JUNE +27, 1912] 
NATURE 
423 
(2) Mr. Jordan, whose title-page is almost 
identical with Dr. Bryce’s, barring the names of 
author and publisher, is well known as the direc- 
tor of the New York agricultural station and the 
author of a great deal of original work, particu- 
larly on the feeding of stock. His book is evi- 
dently written not for the scientific specialist, but | 
for the ordinary man of education who possesses 
also practical common sense. His account of his 
subject, though marred by American spelling, is 
admirably clear, and illustrated by a number of 
well-chosen diagrams and pictures, especially in 
the preliminary portion, which deals with the | 
physiology of the digestive organs. His bias is 
distinctly unfavourable to an acceptance of Chitten- 
den’s views on diet. A large amount of space is 
devoted to the consideration of milk, as one would 
have anticipated from his close acquaintance with 
the cow. 
allude to his timely protest against the use of anti- 
septics and preservatives in milk and other forms 
of food. In America the laws relating to this 
form of adulteration are much more stringent than 
they are with us. 
(3) The third book on our list deals exclusively 
with milk, and is from the pen of Dr. Savage, 
the well-known bacteriologist, and at present 
medical officer of health in the county of Somer- 
set. He therefore writes with authority, and 
describes the present evils in the collection, 
storage, and transport of this precious foodstuff 
which it would be well for the public at large to 
ponder on, and subsequently act upon. Until the 
question of this gigantic evil is taken up vigor- 
ously by the voters and recognised as a national 
problem, we can only fear that the subject will 
continue to repose in a pigeon-hole, and the Pure 
Milk Bill, which has been so long promised, will 
still remain up the sleeve of the President of the 
Local Government Board. 
(4) Dr. Otto von Fiirth’s book is in quite a 
different category, being a text-book of physio- 
logical and pathological chemistry. The first 
volume, which is the only one yet published, is 
entitled ‘Tissue Chemistry”. (Gewebschemie) ; 
the second is to deal with metabolism. The author 
is one who has made the subject his own, and is 
a prolific researcher. His book is most excellent, 
and is enriched with a wealth of bibliographical 
references. It includes what is a new feature in 
such books—a full account of the large amount 
of work which has centred around the chemistry 
of malignant tumours. But it is not only for this 
that we can recommend its perusal; the whole 
subject-matter is thoroughly up-to-date, and is 
presented in a lucid and interesting manner. 
Wie D:. H. 
NO. 2226, vo. 89] 
Among other points, one may also | 
OUR BOOKSHELF. 
Traité complet d’analyse chimique appliquée aux 
essais industriels. By Prof. J. Post and Prof. 
B. Neumann. Tome _ Troisitme, Premier 
Fascicule:—Engrais commerciaux, amende- 
ments et fumiers. Terre arable et produits 
agricoles. Air. Huiles essentielles cuir et 
matiéres tannantes. Colle. Tabac. Caoutchouc 
et gutta-percha. Matieres explosives et allu- 
mettes. Pp. 468. (Paris: A. Hermann et Fils, 
1912.) Price 15 francs. 
Tue second French edition of Post and Neumann’s 
work will comprise three volumes, and the par- 
ticular part now under notice is the first fascicule 
of the third volume. The translators have not 
confined themselves to translating; they have 
made additions freely wherever the German text 
seemed to require it. For example, in the section 
on the analysis of fertilisers about one-half is 
interpolated matter, chiefly accounts of processes 
adopted by the Comité des stations agronomiques 
et des laboratoires agricoles de France, which 
are regarded as ‘‘official ”’ methods in that country. 
Thus the book indicates what is regarded as the 
| best practice in both France and Germany. 
Of such a work, close-packed with analytical 
| details from cover to cover, it must suffice to speak 
in general terms. For readers not familiar with 
it, the scope of the work will be shown best by 
an outline of one of the articles. Taking, there- 
fore, the section on rubber as an instance, we 
find first a short description of the latex and of 
the composition and properties of raw rubber; 
then follow some half-dozen of the most approved 
processes for the analysis of the raw product, in- 
cluding Harries’s ‘“‘nitrosite”” method as improved 
by Fendler, and the tetrabromide method proposed 
by Budde, with Pontio’s modifications. Coming 
next to vulcanised rubber, Weber’s process for 
the qualitative examination is described, while for 
quantitative work two schemes of procedure are 
drawn up, one by Pontio and the other by Dr. 
Herbst, the writer of the section. Finally, manu- 
factured rubber is dealt with from the point of 
view of the mechanical, physical, and chemical 
tests to which it should respond if it is to be suit- 
able for a particular purpose. 
Mutatis mutandis, the other sections are treated 
in similar comprehensive fashion. The selection 
of analytical methods appears to be generally 
good, and the present writer, in testing the 
descriptions here and there, has come across no 
error of importance. C. 8: 
Prehistoric Japan. By Dr. Neil Gordon Munro. 
Pp. xvii+705+numerous illustrations in text. 
(Yokohama: [Publisher’s name not given]; 
Edinburgh: William Bryce, 1911.) Price 24s. 
net (12 yen). 
Dr. Net Gorpvon Munro has been _ well 
known for a good many years to all interested 
in things Japanese as an earnest and _in- 
dustrious student and investigator in the field 
of the archeology of the Land of the Rising Sun, 
and his book will be welcomed as a substantial 
contribution to the subject. It was published in 
