November 14, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



79] 



referred to cymene, even if much chemical 

 sophistry be applied. 



While from the point of view of rational 

 chemical classification the word terpene has 

 been much abused, like so many other chem- 

 ical terms that have admirably served their 

 purpose in times past, from a practical point 

 of view this term is universally, though rather 

 vaguely, understood. The same holds true of 

 the equally abused word camphor, which is so 

 frequently coupled with the word terpene. 



The terpenes and camphors are of equal 

 interest to the theoretical chemist and to the 

 chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer 

 who deals with volatile oils and perfumes. 

 From the very beginning of organic chem- 

 istry as a science, the volatile oils and their 

 constituents have played an important role 

 in the study of optical. activity, of isomerism 

 and of chemical constitution. On account of 

 their subtle nature, the study of their consti- 

 tution has attracted the attention of almost 

 all organic chemists of international repute 

 at one time or another. Whereas such sub- 

 stances as benzaldehyde from bitter almond 

 oil and methyl salicylate from wintergreen oil 

 gave satisfactory results when investigated, 

 the former by Liebig and Woehler, the latter 

 by Cahours — the benzaldehyde supplying even 

 the foundation for a theory of radicles, the 

 first structural theory of organic chemistry of 

 lasting value — the terpenes and their deriva- 

 tives, the so-called camphors, proved a stum- 

 bling block to many investigators for a long 

 time after. 



The inevitable result was that the almost 

 innumerable tmsatisfactory data which accu- 

 mulated in chemical and pharmaceutical lit- 

 erature produced a condition well nigh cha- 

 otic. Out of this wilderness of facts, both 

 reliable and questionable, Wallach led the way 

 during the middle of the eighties. Flueck- 

 iger, one of the old-school investigators of the 

 volatile oils, though advanced in years, clearly 

 recognized the significance of Wallach's work, 

 and called him the messiah of the terpenes. 

 To him, therefore, this work is rightly dedi- 

 cated by both author and translator. 



Although Heusler has not been active ex- 

 perimentally in this field, he was, for several 



years, Wallach's assistant in the new organic 

 laboratory at Gottingen. Here most of Wal- 

 lach's work was done by his private assistants 

 and advanced students, who at Bonn, previous 

 to 1889, had become knovrai as the Terpen- 

 hiinstler. Pond was one of the students who 

 from far and near came to Gottingen to 

 study with the master of the ' terpene artists.' 

 Both are, therefore, fully competent to handle 

 so difficult a subject. 



Heusler's monograph in German came as a 

 relief to the large number of investigators 

 in both Europe and America who were inter- 

 ested in the volatile oils and the derivatives 

 of their constituents. It at once became the 

 indispensable reference work on the subject. 

 Since then the investigations have continued 

 with seemingly increased activity. Suffice it 

 here to state that not less than several hun- 

 dred independent contributions have appeared 

 annually. If it be further remembered that 

 the constitution of possibly not a single ter- 

 pene is settled beyond reasonable doubt, the 

 importance of the systematic arrangement 

 of the facts accumulated since 1896 must be- 

 come apparent to everyone. Dr. Pond has not 

 only translated Heusler's monograph, but he 

 successfully accomplished the far more diffi- 

 cult task of bringing it up to date. 



To the American, at least, the arrangement 

 of the chapters, subheadings and references 

 of the translation will appeal much more 

 strongly than that of the original German 

 edition. The type also is larger and more 

 satisfactory. And, last but not least, the book 

 before us is provided with a good working 

 index, a feature that is altogether wanting 

 in the original. Press work and paper are of 

 the usual excellence of the publisher. 



Edward Kremers. 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES. 

 AMERICAN MATHEMATICAL SOCIETY. 



A REGULAR meeting of the American Mathe- 

 matical Society was held at Columbia Univer- 

 sity on Saturday, October 25. About forty- 

 five persons, including thirty-five members of 

 the Society, were in attendance. Vice-Presi- 

 dent Maxime Bocher presided during the 



