tac *?Ù£faU Trace Elements in Plants and Animais.

Walter Stiles, xi -f 189 pages. Mac-millan Co., 60 Fifth A v e , New York. Ν. Υ., 1946. $2.75.

J. HE book is an excellent and well docu­mented work on trace elements in plants and animals. Manganese, zinc, boron, copper, and molybdenum are accepted as micronutrients, with strong evidence for aluminum, silicon, chlorine, and gallium. Practically all knowledge in the field has developed in the last 25 years. Special methods are described for determining trace elements in plant tissue. Sixteen plant diseases are attributable partly or entirely to deficiency of trace elements. The function of trace elements in plants and animals is fully discussed. One realizes that because of the complexity of plants the assumed functions may be secondary effects of more fundamental^ disturbed functions and that much is to be learned in this field. A number of the trace elements are connected with catalytic functions. Several zinc and copper protein com­pounds have been isolated from organisms. Catechol oxidase of plants and carbonic anhydrase of animals are examples. Under the subject of trace elements in animals, regions of selenium poisoning in the United States and molybdenum poisoning in England are reported as well as animal diseases in various parts of the world due to manganese, copper, iodine, and cobalt deficiencies.

The cheap binding and paper used in the book can be excused on the basis of the need of early revision in the rapidly growing field. WILLIAM CROCKER

Pharmacopoeia of the United States of America. Thirteenth Revision (U.S. P. XIII ) . Prepared by the Committee of Revision and published by the Board of Trustees, U. S. Pharmacopoeiai Con­vention, cvii -f- 957 pages. Mack Print­ing Co., Easton, Pa., 1947. $8.50.

_L HIS revision of our official book of drug standards, an essential work, is a reflection of the notable scientific research and medi­cal development stimulated by the urgent needs of World War II. Never before did medicine and its basic sciences have such an opportunity for service. But even prior to our entrance into the war there were felt here the consequences of the European conflict, and the Pharmacopoeia moved speedily to alter formulas when wartime shortages so indicated and also to provide controls for important new drugs

whose value had hi»on demonstrated under war conditions.

The scope policy laid down many years ago has been meticulously maintained in this edition and every effort has been ex­erted to restrict the admissions to those therapeutically active agents, germicides, anesthetics, diagnostic agents, and other necessary medical aids which reflect the best state of medical knowledge today, and to preparations thereof whereby they may be most efficiently administered or used. Substances required for preparations are also included and standardized.

The monographs on vegetable and ani­mal drugs, chemicals, and preparations occupy over 600 pages of the text; next follow thoroughgoing descriptions of gen­eral tests, processes, and apparatus, and of reagents, test solutions, and indicators. Then come tables of utility in calculations, calibrations, and conversion of metric quantities to other weights and measures. For the first time the English titles occupy the leading position and determine the

alphabetical arrangement of monographs. Latin titles are, of course, retained. With the basic therapeutic agents now arranged in alphabetical order it is possible to follow each drug with its preparations and it is therefore unnecessary to list dosage forms in special paragraphs under the respective drugs. About 100 articles were added to this revision and about 50, official in U.S.P. XII, were not admitted.

WILLIAM Α. Η AMOR

The Problem of Reducing Vulnerability to Atomic Bombs. Ansley J. Coale. xvi -f- 116 pages. Princeton Uni­versity Press, Princeton, N. J., 1947. $2.00.

I N tackling a problem it is agreed that the first step is to state the problem. This book is essentially a statement of the problem of atomic defense, together with a careful and conservative analysis of the factors bearing on the solution. It does not pretend to find a solution but does point out the things that should be studied in detail. The book is essentially a guide for the important task that must be under­taken immediately if the nation is to sur­vive atomic attack and resume productive activity afterwards. It was prepared under direction of the Committee on Social and Economic Aspects of Atomic Energy of the Social Science Research Council under W. W. Riefler as chairman.

mfd T H E W A T E R - S O L U B L E G U M S

The Water-Soluble Gums

By C.L.Mantell,Ph.D., Consulting Chemical Engineer, Netv York, Member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical En-

gineers

Readable . . . iVell Integrated! in a most interesting and readable way, this book presents»

a well integrated and thoroughly documented discussion of an important group of substances which are widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, paint, and textile industry. These substances are generally known as the water-soluble gums. They include a wide range of complex botanical products found primarily in the tropical regions of the world. Many of them are extracted from seaweeds, and numerous others are obtained as exudations from various species of trees in India and other semi-tropical localities.

These gums are colloidal materials used as emulsifying and protective agents in hundreds of industrial products and proc­esses. Their properties, chemistry, collection, preparation and applications are described in detail. Special attention is devoted to their colloidal nature and to their practical applications. Sufficient references to the literature are given to provide the reader with further source material. As a whole, the book i* exceptionally well written, and will be of interest to botanist> and biologists, n< well as to the chemical industries.

