February 28, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



343 



Immimochemistry. The Application of the 

 Principles of Physical Chemistry to the 

 Study of the Biological Antibodies. By 

 SvANTE Aerhenius. New York, The Mae- 

 millan Company. Pp. 309. $1.60. 

 During the last year Arrhenius has pub- 

 lished three books which, in the opinion of 

 the reviewer, embody the most advanced re- 

 sults and conceptions of modem science in a 

 ■classical form. Those who are interested in 

 the methodology of science and the theory of 

 cognition will learn by what methods those 

 scientists, of whom Arrhenius is a representa- 

 tive, are able to build on certainty instead 

 of upon the vague basis of hypothesis; and 

 those who doubt whether or not we have 

 reached any definite conception of the nature 

 of matter will find authoritative information 

 in the books of Arrhenius. These books are: 

 (1) " The Theories of Chemistry," (2) " Das 

 Werden der Welten," (3) " Immunochem- 

 istry." The English edition of the latter has 

 just appeared and it is to this that we wish 

 to call special attention. 



After Metchnikoff had made the attempt 

 to explain the phenomena of immunity by 

 phagocytosis Ehrlich showed that immunity 

 is due to a chemical reaction between toxin 

 and antitoxin. With the clear foresight 

 which has characterized the scientific career 

 of this brilliant investigator he saw that the 

 ultimate proof for the correctness of the 

 purely chemical conception of the phenomena 

 ■of immunity could only be furnished by the 

 physical chemist. Through the influence of 

 Madsen, Arrhenius was induced to undertake 

 this task. Partly alone, partly in collabora- 

 tion with Madsen and his school, he solved 

 the problem in the only way on which it could 

 be solved — namely, by showing that the ac- 

 tion of the antitoxin upon the toxin followed 

 the law of Guldberg and Waage. In the ex- 

 ecution of this task he adopted the principles 

 of eliminating the unnecessary and disturbing 

 variables and presenting the results as the 

 function of the minimal number of inde- 

 pendent variables. The fact that this prin- 

 ciple is not sufficiently appreciated by biolo- 

 gists has led here, as in all similar cases, to 

 some opposition. It is, however, obvious that 



if a variable has been overlooked its effects can 

 easily be added to the results ; while without 

 an attempt at the utmost simplification in the 

 beginning no start and no progress would 

 have been possible. 



The writer of this review would especially 

 call the attention of the younger biologists to 

 the importance of a study of Arrhenius's 

 books. Jacques Loeb 



The Electrical Conductivity of Aqueous Solu- 

 tions. A Report presented by Arthur A. 

 NOYES, W. D. COOLIDGE, A. C. Melcher, H. 

 C. Cooper, Togoro Kato, R. B. Sosman, G. 

 W. Eastman, C. W. Kanolt and W. 

 BoTTGER. Contribution from the Research 

 Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of the 

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology No. 

 19. Carnegie Institution of Washington, 

 Publication No. 63. Pp. vi + 352. 

 This volume is a report on a monumental 

 series of investigations which have been in 

 progress in Professor Noyes's laboratory dur- 

 ing the past five years upon the electrical con- 

 ductivity of aqueous solutions of certain salts, 

 acids and bases through a wide range of tem- 

 peratures extending from 18° to 306°. The 

 work was undertaken with the expectation of 

 studying the properties of aqueous solutions 

 at temperatures up to the critical tempera- 

 ture and beyond, a task burdened with very 

 serious difficulties, as will be realized when 

 one recalls that the critical temperature of 

 water is in the neighborhood of 360°, and that 

 at this temperature the conductivity cell must 

 not only safely withstand a pressure of some- 

 thing like 200 atmospheres without leaking 

 and without contaminating the dilute solu- 

 tions employed, but must also do this under 

 such conditions as will permit accurate con- 

 trol of the temperature, volume and con- 

 ductivity of the solutions. 



Up to the present time the highest tempera- 

 ture reached is 306°, but to one who studies 

 the ingenious manner in which the experi- 

 mental difficulties have so far been overcome 

 there can be no doubt that the original plan 

 will be ultimately realized. 



Among the important results presented in 

 this volume are data showing the effects of 



