344 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 975 



seem neither sufficiently verified nor of general 

 validity, although the interpretation in indi- 

 vidual eases can generally be recognized as 

 probable." In the sixth chapter the author 

 discusses the manner in which the stuff of our 

 dreams is woven into the final tissue, and he 

 describes in detail the four main processes, 

 viz., condensation, displacement, dramatiza- 

 tion, secondary elaboration. In the final chap- 

 ter, the obscurity of which is somewhat in- 

 creased in the translation, the psychology of 

 the dream activities is discussed in a general 

 way. For this purpose Freud constructs a 

 scheme of psychological activity which is ex- 

 tremely interesting and suggestive, but which 

 on the other hand is peculiarly artificial. 



Since its publication in the first German 

 edition this book has met with a very mixed 

 reception. The bible of the author's disciples, 

 it has been derided by his opponents. Any per- 

 son who has had to deal seriously with the 

 problems of the psycho-neuroses and of the 

 disordered mind in general, and who has been 

 impressed with the value of the psychopatho- 

 logical principles derived from Freud's contri- 

 butions for the general development of psycho- 

 logical and allied studies, will look upon this 

 book as a serious contribution to a most im- 

 portant field. The more knowledge he has of 

 the actual facts the slower will he be in dog- 

 matically rejecting even those statements of the 

 author which are unconvincing and appar- 

 ently rather extreme. He probably is already 

 firmly convinced of the truth of many doc- 

 trines which at an earlier stage of his own 

 work he looked upon as equally far-fetched and 

 perhaps even more absurd. 



C. Macfie Campbell 



Tables Annuelles de Constants et Donnees 

 Numeriques de Chemie, de Physique et de 

 Technologie. Published under the patron- 

 age of the International Association of 

 Academies by the international committee 

 named by the Seventh Congress of Applied 

 Chemistry (London, June 2, 1909). Vol. I. 

 for 1910. Gauthier-Villars, Paris, Univer- 

 sity of Chicago Press. 1911. Quarto. Pp. 

 xxxix + Y27. 



This first volume of the annual tables and 

 numerical constants, published under the 

 auspices of an international committee repre- 

 senting twenty-one countries, shows the pro- 

 digious undertaking assumed by the com- 

 mittee. The list of collaborators comprises no 

 less than thirty-one distinguished scientific 

 authorities, and the number of abstractors of 

 scientific journals about three times as many. 

 The book is divided into forty-six chapters, 

 and the table of contents covers eighteen 

 pages in French, German, English and 

 Italian. 



The material is admirably arranged, and to 

 every table are appended the name of the in- 

 vestigator and a reference to the original me- 

 moir. Thus, every item may be verified by 

 consulting the original publication. Every 

 scientific worker in the fields covered by this 

 volume has in condensed form the results of 

 allied investigations and information relative 

 to the original sources. Moreover, the general 

 secretary oifers to assist in obtaining fuller 

 information concerning memoirs in journals 

 not accessible to the reader. 



It is difficult to conceive of any compilation 

 of scientific data better adapted to furnish in- 

 formation to the investigator in physics, 

 chemistry and technology. A close inspection 

 of the contents of this volume reveals a wealth 

 of data and a variety of subjects that com- 

 mand not only respect but admiration. The 

 investigator has in this book an invaluable 

 adjunct to his reference library of scientific 

 books and periodicals. It will broaden his 

 view of the particular field of research in 

 which he happens to be engaged, and will 

 give him collateral information relative to 

 many other allied subjects. The fulness of 

 this information is indicated by the data 

 relating to conductivity of electrolytes and 

 electromotive forces, which cover forty-six 

 large quarto pages. Under the first come 

 specific conductivities, molecular conductivi- 

 ties, constants of electrolytic dissociation, 

 transport numbers, coefficient of pressure of 

 electrolytic conductivity, conductivity of elec- 

 trolytes in solvents other than water, conduc- 