285 pages Illustrated Price: $6.00

. m m . PUBLISHING CORPORATION, 330 W.42ND ST JEW M M Y. Also Publishers of Chemical Engineering Catalog. Meta Progressive Architecture, Advertising Management foi

idustries Catalog, Matei merican Chemical Socit

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HUMIDITY SENSING ELEMENT This tiny clement (illustrated actual size) is used in conjunction with one or more of the instruments shown in circles above for obtaining various combinations for measur­ing, recording, and controlling relative hu­midity.

Write {or Bulletin NP-2140

AMERICAN INSTRUMENT CO. Silver Spring, Maryland

BEYOND THE FLYLEAF

I found the text very well organized with discussion in logical order and with no serious faults or omissions. I t is realistic. Such speculation as is used is reasonable and necessary. I should like to have seen more emphasis placed on the danger of sabotage. A few statements are quoted— e.g., excerpts from current news maga­zines—which may have no authority and add no scientific weight to the arguments, but most references are authoritative and the text is well documented. Although the language is nontechnical, it does re­quire careful reading. With more care in writing, the book would be read more easily.

The book should be carefully read by the type of citizen who has membership in a professional society such as the AMERI­CAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY. It should be of interest to the "League of Frightened Men." It will discourage, since it is essen­tially a statement of difficulties, but will give some comfort because it shows that even though difficult, many measures for reducing vulnerability to the bomb are possible.

It presents a good argument for pre­paredness. "The most important reason for preparing to win an atomic war would be to avoid having to fight one."

ALDEN H. WAITT

The Cathode Ray Oscillograph in Indus­trial Electronics Circuits. New York State Vocational and Practical Arts As­sociation, viii -f- 97 pages. Delmar Publishers, Inc., 49 Sheridan Ave., Al­bany, Ν . Υ., 1947. $3.00.

A s the authors point out, "the mono­graph is not intended as a primary text but is rather a guide to instructors and students who wish to become familiar with the use of the cathode-ray oscillograph and to understand the interpretation of the various oscillograph patterns which are fundamental to an understanding of elec­tronic circuits." The reviewer is not cer­tain that the monograph fulfills even this avowed purpose.

A brief seven-page highly simplified de­scription of the cathode ray oscillograph comprises the entire discussion of the in­strument itself. The remainder of the text contains approximately 350 oscillograms, together with brief explanatory notes, illustrating the voltage conditions prevail­ing in a variety of circuits used in electronic control. The diagrams and oscillograms are excellent, although it is doubtful whether a student technician could follow the brief explanations without constant supervision from an instructor. On the other hand, there is little doubt that a student who does successfully master the material will be thoroughly acquainted with the technical operation of the cathode ray oscillograph.

The remarkable progress in design and

application of the cathode-ray oscillo­graph has created a demand for informa­tion regarding the tube, its characteristics, and i t s applications. Unfortunately, more detail regarding fundamentals of tube operation and a more thorough explana­tion o f a few typical applications would be requireel before this monograph could fulfill this purpose. C. J. BURTON

History of the Silk Dyeing Industry in the United States. Albert H. Heusser. 604 pages. Textile Book Publishers, Inc., 3 0 3 Fifth Ave. , New York 16. N. Y . , 1S27. $10.

iModern Plastics Encyclopedia—1947. Vols. I, II, and III . 1541 pages -f- 10 charts. Plastics Catalogue Corp., 122 East 42nd St., New York 17, Ν. Υ.. 1947. S8 .50 .

Terms in Spectrography "Suggested Definitions of Terms Used

in Spectrographic Analysis" is Publicatioij No. 1 of the Spectrographic Discussion Group at Glasgow, Scotland. Sections on symbols, photographic photometry, and light source appear in 11 pages. Chair­man S . D - Steele, Research Department. Messrs. Babcock and Wilcox, Ltd., Ren­frew, Scotland, can supply copies.

Library of Congress Cards A Cumsulative Catalog of Library of

Congress Printed Cards has been inaugu­rated as a continuation of the printing in book form of the entire catalog of Library of Congress cards under the supervision of the Association of Research Libraries. The cumulat ive catalog, an author cata­log, i s to be issued nine times a year; subscription rate is $100 a year, to be sent t o tfcie Card Division, Library of Congress, "Washington 25, D. C.

Catalogs A complete listing of all scientific-

publications of Interscience Publishers, Inc., 215 Kourth Ave., New York 3, Ν . Υ., is being distributed. Chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, and medicine are fields included; future volumes are also listed in the 48-page booklet.

Dover Publications, Inc., 1780 Broad­way, N e w York 19, Ν . Υ., offers a com­plete l ist ing of all its publications through May 1947- Fourteen titles appear under pure mathematics; 11 under applied mathematics and mathematical physics; and eight under physics and chemistry.

Vol. VII , N o . 1, of its "Collection of Abstracts of Doctoral Dissertations and Monographs Available in Complete Form in Microfilm," with details of the micro­filming service, is obtainable from Uni­versity Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Mich. Five top ics are of chemical interest.

2112 C H E M I C A L A N D E N G I N E E R I N G N E W S

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