840 
NATURE 
[JUNE 23, 1923 

wants to provoke controversy and inquiry with regard 
to the grounds of his faith in the future of the North, 
and the vigour, resourcefulness, and good humour of 
his propaganda should make even his critics his friends, 
for every one likes a strong man in pursuit of a great 
idea. Hucu Ropert Mitt. 

Our Bookshelf. 
Occultism and Modern Science. By Prof. T. Kon- 
stantin Oesterreich. Translated from the second 
German edition. Pp. vii+181. (London: Methuen 
and Co., Ltd., 1923.) 6s. net. 
Pror. OESTERREICH’S book is intended to be a popular 
presentation to the German public of the evidences 
of “occult ” phenomena, which are fairly well known 
to English-speaking people. He points out that this 
field of knowledge has been little cultivated in Germany, 
and, with great impartiality, places such facts as have 
been observed before his readers. He examines the 
cases of Helene Smith, Mrs. Piper, Palladino, and 
Eva C. in detail, and arranges his phenomena under 
the heads of states of impersonation, psychometry, 
cross-correspondence, telekinesis, and materialisation. 
His conclusions are adverse to spiritism ; but, on the 
evidence, he seems to have no doubt of the occurrence 
of the phenomena in question, though there is no 
indication in the book of any first-hand acquaintance 
with the subject. Indeed, there is a lack of judicial 
balance in the admission of the evidence. Crawford— 
though the facts were clearly not known to Oesterreich 
when this work was written—is cited as an authority 
for telekinesis and materialisation. The introduction 
is remarkably good, as is the general plea for scientific 
examination without prejudice of the facts; but the 
chapter on theosophy has little connexion with the 
rest of the book, and rather marrs it by the personal 
note with regard to Rudolf Steiner which it introduces. 
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research : Food 
Investigation Board. Special Report No. 15 by the 
Engineering Committee of the Board. Insulated and 
Refrigerator Barges for the Carriage of Perishable 
Foods. Pp. iitit+t21. (London: H.M. Stationery 
Office, 1923.) 1s. net. 
WHILE in normal circumstances the barges thermally 
insulated with four inches of cork at present used in 
Great Britain for the conveyance of perishable food 
such as frozen meat from the importing ship to the 
quay or cold store are found to be adequate, conditions 
arise in practice under which they fail. This report 
will serve as a valuable guide to those who wish to 
provide something better. It is shown that the 
ordinary insulated barge is only satisfactory for 
48 hours if the frozen cargo is well packed, so that its 
rise of temperature owing to its having to cool the 
barge may be as small as possible, and if the temperature 
of air and water do not exceed 50° F. If the barge can 
be pre-cooled to 20° F. it is adequate under the same 
temperature conditions for 96hours. Ifthe temperature 
of air and sea water rises above 70° F., the barge, even 
when pre-cooled to 20° F., will only prove effective for 
about 4o hours, and if it is to carry its cargo longer 
NO. 2799, VOL. tI1] 

it must be provided with refrigerating machinery. In 
one experiment with a barge so equipped a cargo of 
frozen meat was carried for seven days without its 
temperature rising more than 3° F. 
Electric Transients. By Prof. C. E. Magnusson, 
A. Kalin, and J. R. Tolmie. *Pp. viii+193. (New 
York and London: McGraw-Hill Book Co. Ine., 
1922.) 12s. 6d. 
Turis book was primarily written for the electrical 
engineering students of the University of Washington. 
It discusses in detail many of the transient phenomena 
which ensue whenever any of the electric “ constants ” 
of a circuit. suddenly alters in value. Excellent 
oscillograms are given, the study of some of which 
will be of value to advanced students. As a rule, the 
transient quiver induced in the current wave by a 
sudden disturbance of the circuit dies away rapidly. 
In some cases, however, it attains excessive values 
and does damage. In a few cases it is continually 
in evidence, as, for example, when an electric arc forms 
part of the circuit. The question of “transients” there- 
fore needs to be studied carefully by electrical engineers. 
The introduction is rather too condensed. For 
example, we are told that the Ohm’s law of the di- 
electric circuit is that the dielectric flux equals the 
voltage divided by the elastance of the circuit. The 
elastance is the reciprocal of the condensance. The 
former is measured in “darafs”’ and the latter in 
farads. It is not easy to picture what the authors 
mean, as apparently the cross-section of the dielectric 
circuit is constant. 
Surface Tension and Surface Energy and their Influence 
on Chemical Phenomena. By Dr. R. S. Willows and 
E. Hatschek. (Text-books of Chemical Research 
and Engineering.) Third edition. Pp. viii+136. 
(London: J. and A. Churchill, 1923.) 6s. 6d. net. 
Tue study of “Surface Tension” has been modified 
profoundly by the conception of oriented molecules 
which was introduced by Langmuir in 1917, and has 
since been developed on a rigid quantitative basis by 
the researches of N. K. Adam. These new develop- 
ments are described and discussed in the new edition 
of this work. The fact that the subject is treated from 
the physical rather than the chemical point of view 
increases the value of the book as a contribution to 
physical chemistry, since it leads to the introduction 
of information which is not usually available in books 
written by chemists. 
Intelligence Tests and School Reorganization. By — 
Lewis M. Terman and others. Prepared as a Sub- 
committee Report to the Commission on Revision 
of Elementary Education, National Education 
Association. Pp. viii+111. (London, Calcutta, and 
Sydney: G. G. Harrap and Co., Ltd., n.d.) 4s. 6d. © 
net. ; 
A USEFUL little set of monographs on the use of in- 
telligence tests. Chapter 3—‘‘ Methods of Individual 
Instruction in the Adjustment Rooms of Los Angeles ” 
—by A. H. Sutherland, is perhaps the most valuable, 
as indicating a means of securing the incentive of 
personal interest in acquiring information in the case 
of backward children. ; 

