Mabch 15, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



419 



acknowledgments. Professor Crosby is not 

 mentioned among those personally consulted, 

 although he could have been reached by the 

 author by a half hour's ride. This circum- 

 stance is in keeping with the general tone of 

 the test, which leads one to believe that Cros- 

 by's work is to be proved faulty. Such a tone 

 is unfortunate, since, with but three or four 

 exceptions, the author is obliged to agree with 

 all of Crosby's conclusions. Of the exceptions 

 noted, one, on page 214, is a resurrection of a 

 controversy between Crosby and Burr, in 

 which the former's contention that certain 

 melaphyr areas were effusive, was disputed by 

 the latter. Crosby's convincing answer to 

 Burr's paper was published in the American 

 Geologist (Vol. XXVII., p. 324, 1901), and, 

 so far as known, has met with no reply; but 

 still the present author believes that Burr's 

 conclusions are in many instances correct. 

 Regarding the other exceptions, on pages 206 

 and 220, the author forms a different opinion, 

 but in neither case proves himself correct nor 

 Crosby wrong. In the second case the author 

 states that he has not visited the outcrops 

 which furnish Crosby's evidence. In his con- 

 cluding chapter he states that, while Crosby 

 attributed to the Eoxbury conglomerate a 

 marine origin, 'the evidence, largely negative 

 and unsatisfactory, favors non-marine origin.' 

 This and the conclusion that glaciers may have 

 furnished material to torrents by which it was 

 deposited either upon the land or in lakes are 

 possible, though rather uncertain additions to 

 the previous knowledge of the geology of the 

 Boston Basin. The author has evidently ac- 

 complished a great deal of work in the time 

 at his disposal, but it is unfortunate that so 

 criticizing a tone should be employed by a 

 young man in reviewing the work of so ex- 

 perienced and painstaking a geologist as Pro- 

 fessor Crosby. It must, however, be exceed- 

 ingly gratifying to the latter to see that his 

 work, much of it done many years ago, when 

 knowledge of geologic structure was far less 

 advanced than at present, has stood so success- 

 fully all critical tests of recent years, and re- 

 mains still the authority. 



S. L. W. 



A Text-hook of Sanitary and Applied Chem- 

 istry. By E. H. S. Bailey. New York, 

 The Macmillan Company. Price, $1.40. 

 The author states that the object of this 

 work is to furnish a text-book mpon applied 

 chemistry that is suitable for use by those 

 students who have had a good high school 

 course in general chemistry. Scattered ma- 

 terial is also presented from government re- 

 ports and other sources which has been added 

 with the intention of making the book useful 

 for reference. Part I. is entitled ' Sanitary 

 Chemistry' and deals with: The Atmosphere, 

 Fuels, Heating and Ventilation, Lighting, 

 Water and its Purification, Sewage and its 

 Disposal, Soap, Disinfectants, etc. 



Under Part II. is considered the ' Chemistry 

 of Foods.' Stress is laid upon the vitiated 

 character of ' ground air,' and it is further 

 noted how small is the attention given by the 

 general public to the question of good ventila- 

 tion, the reason being that the ills arising 

 from a poor air supply are slow in making 

 their appearance. 



Under each heading there are experiments 

 introduced with the view to fix in the student's 

 mind the important points covered by the gen- 

 eral text. In some cases, however, it is diffi- 

 cult to see the value of these experiments. 

 Thus, those under Water are qualitative only. 

 Surely the results of a water analysis can 

 scarcely be of service unless stated in a quan- 

 titative form. The field covered by the work 

 is so very great that it is hardly to be expected 

 that thoroughness can be attained in a book 

 of 345 small pages. We find, for instance. 

 Mineral Waters, Potable Waters, Drinking 

 Water and Disease and the Purification of 

 Water Supplies covered in twenty-three pages, 

 while only seven are given to Sewage Disposal. 

 There are many things in the book which 

 will interest the student reader, but he must 

 remember that it is essentially elementary. 

 Doubtless the author intended that it should 

 be so considered. X. 



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 and deviation, by Professor Lightner Witmer, 



