744 
the sunshine and cooled by the radiation of 
heat; the upper layers of the atmosphere have 
both heat and moisture carried upward into 
them by convection, namely, by air that as- 
cends from near the earth’s surface: on the 
other hand the lower atmosphere is slightly 
cooled by the descent of an equivalent mass of 
the upper air. Of course radiation of heat 
from the atmosphere and the earth outwards 
goes on continuously, whereas convection is 
spasmodic; hence, the distribution of tempera- 
ture is a regularity that is modified by many 
irregularities. The annual and the diurnal 
periods and the irregular variations of heat 
are appreciated by every one as is also its 
diminution with altitude. The barometric 
eradient is generally regarded as the cause of 
the motions of the atmosphere, but the rota- 
tion of the earth on its axis modifies these 
winds in such a way that northerly winds be- 
come northeast and southerly winds become 
southwest and so on around the circle. Of 
course the atmospheric pressure has its regu- 
lar annual and diurnal variations and its 
irregular ones also, as well as its diminution 
with altitude. The regions of high pressure 
on the earth’s surface are also regions of de- 
scending dry and dense air, whereas the re- 
gions of low pressure are those toward which 
the air is blowing and are the ordinary storm 
centers. The general circulation of the at- 
mosphere is maintained by such barometric 
differences far above the earth’s surface as 
well as at sea level: these are complicated with 
the large differences of the highs and lows of 
the barometric pressure that maintain our 
storm areas. The paths of these areas are 
shown by Milham in small maps prepared by 
several different persons—Bigelow, Van Cleef, 
Bebber, Loomis, Russell. The attempt to pre- 
dict the path of any area of high or low pres- 
sure is the fundamentally difficult problem of 
the forecaster and is one to which considerable 
attention is given in Professor Milham’s book. 
The volume is illustrated by 157 illustrations 
and fifty charts and a number of numerical 
tables. A brief summary shows that Mil- 
ham’s meteorology is a work destined to be 
eminently useful, both to the teacher and to 
SCIENCE 
[N.S. Vou. XXXV. No. 906 
the general reader. The publishers have spared 
neither money nor pains in order to make this 
beautiful volume acceptable to the author, the 
teacher and the student. 
C. A. 
Probleme der physiologischen und patholog- 
ischen Chemie. Fiinfzig Vorlesungen iiber 
neuere Ergebnisse und Richtungslinien der 
Forschung fiir Studierende, Aerzte, Biol- 
ogen und Chemiker, von Dr. Otto von 
Firru, A. ©. Professor fiir angewandte 
medizinische Chemie an der Wiener Uni- 
versitat. I. Band, Gewebschemie. Leip- 
zig, Verlag von F. OC. W. Vogel. 1912. 
Pp. xv + 634. 
This is neither a systematic text-book, an 
encyclopedic compilation of facts, nor a mere 
epitome of current theories or methods—it is 
quite different from other recent publications 
in this field of science. Physiological chem- 
istry has been the subject of an exceptionally 
large number of useful handbooks and com- 
prehensive monographs on special topics, all 
published in very recent times and useful as 
works of reference. Here at length is a book 
which can not only be “tasted” or “swal- 
lowed,” but even “chewed and digested,” ac- 
cording to the Baconian classification. As- 
suming a familiarity with at least the ele- 
ments of biochemistry on the part of every 
reader and making no pretense to cover the 
field with uniform completeness or compre- 
hensiveness in every chapter, Professor v. 
Fiirth has furnished a readable volume of re- 
freshing novelty. 
We are in danger, in present-day science, of 
becoming the slaves of system. These new 
lectures break away from some of the current 
tradition in respect to form and appeal to him 
who is not so much in search of organized 
literature as of inspiring viewpoints. The 
justification for this series of essays on the 
accomplishments and tendencies of the chem- 
ical physiology of these days—essays un- 
hampered by the conventional text-book re- 
quirements—is well expressed by the author. 
Ich vermag mich niemals eines Gefihles von 
Neid zu erwehren wenn ich zum Beispiel Briefe 
