November 18, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



671 



Methods of equipment of the lecture room 

 with all kinds of power, and with water, gas, 

 electricity, steam, etc., are fully discussed. 

 Much information is given in regard to 

 making rooms fire-proof and sound-proof; in 

 regard to heating and ventilation; in regard 

 to clocks, lighting, wardrobes, etc. All this 

 is done with the utmost attention to details, 

 and should prove of great assistance to archi- 

 tects, as well as to those responsible for the 

 design and equipment of the laboratory. 



In the chapter devoted to the description 

 of the preparation room much extremely valu- 

 able information is given in regard to what 

 may more strictly be called ' physical tech- 

 nique,' such as methods of working with 

 leather and paper, glass-blowing, enameling, 

 exposing and developing photographs, solder- 

 ing of all kinds, and the use of various cem- 

 ents and waxes. This part of the book will, 

 beyond a doubt, be of the most value to the 

 worker in physics. Under suitable heads in- 

 formation of the fullest character is given in 

 regard to the use of the lathe, of the forge, 

 of the carpenter's bench, etc. 



The fact that no detail, however insignifi- 

 cant, has been overlooked by the present 

 editor of the book is shown by the inclusion 

 in it of information concerning methods of 

 tying knots, of pulling nails, of using even 

 the simplest tools; and illustrations are given 

 of such instruments as a crowbar, a hammer, 

 a rubber glove and an oil-can.. It may well 

 be questioned whether such richness of detail 

 is essential or advisable, but with a suitable 

 index to the volume this ought to ofl^er no 

 serious objection. The need of an index, 

 which is promised for the end of the first 

 volume, is all the greater owing to the scanty 

 information given by the table of contents, 

 and to the fact that descriptions of many in- 

 struments are given in places where one would 

 not expect to find them. Thus, under the 

 heading ' Eoom for Delicate Work ' is found 

 the full description of Doleczalek's electro- 

 meter, of wire gratings and of the bolometer. 

 These details may very well be given at this 

 point of the book, as illustrations of the use 

 of certain rooms in the laboratory; but with- 



out a complete index one might well search' 

 in vain for information. 



The present edition of this great work is 

 incomparably better than any of the previous 

 ones. The illustrations are more numerous, 

 and the letter press more detailed. Special 

 attention is given to pieces of apparatus of 

 recent design, and all the latest improvements 

 are mentioned ; references are made, when pos- 

 sible, to the historical development of various 

 methods and instruments, but obsolete forms 

 are not described. Full information is given 

 as to places where every piece of apparatus 

 mentioned, every tool and every machine, may 

 be purchased, and the prices of both instru- 

 ments and supplies are -indicated. 



The value of a work like the present one 

 to every director of a laboratory, and to al- 

 most every worker in physics, is well shown 

 by the fact that a seventh edition is now in 

 demand, and so it need not be emphasized 

 in this review. This present work is the 

 most complete of its kind and gives the neces- 

 sary information in the most convenient form 

 possible. The only drawback to its general 

 use comes from the fact that the publishers 

 have seen fit to use German type instead of 

 Eoman. . J. S. Ames. 



The Industrial and Artistic Technology of 

 Paint and Varnish. By Alvah Horton 

 Sabin, M.S., chemist for Edward Smith and 

 Co., New York. New York : John Wiley 

 and Sons. Pp. 372. Price, $3.00. ' 

 The work opens with two entertaining chap- 

 ters upon the history and origin of varnish; 

 these are followed by a description of the ma- 

 terials used in varnish and of its manufacture. 

 Especially noticeable are the parts treating 

 of oils, paints and lacquers in China and 

 Japan. The reviewer knows of no place 

 where an equally interesting and instructive 

 account of these Oriental arts can be found. 

 The specific value of the work consists in 

 the attention paid to the protection of metals 

 against corrosion and to water pipe coatings; 

 these detail some experiments made upon large 

 plates of steel and aluminum protected by 

 various paints and varnishes when exposed to 

 sea and lake water. These have not been 



