SEPTEMBER 25, 1913| 
author, who is professor of civil and military 
engineering at the Westpoint Military Academy, 
draws extensively upon the experience gained in 
recent wars, as far back as the American Civil 
War, and up to the Russo-Japanese war. In this 
period much has taken place to modify field works 
and entrenchments, and the art of concealment 
due to the use of smokeless powder becomes one 
of the characteristic features of military field work. 
It would be impossible to follow the author 
through the various types of entrenchments, 
breastworks, embankments, stockades, palisades, 
revetments, blockhouses, and buildings, that he 
describes and illustrates. It is all clearly set 
forth in short, if somewhat disjointed, sentences. 
The chapters on passage of rivers and military 
demolitions contain little that is new, but there is 
quite enough new material in the book without 
expecting something fresh on every page. The 
work should prove to be valuable to the student 
of military science. 
(3) In the preface the author states his intention 
of providing a course of training in machine con- 
struction and drawing, not only to conform to 
the requirements of actual workshop practice, 
but to provide approximately a year’s work in 
the evening technical school. This he has done by 
rendering numerous examples of parts of machines, 
reserving for each general type a separate chapter, 
the first four chapters being devoted to such 
elementary matters as nuts, bolts, screws, and 
riveted joints. The student is supposed to have 
a fair acquaintance with mechanical drawing be- 
fore entering on the subjects in this book. The 
machine details and examples are of the usual 
pattern. 
(4) Perhaps a more descriptive title for this 
book would be one which conveyed the impression 
of economical operations in excavations and fill- 
ings for railways, for such is the matter of which 
it treats. The term “overhaul” is employed to 
describe a distance of hauling excavated materials 
in excess of a specified distance on the basis of 
which the contract is let. Overhaul is the product 
of the number of cubic yards hauled by the 
average overhaul distance. The unit of haul 
used throughout the work is the station-yard, the 
station being a distance of 100 ft., and the volume 
the cubic yard. By taking cross-sections of cuts 
and fills mass curves are drawn, due allowance 
being made for the “swell ratio,” or the increase 
in bulk resulting from moving the material from 
its initial position to a fill. The engineer and con- 
tractor would derive much condensed information 
from the examples that are worked out, showing 
for different cross-sections the most economical 
way of handling the material. Such problems 
NO. 2291, VOL. 92] 
NATURE 
| are, however, capable of indefinite variations, but 
the author has covered the ground by illustrative 
types which point the way to solutions in special 
cases. 
(5) In the form of diagrams information is set 
forth for the rapid calculation of the maximum 
possible bending moments, vertical and horizontal 
shearing forces, and stirrups or binding for any 
number of equal continuous spans with any 
possible arrangement of loading of complete spans 
for all types of loading generally met with in 
practice. The work contains sixty-nine diagrams 
besides tables, and the bending moments and shear 
for continuous girders up to five spans are shown. 
It would have added considerably to the value of 
the work if scales had been put to all the diagrams ; 
as it is, some of them are bare, without any 
scales or reference marks. They are very in- 
structive as showing the variation of bending 
moment and shear in continuous beams, and are 
capable of wide application. 
DIET AND HEALTH. 
(1) Health Through Diet: A Practical Guide to 
the Uric-Acid-Free Diet. By Kenneth G. Haig. 
With the Advice and Assistance of Dr. Alex- 
ander Haig. Pp. x+227. (London: Methuen 
and €o;, Etd:, n.d.) Price gs. 6d. net. 
(2) The Elements of Heating and Ventilation. A 
Text-book for Students, Engineers, and Archi- 
tects. By Prof. A. M. Greene, jun. Pp. vi+ 
324. (New York: John Wiley and Sons; 
London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1913.) 
Price ros. 6d. net. 
(3) Chloride of Lime in Sanitation. By A. H. 
Hooker. Pp. v+231. (New York: John 
Wiley and Sons; London: Chapman and Hall, 
Ltd., 1913.) 
(1) HIS little volume is most practical in 
its treatment of problems of diet. The 
author approaches the subject with such whole- 
hearted enthusiasm that he equals, if not excels, 
that of his father, whose work he continues and 
extends. The rules emphasised as to selection 
of food are to secure ample proteid, and a pre- 
ferential position for this in making up a dietary, 
so that digestion shall not be previously weakened 
by any less valuable constituent. 
Four classes of food are given, the above coming 
first, then the cereals, then a mixed group of 
fruits and vegetables with the vegetable and 
animal fats. Lastly foods containing no nourish- 
ment (proteid)—tapioca, arrowroot, and com- 
mercial cornflour. Two meals a day are recom- 
mended, the optima being 11.30 a.m. and 7.30 
p.m., though the author admits practical difficulty 
in the former. 
