438 
Book  Reviews. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharin. 
\  September,  1913. 
taurateur  of  the  West,  and  Horace  Fletcher,  who  is  so  consistent 
in  his  views  that  his  last  lecture  in  Philadelphia  was  delivered  in 
Chew  Street,  Germantown.  It  also  abounds  in  references  to  famous 
culinary  artists  and  epicures  of  all  time,  from  Brillat-Savarin  down 
to  Soyer  of  paper  bag  cookery  reputation.  It  will  doubtless  sur- 
prise many  to  learn  that  Dumas  was  the  author  of  a  "  Dictionary 
of  Cuisine,"  a  "  monumental  contribution  to  the  art  of  cooking 
and  eating." 
To  describe  and  classify  gastronomic  pleasures  as  is  done  with 
artistic  effect  in  music,  sculpture  and  painting,  is  surely  a  new 
venture  and  one  in  which  the  author  is  convincingly  able.  A  new 
nomenclature  will  doubtless  arise  to  do  justice  to  the  subject,  as 
already  we  encounter  such  appealing  phrases  as  "  overtones  of 
flavor  "  and  "  culinary  discords." 
The  descriptions  of  foreign  markets  are  alone  worth  reading  the 
book  to  enjoy,  especially  the  chapter  entitled  "  French  Supremacy." 
It  is  a  pity  that  the  author  has  not  informed  himself  more 
accurately  upon  some  of  the  minor  points  where  he  seems  to  have 
been  influenced  by  sensational  newspaper  writers  or  by  pseudo- 
scientific  articles  appearing  in  the  magazines.  For  instance,  in 
speaking  of  vinegar  adulterated  with  distilled  acetic  acid  he  says, 
"  This  so-called  vinegar  is  in  most  cases  injurious  to  the  health 
of  those  who  consume  it,"  and  under  the  paw-paw  (the  fruit  of 
Asimina  triloba)  he  says,  "  Papain  is  much  used  as  a  substitute  for 
soda  mints,"  evidently  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  the  paw-paw  fruit 
which  yields  papain  is  from  a  tropical  tree  of  the  species  Carica 
papaya,  entirely  different  and  distinct  from  the  United  States  paw- 
paw, which  contains  no  digestive  ferment. 
A  few  "  bad  spells  "  mar  the  work,  among  which  are  "  inter- 
state "  for  "  intrastate  "  on  page  34,  "  sarsprilla  "  for  "  sarsapa- 
rilla  "  on  page  62,  "  analine  "  for  "  aniline  "  on  page  100  and  "  wool 
alcohol  "  for  "  wood  alcohol  "  on  page  228.  These  are  unusual  in 
a  work  of  this  character,  especially  one  published  by  a  firm  of  such 
high  standing  as  the  Century  Co.  and  are  to  be  deprecated  because 
such  a  book  reaches  many  who  cannot  correct  errors  of  this  kind 
as  they  read  and  are  likely  to  be  misinformed  in  these"  particulars 
on  this  account. 
The  book  can  be  read  with  pleasure  and  profit  alike  and  should 
have  a  marked  influence  upon  the  cuisine  of  the  future,  inasmuch 
as  it  inaugurates  a  new  era  and  gives  a  new  viewpoint  upon  the 
subject.  Charles  H.  La  Wall. 
