482 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LIV. Na 1403 



technological processes liave been compiled 

 with the greatest patience and industry. 



At the outset it would be advisable to pub- 

 lish only one monograph dealing with cellu- 

 lose chemistry. It would be unfortunate if 

 the society published a series of separate 

 monographs on such subjects as (let us say) 

 cellulose hydrates or oxycellulose. If one 

 monograph cannot be made the joint work 

 of two authors (an organic and a physical 

 chemist), it might be well to have two 

 monographs, one on the " chemistry of cel- 

 lulose," and one on " cellulose as a colloid." 

 Needless to say these books should supple- 

 ment each other. I can not help feeling that 

 an extended series must lead us into the same 

 difficulties that we have encountered in the 

 past, and I do not think that such a series 

 would prove a good investment. Certainly 

 the details in a number of volumes of an ex- 

 tended series would be obsolete in a compara- 

 tively short time. A carefully written volume 

 of 300^00 pages with a properly classified 

 bibliography should serve our purpose better 

 than would an entire series. 



I claim no originality for the ideas set 

 forth nor are they Utopian. They form the 

 basis of Heuser's recent "Lehrbuch der Cel- 

 lulose Chemie." From the standpoint of the 

 organic chemist, Heuser's Lehrbuch is the 

 best monograph in its field. Unfortunately 

 it was published several months too early to 

 include the results of Hibbert's and Irvine's 

 work on cellulose and Haworth's work on 

 cellobiose, and it suffers accordingly. Heuser 

 has written with a clear vision of the require- 

 ments of a modern monograph on cellulose. 

 His writing is singularly free from circum- 

 locution and from perplexing detail. He de- 

 velops his subject matter clearly and logic- 

 ally. He has, however, omitted full reference 

 to the modern work on the colloidal chemistry 

 of cellulose, an oversight that should be cor- 

 rected in any American monograph. 



Summary. — (1) We require a monograph 

 on the chemistry of cellulose that briefly and 

 critically presents the most noteworthy re- 

 sults in the cellulose field. (2) The mono- 

 graph must be more than a painstaking com- 



pilation. (3) It should carefully select the 

 literature dealing with the most important 

 reactions of cellulose as well as the results 

 of the more recent researches on the physical 

 properties of cellulose. (4) It should be 

 written to stimulate fundamental research. 

 (5) It should be free from inconsequential 

 or meaningless terms and hypotheses. 



Louis E. Wise 

 N. Y. State College op Forestet, 

 Syracuse, N. Y. 



EUGENICS— THE AMERICAN AND NOR- 

 WEGIAN PROGRAMS 

 Dr. Jon Alfred Mj^Sen, recognized by the 

 Norwegian Government as the leader in 

 eugenic and hygienic reform, issued from the 

 Winderen Laboratorium, May, 1908, the fol- 

 lowing " Program for Eace Hygiene " : 



Negative Eace Hygiene, (a) Segregation (neg- 

 ative colonization system) for feeble minded, 

 epileptics and similar physically and mentally crip- 

 pled individuals, obligatory for drunkards, habitual 

 criminals, professional beggars and all who refuse 

 to work. (6) Sterilisation. No compulsory steri- 

 lization, in general. Certain types of criminals who 

 wish to escape segregation should be given an 

 opportunity to be sterilized. 



Positive Eace Hygiene, (o) Biological Enlight- 

 enment. Education of women in school and univer- 

 sity should be changed from the present masculine 

 system to one adapted to the female intellect and 

 mind. Biology (renewal of the family), chemistry 

 (nourishment of the family), and hygiene (protec- 

 tion of the family) should be chief subjects (obli- 

 gatory) , from the preliminary class in the boarding 

 school to the university. — ^Eace biology in school and 

 university institute for genealogical research. State 

 laboratory for race hygiene, (d) Tax-, Wage- and 

 Colonieation-sjstem in favor of families, maternity 

 insurance and other protective measures of prenatal 

 kind. Positive colonization system. Begressive tax 

 and progressive wage system for heads of families. 



Peophtlactic Eace Hygiene, (e) Combating 

 racial poisons: industrial poisons, especially lead 

 and lead compounds ; pathological poisons, especially 

 syphilis; nareotio poisons, especially alcohol. (1) 

 Prophylaxis of race illnesses and race anomalies as 

 a state function. (2) Health declaration before 

 marriage. (3) Class-system and progressive taxa- 

 tion for alcoholic liquors. (/) Crossings between 



