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REVIEWS 



Gibson's Supplement to Jost's Plant Physklogj* 



This is an unusual type of book, and difficult to review. 

 Botanists are familiar with Gibson's English translation of the 

 first German edition of Jost's work. A second German edition 

 contains so much new matter, and other extensive alterations as 

 really to call for a new English translation. Scientific books of 

 971 pages, however, are expensive, and of doubtful financial 

 success, especially when a second edition follows a first within 

 a very short time, and this fact, quite probably, is the explanation 

 of this supplement. 



It aims to give all the changes in the second edition as com- 

 pared with the first. Herein, the reviewer believes, lies its 

 weakness, for much that is unimportant, or not essential, is 

 necessarily included, and this becomes irritating and wasteful 

 of one's time. For example, of what vital importance is it that 

 on page 199, line 41, of the first edition, one should read "leading 

 even to" vs. "leading to" (Supp. p. 58); or on page 202, line 55, 

 "If glucose," vs. "When glucose" (Supp. p. 59); or that on p. 

 205, 11. 55-56, "many unending" should be read "an endless 

 number of" (Supp. p. 63) ; or that on page 405, Lecture XXXII 

 is XXXI in the second German edition (Supp. p. 128), et cetera, 

 throughout the Supplement? 



In short, it seems to the reviewer that it would have been 

 preferable to have included in the Supplement only the new 

 matter of the second German edition, and important errata. It 

 is for the new matter that the Supplement will undoubtedly be 

 valued and consulted, the numerous summaries of recent work, 

 or new summaries and references to older work being especially 

 welcome. These are found in connection with the topics of 

 photosynthesis, protein synthesis, respiration, fermentation, and 

 elsewhere. Many, if not most, students of experimental evolu- 

 tion will no doubt be surprised as well as interested to read (on 



* Plant Physiology, by Dr. Ludwig Jost. Authorized English Translation, 

 by R. J. Harvey Gibson. Supplement, Incorporating the Alterations of the 

 Second Edition of the German Original. Pp. 1-168. Oxford, at the Clarendon 

 Press, 1913. Price, 2 s. 6 d. net. 



