468 Scientific Intelligence. 



plants, while the studies of heredity in the human race have sug- 

 gested rational means for the perpetuating of desirable modifica- 

 tions and the elimination of unsuitable strains. 



This book contains a well-written summary of the topics which 

 comprise this science of heredity. The carriers of the heritage, 

 variation, mutation, acquired characters, the pure line, segrega- 

 tion and dominance, reversion to old types and the making of 

 new ones, blending inheritance, determination of sex, the applica- 

 tion to man, and human conservation are the titles of chapters 

 and indicate the general scope of the work. 



The subject is clearly presented, and with the aid of the illus- 

 trative diagrams should prove of interest to the general reader 

 without special biological training. w. r. c. 



6. Fatty Foods /— their Practical Examination. A Handbook 

 for the Use of Analytical and Technical Chemists ; by E. 

 Richard Bolton - , F C.S.,and Cecel Revis. Pp. xi, 371. Phila- 

 delphia, 1913 (P. Blakiston's Son & Co.). — This manual is pri- 

 marily for the use of food analysts and is essentially devoted to 

 the methods of extraction and identification applicable to fats. 

 It contains numerous data regarding the most diverse fat-yielding 

 products of both animal and vegetable origin, including in 

 particular the constants to which reference is so frequently neces- 

 sary in analytical procedures. The methods of examination 

 include the routine familiarly practiced in most food laboratories, 

 the details being dictated by the personal experiences of the 

 authors. One notes the inclusion of a number of products, 

 mostly of Eastern derivation aud exemplified in shea nut oil, 

 Djave butter, Latifolia and Longifolia fat, niger seed oil, candle 

 nut oil, etc., not presented ordinarily in more elementary books 

 on this subject. Milk products and feeding stuffs receive consid- 

 eration beyond that which their fat content requires. The book 

 may be designated as one of "selected methods" evidently deter- 

 mined in part by British requirements. l. b. m. 



Obituary. 



Dr. Jotin Shaw Billings, director of the New York Public 

 Library, died on March 11 in his seventy-fourth year. Receiv- 

 ing his medical degree in 1860, he almost immediately began 

 active practice as a surgeon in the civil war ; his excellent work 

 during this period brought him rapid promotion in rank. Later 

 he was attached to the Surgeon-General's office in Washington 

 and in 1875 took charge of the library, developing it with great 

 skill and energy. His index catalogue of this library was a monu- 

 mental work published in 16 volumes (1880-1894). He had 

 charge of the vital statistics of the 10th and 11th Censuses. In 

 1883 he became curator of the Army Medical Museum and 

 Library, and retained this post until his retirement as lieutenant- 

 colonel and deputy surgeon-general in 1895. In 1896 he became 

 director of the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and 

 Tilden Foundations, and this position he held until his death 

 ended a life of rare activity and usefulness. 



