March 18, 1898.] 



SCIENCE. 



391 



A Short Handbook of Oil Analysis. By Augustus 

 H. Gill, S. B., Ph.D., author of 'Gas and 

 Fuel Analysis for Engineers ; ' Assistant Pro- 

 fessor of Oil and Gas Analysis at the Massa- 

 chusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, 

 Mass. Philadelphia, J. B. Lippincott Com- 

 pany; London, 6 Henrietta Street, Covent 

 Garden. 1898. 



This little book is exactly what it professes 

 to be — a short handbook. Yet, it is very sel- 

 dom that one finds a book that contains more 

 valuable material than is condensed within its 

 one hundred and thirty-six pages. The book 

 is not only very full and complete in itself, but 

 its very extended references converts it into a 

 catalogue of a small library of books and ar- 

 ticles upon the subjects treated in its pages. 

 This gives the book a value comparable only to 

 the well known work of Allen, which appeared 

 about ten years ago. In respect to convenient 

 size for the laboratory table Dr. Gill's book is 

 much to be preferred, while a very careful ex- 

 amination has failed to discover the omission of 

 anything of importance, while absence of un- 

 necessary details and the clear and systematic 

 arrangement cannot be too highly commended. 

 The book, too, belongs to that class that is not 

 alone useful to the professional chemist, but is 

 equally so to the practical technologist. It must 

 not, however, be mistaken for a work on the 

 technology of oils, which it is not. 



The whole subject of ' Oil Analysis ' has been 

 covered so evenly and well that we found no 

 occasion to call attention to particular pages. 

 We commend the book as one that no chemist 

 or technologist can do without. 



S. F. Peceham. 



Zur Kenntniss der Kern und Zelltheilung bei den 

 Sphacelariaceen. Von Waltee T. Swingle. 

 Berlin. 1897. Sep.-Abdruck, Pringh. Jahr- 

 biicher, B. XXX. H. 2-3, pp. 53, pi. 2. 

 Mr. Swingle is to be congratulated upon hav- 

 ing made a considerable addition to the cyto- 

 logical knowledge of a group, which has 

 received a great deal of attention from investi- 

 gators. The important results were obtained, 

 without exception, from the apical cell of Stypo- 

 caulon scoparium. The paper is quite complete 

 historically and morphologically, but derives 



its chief interest from the additional light it 

 throws upon much debated questions in cy- 

 tology. 



According to the author, kinoplasm and tro- 

 phoplasm are not only sharply differentiated in 

 the Sphacelariacese, but the trophoplasm mani- 

 fests also a distinct separation into a peripheral 

 coarsely reticulate portion, and a much more 

 finely reticulate central portion. The marked 

 structural demarcation of the two parts is 

 heightened by the presence of numerous 

 granules in the outer meshes of the coarser 

 portion. The same peculiar granules are found 

 in the finer reticulum, and here and there 

 throughout the cytoplasm, though in reduced 

 number. The significance of this peculiarity of 

 the trophoplasm admits at present of no adequate 

 explanation. One cannot, however, feel quite 

 as certain as the author that it is not an artefact. 

 As for the kinoplasm, it is remarkably distinct 

 and persistent. 



The achromatic spindle of Stypocaulon is 

 more or less unique in its development. It con- 

 sists of three sets of fibres, those of an incom- 

 plete central spindle, those of the mantle, and 

 certain free fibres which have no equatorial 

 connection. The author concluded that the 

 spindle arises from the intrusion of the kinoplas- 

 mic fibres, since the radiations in the kinoplasm 

 decrease concomitantly with the appearance of 

 the achromatic spindle. This might easily 

 happen, however, as Cheviakoflf has suggested, 

 by the solution and transfusion of the kinoplas- 

 mic substance. The actual intrusion of the 

 fibres of the kinoplasm could only be proved by 

 the observation of the punctation or perforation 

 of the nuclear membrane itself. 



The investigation of the nucleolus in Stypo- 

 caulon furnishes no definite support to any of 

 the multitudinous hypotheses concerning its 

 presence and function. The author rather in- 

 clines to the view that the nucleolus may be a 

 special store of organic nutrition for the kino- 

 plasmic elaboration of the achromatic spindle. 

 The centrosomes are permanently present in 

 the kinoplasm, and undergo division regularly. 

 In this connection, it is interesting to note the 

 recently enunciated opinion of Caruoy, to the 

 effect that the nucleoli of the pronuclei of As- 

 caris become the centrosomes, and that there 



