882 



SCIENCE. 



[N. y. Vol. XX. Xo. 521. 



materials, methods, equipment and zoological 

 books, these latter chapters having a direct 

 positive practical character just such as the 

 inquiring teacher must need. In the discus- 

 sion of the relation of school courses in zool- 

 ogy to college entrance credits in that subject 

 the author argues for an entrance option in 

 zoology, v^hich indeed is wise, since under edu- 

 cational conditions in this country it is well- 

 nigh impossible to secure proper time and 

 attention to a subject in the high school unless 

 it can be counted for college entrance. The 

 author makes the welcome announcement that 

 such an option is being formulated by an 

 authoritative committee, and is to be pub- 

 lished, probably early in 1905. The final 

 chapter deals with the teaching of human 

 physiology in the high school, which the au- 

 thor thinks should be combined with the in- 

 struction in zoology. It is interesting to ob- 

 serve the temperate but firm stand the author 

 takes upon a subject which scientific men can 

 hardly be expected to speak of with patience 

 — the ' scientific temperance ' instruction in 

 schools. 



The limits of space forbid more than this 

 inadequate account of the parts of this very 

 sane, modern, scientific and quite admirable 

 book. It is indispensable to the teacher of 

 biology, and it will exert great influence upon 

 future biological teaching. TV. ?. Ganong. 



Outlines of Physiological Ohemistry. By S. 



P. Beebe, Ph.D., and B. H. Buxton, M.D. 



]Srew York, The Maemillan Company. 1904. 



$1.50. 



The title of this work does not correctly 

 describe its contents or define its scope. It 

 contains little physiological chemistry in the 

 ordinary sense of the term. Yet it may prove 

 a very useful handbook as an outline of 

 chemical theories for the use of physiological 

 chemists. 



There are many laboratory guides in phys- 

 iological chemistry now available. These 

 works, however, have in most eases given little 

 space to the theoretical side of the subject. 

 In order, therefore, to repair this deficiency 

 the student must consult the hand-books of 

 physical chemistry and of organic chemistry. 



In doing so he is apt to overlook those matters 

 which especially concern him, because of the 

 great mass of unfamiliar ideas with which he 

 meets, and because the writers of such works 

 had not his special needs in view. The work 

 before us aims to meet these special needs. 

 It presents in convenient form so much of 

 chemical theory as is essential to the compre- 

 hension of the subject matter and present 

 problems of physiological chemistry. 



The first chapter (twenty pages) is devoted 

 to that part of physical chemistry which is of 

 especial importance in physiological chemis- 

 try — the theory of solution. It explains 

 briefly and clearly the significance of disso- 

 ciation, chemical equilibrium, osmotic pres- 

 sure, why reactions take place, and calcula- 

 tion of chemical formula. The succeeding 

 four chapters are devoted to organic chem- 

 istry. Structural formulae of the paraffins, 

 and of the nitrogen and cyclical compounds, 

 are given quite fully, and their significance 

 clearly set forth. In chapter VI. sixty pages 

 are devoted to the proteids, their chemicail 

 character, in the light of the preceding chap- 

 ters, being dwelt upon rather than their reac- 

 tions as in a laboratory guide. Chapter VII., 

 on enzymes, gives an account of this most im- 

 portant subject, which is not so well general- 

 ized as is the treatment of the subject matter 

 of earlier chapters. It even encroaches on 

 the domain of the laboratory guide in giving 

 an enzymatic test for the detection of tyrosin. 

 The eighth and final chapter presents dia- 

 grams of Ehrlich's side chain theory, and ex- 

 plains their significance for the phenomena 

 of disease and immunity. 



The usefulness of this book would have 

 been enhanced by giving at the end of each 

 chapter a list of the works to which the reader 

 might refer for more detailed information. 



The typographical work, which in the pres- 

 entation of diagrams and structural formulse 

 is of prime importance, is excellent through- 

 out. Yandell Henderson. 



Yale Medical School. 



SGlE'S:'nFIG J0UENAL8 AND ARTICLES. 

 The November Number of the Journal of 

 Nervous and Mental Disease opens with an 



