

 investigation. The investigations of Russell should 

 have been noticed, and the subject connected with the 

 general question of autoxidation. 



We mention such points to show that the methods 

 of the author are suggestive rather than exhaustive, 

 and paper mill chemists especially will find these 

 lectures full of matter to set them thinking, observing, 

 and in turn investigating a number of phenomena 

 which they might otherwise neglect or pass over. 



We apply in conclusion the text which opened this 

 brief review : — There is the human side even to the 

 highly competitive production of modern times, and 

 authors who contribute to this aspect of industry, and 

 notably to the pleasure of the worker, are deserving 

 of the particular encouragement of a large circulation. 



THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN 

 BRAIN. 

 Die Entuiicklung dcs moischlichcn Geliinis ivalirend 

 dcr ersten Monate. Untersuchungsergebnisse von 

 VVilhelm His. Pp. iv-l-176. (Leipzig: S. Herzel, 

 1904.) Price 12 marks. 



THIS work, as its title indicates, deals with the 

 development of the human brain during the first 

 four months. Half of the book, on the development 

 of the cerebral hemispheres and the origin of the 

 intramedullary tracts, is original matter, and continues 

 the work already commenced in 1S90 by the author's 

 paper on the organisation of the medulla. The re- 



