AmAp0rUii,*wo5!rm'}    Reviews  and  Bibliographical  Notices.  191 
REVIEWS  AND' BIBLIOGRAPHICAL  NOTICES. 
The  Proximate  Constituents  of  the  Chemical  Elements  me- 
chanically determined  irom  their  physical  and  chemical  properties. 
By  Gustavus  Detlef  Hinrichs,  M.D.,  LL.D.  With  thirty-two  plates. 
St.  Louis,  Mo.,  U.  S. :  Carl  Gustavus  Hinrichs,  publisher.  New  York 
and  Leipzig,  Lemcke  &  Buechner ;  London,  H.  Grevel  &  Co.;  Paris,  H. 
Le  Soudier.    1904.    Price,  $1.00. 
This  latest  book  by  Professor  Hinrichs  was  published  last  summer, 
and  is  dedicated  to  Prof.  Dr.  Clemens  Alexander  Winkler,  who 
but  recently  passed  away  (see  this  Journal,  1904,  p.  532).  This 
book  contains  an  excellent  photograph  of  Dr.  Winkler,  as  well  as 
photographs  of  a  number  ot  other  eminent  scientists  who  have  en- 
couraged and  assisted  the  author  in  his  work  on  "Atom-Mechanics  " 
and  the  composition  of  the  chemical  elements  during  the  years 
1855  to  1904. 
Professor  Hinrichs  defines  a  chemical  element  as  "  a  substance 
which,  thus  far,  has  not  been  decomposed."  He  gives  a  graphic 
presentation  of  the  characteristic  properties  of  chemical  elements, 
and  divides  them  into  genera  or  families.  According  to  Dr.  Hinrichs, 
the  geometrical  mathematical  relation  of  the  elements  point  to  the 
conclusion  that  "  all  chemical  elements  are  compounds  of  groups  or 
links  of  one  and  the  same  material,  united  according  to  apparently 
very  simple  and  very  few  modes  of  combination  "  (p.  24). 
Dr.  Hinrichs  considers  (p.  48)  that  from  a  fundamental  substance  or 
prime  matter  called  by  him  pantogen,  114  elements  or  combinations 
have  been  formed,  and  that  of  these  about  two-thirds  have  been  dis- 
covered. "  Surely,"  he  says,  "  the  young  chemist  of  to-day  need 
not  fear  that  the  field  of  work  is  exhausted,  and  that  there  remains 
nothing  for  him  to  do." 
The  entire  book  is  exceedingly  interesting  and  very  suggestive, 
but  one  needs  to  be  familiar  with  graphic  representations  of  nu- 
merical relations  or  geometrical  reasoning  in  order  to  appreciate  it 
fully. 
A  Text-Book  of  Materia  Medica,  including  laboratory  exercises 
in  the  histologic  and  chemic  examination  of  drugs  for  pharmaceutic 
and  medical  schools  and  for  home  study.  By  Robert  A.  Hatcher 
and  Torald  Sollmann.  Illustrated.  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Lon- 
don :    W.  B.  Saunders  &  Company,  1904.    Price,  $2.00,  net. 
