January 3, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



21 



types of fractionating flasks and towers used 

 in the laboratory and elaborate cuts of com- 

 mercial stills. 



Chapter IV., on alcoholom.etry, contains 47 

 pages, of which 18 are tables for determining 

 per cent, alcohol from the specific gravity — ■ 

 all of which belong in the appendix. It would 

 have been well to insert a table for the conver- 

 sion of readings on one technical scale into 

 readings on another. The confusion and hazi- 

 ness in the definitions of " proof " alcohol are 

 illustrated by the odd statement on page 123 

 "... (being equal to proof or 53.71 per cent, 

 by volume of water and 50 per cent, by volume 

 of alcohol) . . ." 



The use of references and quotation marks 

 is a little haphazard and sometimes one can 

 not tell just what parts of the text are the 

 author's and what parts he is taking bodily 

 from the journals. This is nothing but care- 

 lessness and there is not the slightest indica- 

 tion of willful plagiarism. It is particularly 

 noticeable on page 150, where, by the way, two 

 references are given to the American Chemical 

 Journal which can not be found in that jour- 

 nal. They are in the Journal of the American 

 Chemical Society. There is no objection to 

 reprinting journal articles bodily as is done 

 very frequently in this book, only a journal 

 article presupposes knowledge of technical de- 

 tails which it is the function of such a book 

 as this to imjjart. There must be explanatory 

 statements to make the article really usefiil 

 to the average reader ; there must be some edit- 

 ing, in other words. Mr. Herrick has not done 

 enough of such editing and the result is that, 

 despite the value of the numerous articles in 

 themselves, the whole is not so instructive as 

 it should be. 



Chapter V. (38 pp.) is on the cost of alcohol 

 and of alcohol-distilling plants. We have here 

 many extracts from Bulletins of the U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture and a few selec- 

 tions from the author's private correspond- 

 ence. A little over one page of text is in- 

 serted, quite out of place, for it belongs under 

 the head of the manufacture of alcohol, upon 

 " The Manufacture of Ethyl Alcohol from 

 Sawdust." Considering the possibilities latent 

 in methods for obtaining alcohol from wood. 



this treatment is very inadequate. Not a 

 single reference is given where more informa- 

 tion may be obtained. The same chapter con- 

 tains six full pages of coordinate paper on 

 which the costs of buildings of different 

 heights are laid off on one axis against length, 

 width, etc., on the other. The information as 

 to the cost of buildings is given elsewhere, 

 and in more convenient form, as parts of gen- 

 eral estimates for completed plants. At least 

 five sixths of that space might have been saved 

 and used to describe processes for obtaining 

 alcohol from wood. 



Chapter VI., " Alcohol as an Illuminant " 

 (32 pp.). An interesting little historical 

 sketch is followed by statements of the rela- 

 tive costs of lighting by alcohol and by oil. 

 Methods for making photometric measure- 

 ments are not touched. A simple diagram of 

 the internal structure of an alcohol burner and 

 a careful description would suffice, but there 

 is an overwhelming array of figures showing 

 lamps of different external appearance, hang- 

 ing lamps, student lamps, bracket lamps, out 

 door lamps, even a cut on page 231 of a gas 

 jet fitted with an ordinary Welsbach mantle. 

 Along here the text reads like a trade cata- 

 logue. For instance, on page 222 : 



The accompanying cut shows the Phoebus Hang- 

 ing Billiard Incandescent Alcohol Lamp. This 

 lamp is of beautiful design and furnishes a very 

 agreeable light for its purpose. The style shown 

 is the large model, and is finished in rich reddish 

 brown or sea-green. . . . The ornate hanging 

 Phoebus lamp ( Fig. 92 ) is finished in an exquisite 

 variety of designs. ... In Fig. 94, p. 224, is 

 shown the beautifully decorated Phoebus Indoor 

 Alcohol Lamp. This lamp is furnished with a 

 rich bead shade, which can be had in any colors 

 desired. 



Without a pause we must jump from this 

 style of literature to statements which presume 

 a knowledge on the reader's part of the signifi- 

 cance of the symbols " B.T.U." and the merits 

 of the Harcourt pentane lamp as a standard. 



Chapter VII., " The Fuel Value of Alcohol," 

 etc. (40 pp.). The Williams bomb calorimeter 

 is the only form of calorimeter described. 

 The calculations and tables are interesting 

 and instructive. There follow cuts of flat- 



