January 6, 1899.] 



SCIENCE. 



25 



one who is preparing to do something in the 

 way of experimental research. In the vol- 

 ume now under consideration he has entered 

 a different field, and with such success as 

 to deserve and, I have no doubt, to wiu the 

 approval of all interested in the fundamental 

 principles and concepts of physical science. In 

 addition to an excellent review of current 

 theories of the nature of matter, energy, force, 

 etc., in which the vortex theory and Le Sage's 

 theory of gravitation are exceptionally well 

 presented, the work includes much that is new 

 and original, a few proposed additions to the 

 nomenclature of science and many extremely 

 suggestive discussions. 



Professor Holman departs from the usual 

 practice in the very beginning when he defines 

 matter as ' the inert constituent of substance.' 

 By ' substance' he means ' that which is inferred 

 as existing in space, and as endued with powers 

 to affect portions of itself,' and it is made out 

 of matter by the addition of something. ' Con- 

 tinuous, uniform and permanent occupancy of 

 space' is the ultimate and sole property of 

 matter. ' Mass' is defined as ' quantity of 

 matter,' and as matter has really no signifi- 

 cance until it becomes ' substance' the word 

 ' mass' is practically banished. 



Atoms are ' permanent aggregations of matter 

 differentiated from matter by some mode of 

 motion' (vortex motion), and they combine to 

 make ' substance.' ' Bodies' are limited por- 

 tions of 'substance.' The 'something' which 

 distinguishes substance from matter is energy. 

 "A designated quantity of substance consists 

 of a definite quantity of matter in permanent 

 association with a definite quantity of energy 

 or motion." The two words ' or motion' 

 render this statement somewhat obscui'e. 

 What is meant by a ' definite quantity of 

 motion ?' Professor Holman's definition of 

 ' motion' is that of nearly all writers, namely, 

 ' change of relative position.' It is a curious 

 but common practice to define it in this way 

 and then to define its ' quantity' by associating 

 with it something (matter, mass) absolutely 

 unlike it in every respect. It is certainly not 

 in this sense that he means to use it in the phrase 

 above quoted. 



To all ' substance' he attributes a ' capacity 



for kinetic energy' and to this capacity he ap- 

 plies the term ' kinergety,^ of which much use is 

 made in all subsequent discussions. Mass is 

 assumed to be proportional to kinergety and the 

 latter thus affords a means of measuring the 

 former or rather of comparing different quanti- 

 ties of it. 



Quantities of substance may also be com- 

 pared by means of the force called 'weight,' 

 and a quantity thus determined by means of 

 the equal-arm balance is called weiglital. 



The ' International Kilogramme' and the ' Im- 

 perial Pound ' are spoken of as standards of 

 ' Kinergety ' and weigMal is shown to be pro- 

 portional to 'Kinergety.' What is commonly 

 known as 'the ether,' the medium by which 

 radiant energy is transmitted, is regarded as a 

 kind of substance, and hence not the continuous 

 uniform substratum of ' matter ' from which all 

 substance is evolved. 



It is impossible in a brief notice to make ex- 

 tensive quotations, but especial attention ought 

 to be invited to the author's remarks on the 

 various forms of energy. They are extremely 

 interesting and suggestive, and particularly so 

 in the exhibit which is made of the importance 

 of the energy of elasticity as an intermediate 

 stage of all energy transformations. The defi- 

 nition of ' force ' as related to energy will not 

 fail to attract attention and possibly enable 

 many readers to possess a reasonably satisfying 

 concept of that much-abused word. Reference 

 has already been made to the very full presen- 

 tation of the vortex theory of matter, in the 

 possibilities of which the author evidently has 

 great confidence. The principal results of the 

 splendid work of Professor J. J. Thomson in 

 the application of this theory to chemical phe- 

 nomena are here given in clear and simple lan- 

 guage, without the mathematical backing upon 

 which it leans. The singularly clear and satis- 

 factory discussion of Le Sage's theory of gravi- 

 tation as affected by the vortex theory of 

 atoms would alone put the volume on the 

 shelves'of every physical library, but the more 

 distinctly original portions of it, the nature of 

 which has only been hinted at in this notice, 

 will fully justify its careful perusal by students 

 of physical science. 



I think there can be no impropriety in a brief 



