September 30, 1921] 



SCIENCE 



303 



Certainly even the eighteen poisons used 

 by the Germans and the counter-efforts 

 actually brought into operation by the Allies 

 were the fumbling of experimental amateurs 

 compared with what might follow a new 

 outbreak of hostilities between great manu- 

 facturing and scientific nations. Poison 

 could suddenly extinguish all life over so 

 many square miles of territory, over a walled 

 city, or a navy in its harbor. Science could 

 provide the formula, industrial chemistry the 

 substance, and aeroplanes the means of dis- 

 tribution. Were poison gas a specialized and 

 secluded branch of chemistry there might be 

 some hope that science might refuse to per- 

 vert its high mission from the service to the 

 destruction of mankind. But such a pos- 

 sibility does not arise, because the discovery 

 of noxious substances is an inevitable side 

 issue of the pursuit of chemical knowledge. 

 The world must either face and prepare for 

 the future, or it must prohibit chemical war- 

 fare by an international agreement supported 

 by effective international sanctions. — The 

 London Times. 



SCIENTIFIC BOOKS 



BIBLIOGRAPHY OF RELATIVITY 



The great interest in any scientific or phih- 

 sophic discovery generally calls forth semi- 

 scientific and learned discussion, followed by 

 a demand for literature, historical and recent, 

 upon this particular subject. 



The literature of the theory of relativity is 

 recent and more or less familiar to the sci- 

 entist. Before 1905, the year in which Dr. 

 Albert Einstein brought forward his funda- 

 mental and special theory, the literature was 

 scattered and bore indirectly upon the theory 

 of relativity as we know it to-day. The litera- 

 ture is quite extensive, however, from 1905 to 

 the time of the British solar eclipse expedition 

 in May, 1919, the results of which placed the 

 theory of relativity in a more or less acceptable 

 light, that is, the mathematical and physical 

 aspects found verification in the astronomical 

 interpretations. 



In view of the fact that the subject of rela- 

 tivity will probably have great influence upon 



future problems in physics and astronomy, due 

 to its mathematical character, and that the 

 history of this development can best be served 

 when the literature is known and organized, 

 a bibliography should prove of great value. 



The present note is to call attention to the 

 fact that an extensive and as complete a 

 bibliography as is possible, is in process of 

 being compiled. And thus far the writer has 

 collected approximately one thousand titles 

 of books, pamphlets, articles and notes pub- 

 lished in all languages to which it is possible 

 to obtain access. The John Crerar Library 

 seems the most logical place to form this bibli- 

 ography due to its great collection of scien- 

 tific literature. The philosophical literature 

 bearing upon this question (relativity) for- 

 tunately falls within the scope of the library's 

 collection. 



It is hoped that each entry upon the type- 

 written card will contain, besides the author, 

 title, source, date, also a short abstract, note or 

 review indicating just what the principal idea 

 is that the author has conveyed. A mere 

 author-title list is for current use and answers 

 only half of what a true bibliography ought to 

 be, and therefore is quite unsatisfactory. 

 Over 90 per cent, of the titles represent 

 material in The John Crerar Library, and it 

 is planned to make the collection in the library 

 as complete as possible, bearing upon rela- 

 tivity. 



The question of publishing this bibliography 

 is a difficult one, and at present no provision 

 has been made for it. 



What form of bibliography will be most 

 valuable for scientific purposes is an open 

 question. There are as many types as there 

 are demands for certain use. An alphabetical 

 author-title list serves one certain demand, 

 and a chronological author-title list serves 

 another. One might be analytical and an- 

 other synthetical in its aspect. A synthetical 

 bibliography must be selective, critical and 

 constructive ''■ ; add to this abstract, notes and 

 reviews, and it would be a bibliography worthy 

 of its name. 



1 Dr. George Sarton, Isis, 111., 159-170, No. 8, 

 Autumn, 1920. 



