January 10, 1908J 



SCIENCE 



65 



Werner has given a sufficiently elastic idea of 

 the action of atoms upon one another to ac- 

 count for many of the facts which at present 

 are anomalies. The chapters on isomerism 

 and steroisomerism too are suggestive and a 

 number of interesting new relations have been 

 presented. It is unfortunate, however, that 

 the direct evidence for his theory is given in 

 this book in so unsatisfactory a manner. His 

 use of physico-chemical arguments is fre- 

 quently very careless, his proofs for the con- 

 stitution of compounds are often unconvin- 

 cing, and the great mass of material is pre- 

 sented in no very clear and orderly fashion. 

 The result is that the reader, if not previously 

 acquainted with Werner's ideas and work, finds 

 that the book leaves merely a confused im- 

 pression. For a clear, brief presentation of 

 the subject the reviewer recommends the 

 reading of a lecture delivered by Werner be- 

 fore the Deutsche chemische Gesellschaft 

 (Ber., 40, 15). The book will then be valuable 

 as an amplification of his paper. 



Herman Schlesingee 

 Univeesitt of Chicago 



A Manual of Biological Projection and An- 

 esthesia of Animals. By Aaron Hodgman 

 Cole, A.M., Instructor in Biology and Pro- 

 jection in the Chicago Normal School. 

 Chicago, Neeves Stationery Company. Pp. 

 200. $1.50. 



The author of this little volume is to be 

 congratulated on having produced a very use- 

 ful and timely manual on the technique of 

 projection. The scope of the work will be 

 seen from the following partial table of con- 

 tents : outline of methods and comments of 

 educators on results obtained; available lights 

 and their limitations; solar projection appa- 

 ratus and its management, methods of dark- 

 ening rooms, different types of screens; artifi- 

 cial lights and their management; methods 

 of anesthetizing typical animals and plants; 

 how to collect a large variety of species of 

 animals and plants suitable for micro-projec- 

 tion and keep them alive in aquaria; direc- 

 tions for making different types of glass cells 

 in which live animals and plants are mounted 

 for projection; the knack of mounting and 



projecting various microscopical preparations, 

 including live plants and animals; the projec- 

 tion of pictures and other opaque objects by 

 the use of reflected light. 



From the viewpoint of composition, with 

 the possible exception of a few involved and 

 somewhat obscure sentences, the book is clear- 

 ly written and the subject-matter well ar- 

 ranged, although, in a few instances, there is 

 a tendency toward what appears to be un- 

 necessary repetition. However, the author 

 doubtless feels — and justly so — that this may 

 be forgiven in the interest of clearness. There 

 seems to be no possible contingency in method 

 or material that the author has not antici- 

 pated and given explicit directions for obvi- 

 ating, from which it is evident that the book 

 is the outcome on his part of years of practical 

 experience in projection work. The " ready 

 reference table" (p. 180) for mounting and 

 projecting a large number of objects, ranging 

 from bacteria to living chick embryos, should 

 prove of great convenience to the manipu- 

 lator. The text is farther elucidated by the 

 aid of twenty-eight figures and diagrammatic 

 sketches. 



In the words of the author, " every method 

 described is the outgrowth of a need felt in 

 teaching in some grade in grammar and high 

 school, college and popular educational work, 

 and each one has been tested in practise." 

 This statement in itself is indicative of the 

 wide range of uses to which the projection 

 microscope may be put to-day. 



M. F. GUYER 



SOCIETIES AND ACADEMIES 



THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



The New York Academy of Sciences held 

 its annual meeting on Monday evening, De- 

 cember 16, at the Hotel Endicott, about 

 seventy members and their friends being in 

 attendance. 



The report of the corresponding secretary 

 showed that during the last year the academy 

 had lost, by death, one honorary member, Pro- 

 fessor Asaph Hall, and three corresponding 

 members. Professor George Chapman Cald- 

 well, Professor W. H. Chandler and Dr. 

 Charles B. Warring. The names of two 



