Juny 5, 1918] 
strongly condemns the professor’s wild state- 
ments. The committee from the National 
Academy of Sciences, sent down by Presi- 
dent Wilson about the end of 1915, also be- 
lieved such assertions were not warranted by 
facts. Now the zephyrs of time have com- 
pletely cleared away the foundations of fog on 
which the professor’s off-hand, sweeping, and 
calamitous prophecy was based. One might 
pardon a professor of poetry for indulging in 
such dire and generalized prophecy regarding 
the canal, but that a professor of science 
should ascend so far into the rarified realms 
of imagination is surely an anomaly. 
Donaup F. MacDonatp, 
Formerly Geologist to the Isthmian 
Canal Commission 
A COUNTRY WITHOUT A NAME 
To tHe Epiror or Science: A statement 
made by one of your correspondents in SCIENCE, 
June 21, “ Canada, which is no part of Amer- 
ica,” is barely saved by the context, “ Canada, 
which is no part of America, as we wish it to 
be known, the U. S. A.” 
Wishes will hardly avail to rule that Canada 
is no part of America. The united states south 
of the Rio Grande bear the name Mexico; simi- 
larly the united states (provinces) north of the 
St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes bear the 
name Canada. Mexico and Canada are both 
good names, because they are single words and 
readily afford corresponding adjectives. The 
geographically intermediate group of states 
suffers the misfortune of having no name, and 
a much needed adjective is consequently lack- 
ing. All three groups are, of course, “ of Amer- 
ica””—Mexico being, however, rather more 
American than the other two. 
The awkwardness due to lack of a name has 
been especially exhibited during the past year 
or more in such glaring inaccuracies as 
“ American troops,” “ American supplies,” etc., 
when “United States” is meant. That par- 
ticular federation of American states which 
begins with Maine and ends with Washington 
needs a name more than it needs a national 
flower. Eten Haves 
WELLESLEY, Mass. 
SCIENCE 15 
SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 
An Introduction to the Chemistry of Plant 
Products. By Paut Haas, D.Se., Ph.D., 
Lecturer on Chemistry, Royal Gardens, Kew, 
and in the Medical School of St. Mary’s 
Hospital, London; and T. G. Hill, A.R.C.S., 
F.L.S., Reader in Vegetable Physiology in 
the University of London, University Col- 
lege. With diagrams. Second edition. 
London, New York, Bombay, Calcutta and 
Madras, Longmans, Green and Company. 
1917. $3.50 net. 
The subject of paramount importance in 
biology is the study of the cell and its constit- 
uents. * A great deal is known concerning the 
physical properties and occurrence of nearly 
all those bodies that possess definite forms 
under normal conditions. Independent of the 
biologist a large number of constituents have 
been isolated and these have been studied as to 
their chemical properties and in some in- 
stances their constitution has been ascer- 
tained. The work of the biologist and phyto- 
chemist has been usually conducted more or 
less independently. Up until now this was in- 
evitable on account of the special training re- 
quired in both these sciences. The time has 
come, however, when the results of the biolo- 
gist should be understood by the chemist and 
the discoveries of the latter interpreted and 
applied to the study of the constituents of the 
cell. This work of Haas and Hill aims to 
supply this deficiency and is likely to be an 
incentive to the publication of other books 
covering these subjects. 
This work deals essentially with the impor- 
tant plant constituents and includes: (1) Fats, 
oils and waxes; phosphatides; (2) carbohy- 
drates; (3) glucosides; (4) tannins; (5) pig- 
ments; (6) nitrogens bases; (7) colloids; (8) 
proteins; (9) enzymes. These various sub- 
stances are considered as to their occurrence in 
nature, their physical and chemical properties, 
microchemical reactions, method of extraction, 
quantitative estimation and physiological sig- 
nificance. The chemical methods of isolation 
of the plant products and their chemical reac- 
tion are very fully considered and for this rea- 
