Maech 27, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



485 



The author has arranged this course of chem- 

 ical experiments for students in high schools, 

 academies and colleges. In the first half of the 

 book the usual experiments upon the prepara- 

 tion and properties of the non-metallic ele- 

 ments are given, while the latter half consists of 

 a series of analytical tables giving the behavior 

 of solutions of metallic salts under the influence 

 of the various reagents. The laboratory direc- 

 tions in the first part are upon the whole clearly 

 stated, but they are marred by the excessive 

 use of abbreviations and formulas. For ex- 

 ample, in experiment 34 the student is directed 

 to "connect the flask with a large t. t. or with 

 a rec. which contains no water, and from this 

 t. t. or rec. have a d. t. leading to a p. t. so as 

 to collect the gas over water." In the intro- 

 duction, page xi., the students are instructed to 



keep notes in the following way: "I, , 



put the mixture into at. t., adjusted a d. t., 

 hung it to a r. s., and arranged so as to collect 

 the gas in recs. over water in a p. t." Nearly 

 everywhere in the book symbols are used in- 

 stead of the names of substances. Surely to 

 encourage pupils to imitate this example is to 

 confirm them in slovenly habits. 



Another feature of the book to which excep- 

 tion must be taken is that entirely too much 

 attention is given to ' tests. ' The main idea 

 seems to be to give the ' tests ' for each sub- 

 stance, and a pupil taking this course would 

 most likely get the idea that practical chemistry 

 consists in finding the ' tests ' for various sub- 

 stances. There is not in the whole course a 

 single experiment which serves to elucidate 

 any one of the fundamental laws of the science. 



Such a method of teaching chemistry to be- 

 ginners cannot be recommended. Instead of 

 teaching them to distinguish ferrocyanides from 

 ferricyanides, tartrates from oxalates, it would 

 be much better for them to study the chemistry 

 of common things, of air, water and fire, and 

 this study should not be confined to the quali- 

 tative side of the phenomena observed. It is 

 not impossible to teach beginners how certain 

 chemical changes can be studied quantitatively 

 and to ari-ange a course of experiments for 

 them so that they shall acquire some knowledge 

 of the chief laws and principles of the science. 

 E. H. Keiser. 



Einfuhrung in die mathematische Behandlung der 

 Naturwissenschaften. Kurzgefasstes Lehr- 

 buch der Differential- und Integralrechnung 

 mit besonderer Beriichsichtigung der Chemie. 

 By W. Neenst and A. Schonflies. Miinchen 

 tind Leipzig, E. Wolff. 1895. Pp. xi+309. 

 One of the authors of this book, W. Nernst, is 

 professor of physical chemistry at the Univer- 

 sity of Gottingen ; his collaborateur, Professor 

 Schonflies, is attached to the department of 

 mathematics at the same seat of learning. This 

 union of forces has been a fortunate one, for 

 the writers have certainly succeeded in carry- 

 ing out their intention of facilitating the study 

 of the higher mathematics for students of nat- 

 ural science. 



The keynote of the authors' purpose is 

 sounded in the following lines, which they in- 

 troduce in their preface as a quotation from H, 

 Jahn's recent publication on electro-chemistry : 

 "Even chemists must gradually grow accus- 

 tomed to the thought that theoretical chemistry 

 will remain for them a book with seven seals, 

 unless they shall have mastered the principles 

 of higher mathematical analysis. A symbol 

 of differentiation or integration must cease to 

 be an unintelligible hieroglyphic for the chem- 

 ist * * * if he would not expose himself to the 

 danger of losing all understanding of the de- 

 lopments of theoretical chemistry. 



' ' For it is a fruitless endeavor to attempt, by 

 lengthy descriptions, to elucidate — even par- 

 tially — that, which an equation conveys to the 

 initiated in a single line." 



The opening chapter discusses the principles 

 of analytic geometry. After a few introductory 

 remarks on graphic methods of presenting ex- 

 perimental results, and after having referred to 

 the axes of coordinates, abscissa and ordinate, 

 quadrants, etc., loci and their equations are 

 considered. The circle, the parabola, the 

 straight line, the ellipse, receive due attention, 

 examples and problems being given to illustrate 

 the discussions. 



The second chapter is devoted to the fun- 

 damental principles of differential calculus. 

 The introductory paragraph of this chapter 

 — on the principles of the higher mathe- 

 matics and the methods of consideration em- 

 ployed in the natural sciences — is well worthy 



