422 
Analyses of Books. [July, 
recognised as belonging to a certain stamp of radicals. Latterly 
they have assumed the family name Alkyl, having, I believe, 
been induced to take this step in Wurzburg. What kind of 
partners have they in this dance ? These atom-groups, who 
evidently take pains to look proud and disagreeable. They are 
scarcely to be distinguished from each other. If we converse 
with these conceited beings, we hear each of them say, ‘ My 
name is Hydroxyl.’ But we have a good memory for chemical 
features. They are the same who, under their old name Eurhy- 
zen, were so publicly scorned by a French chemist — not appreci- 
ated until after his death — that, so to speak, the very dogs would 
not accept a piece of bread from them. But now, under the new 
name, they are beings of distinction in the molecular world.” 
The author wages war, as will be seen, against vague, baseless 
hypotheses, against “ paper-science,” and insists upon a firm 
foundation of faCts. Hence his satire is not out of place in an age 
when undemonstrated and undemonstrable assumptions readily 
pave the way to a certain kind of reputation. All chemists, — 
and men of Science in general, — if sufficiently versed in the 
German language, will find this work suggestive. 
The treatise is printed not in the German type, but in an un- 
pleasant modification of the Latin character. Lest the reader 
should proceed with too great comfort, the long s, which has dis- 
appeared from use in England and France, is employed, except 
at the end of a word. For the compound letter sz, which many 
German printers discard in favour of ss, there has been invented 
a new letter, resembling a Greek 0, which, like The fox in the 
fable, has lost his tail in a trap. 
Notes on the Detection of the Acids usually met with in Analysis. 
By J. William James, Ph.D., F.C.S. London : J. and A. 
Churchill. 
The author of this little Manual remarks, in his Preface, that 
though there are numbers of books on qualitative analysis in 
which the detection of the bases is ably explained, yet the acids 
have been relatively overlooked, at least as far as regards their 
detection when occurring in mixture. This deficiency it is his 
objeCt to make good. The instructions given are clear and 
simple, and will doubtless prove useful to laboratory students. 
