Not Much about PetroleumReview by: Gail F. MoultonThe Scientific Monthly, Vol. 48, No. 4 (Apr., 1939), pp. 373-374Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/16581 .

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BOO:KS ON SCIENCE FOR LAYMEN 373

things as the pump handle, nut cracker, wheelbarrow, human arm, steering wheel, clothes wringer, gears, jack, win- dow sash, sewing machine, including lock stitch and tension, hydraulic brake, barometer, pressure gauge, suction pump, force pump, vacuum cleaner, gas regulator, gas meter, gas burner, water supply, water meter, bathroom plumb- ing, including faucets and valves, sewage pipe, flush valve, flush tank and septic tank. The reader will be surprised at the small number of simple principles on which the mechanical operation of all these things depends.

Under "Heat," to mention a few things, we find the thermometer, thermo- stat, oven temperature regulator, steam cooking utensil, pressure cooker, insula- tion, vacuum bottle, refrigerator, stove, furnace, hot-water boiler, air-condition- ing unit and weather. Again the basic principles are few and the practical ap- plication to affairs of every-day life in the home are many.

In the section on "Electricity" there are found riot only the almost number- less appliances using motors, but also heating devices of all kinds from curlers to hot-water heaters and ranges; there are also electric lamps, electric plating and electric cleaning of silver. Then follow matters of electric wiring, meters, fuses, transformers, batteries, household generating uniits and lightning.

Under "Sound" we find the human ear, noise, musical instrument, micro- phone, telephone receiver, loud speaker and related things. Under "Light" not only the humnan eye and illumination, but also optical instruments of various kinds and even x-rays and their uses. This partia'L list of subjects treated gives a general idea of the scope of the book. It is a pleasure to express the opinion that the discussions in it are clear and scientifically sound and that the illustra- tions are excellent. Probably even more important than the practical usefulness of the book is the scientific attitude toward the affairs of every-day life that it will stimu'late. F. R. M.

SOME FACTS OF SCIENCE OVERSIMPLIFIED1

IN an attempt to give a reasonably clear notion of the nature of the atom, a sci- entific writer sometimes likens its struc- tures to that of a miniature solar system. This analogy reveals, to the lay mind, at least, what is akin to a sense impression of this small unit of matter. So every careful investigator tries to use some effective device by which to present his kinowledge to others.

It would seem that under so good a popular title as "The Magic Waind of Sci- enee" an author should be able to fire the imagination of his reader and thus the better to acquaint him with many significant facts. Sueh a result could be accomplished by careful selection of mate- rial and by a sufficiently complete setting forth of fundamental data to enable the reader both to comprehend the signifi- cance of the things discussed and espe- cially to glimpse something of the scien- tific processes by which these things are created and utilized. In these matters the author of the book in question seems to have failed in great measure. The facts presented are generally- known by all who may read the book; the presentation is so commonplace that the reader gets little more than the names of the items presented together with a rather broad statement of their significance. The account is much like a newspaper recita- tion of certain inventions and discov- eries that are already known to the aver- age high-school boy and to most men on the street. It hardly needs a book with an apt title to reveal that tlhe things enumerated exist and that the names of certain men are connected with them.

J. E. THORNTON BROOKINGS INSTITUTION,

WASHINGTON, D. C.

NOT MUCH ABOUT PETROLEUM' THE table of contents of this little book 1 The Magic Wand of Science. By Eugene

W. Nelson. Illustrated. 212 pages. $2.00. E. P. Dutton and Company.

1 About Petroleum. By J. G. Crowther. Il- lustrated. xiv+ 181 pp., 14 plates. $2.25. Ox- ford University Press.

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374 THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY

lists chapter topics covering essentially all phases of the petroleum industry. It is obvious that few if any individuals could claim to be sufficiently well in- formed to write authoritatively or to ex- amine critically more than a few of them. The present reviewer feels that his com- petency for a critical examination of the subjects included is restricted to those chapters concerned with the origin, pro- duction, exploration and drilling for oil. His reactions to those portions are so un- favorable that, regardless of the merit of the other sections, it is felt that the book is not suitable for use for the avowed pur- pose of providing a "simple introduction to 'The Science of Petroleum. ' "

Numerous instances of misplaced em- phasis and of statements not in harmony with the theories generally accepted in the United States regarding the origin and accumulation of petroleum occur in the first and other chapters.

It is difficult to select specific inae- CUracies without implying that the ones miientioned are the most important; they can not all be ineluded, for the list would be too long. It is to be regretted, more- over, that the statistics presented in the book in general are not for any period more recent than 1936, whereas reason- ably accurate statistics for the petroleum industry for 1937 have been available since February of 1938. It is unfortu- nate that portions of a book of this scope which might have provided a useful gen- eral survey of the various phases of an important industry contain so many statements which seem to be at variance with theories generally accepted in this country.

GAIL F. MOULTON

BIG FLEAS HAVE LITTLE FLEASI

SHOULD scientists try to give to the lay- man the results of investigations in their own fields? This is a problem which has

I Who 's Who among the Protozoa. By Robert Hegner. Illustrated. 285 pp. $3.00. Williams and Wilkins Company.

caused much discussion and for which there can be no one answer which will apply to all eases. Dr. Robert Hegner has given his personal answer to this question in the book "Big Fleas have Little Fleas. " Not only has he written a book which can be understood by any lay- man who is willing to read, but he uses clever line drawings and catchy rhymes to drive home his points. The study of the Protozoa is a very new field and the author has actually lived through many of the phases about which he tells. This makes it possible for him not only to give information about the subject, but what is just as important, to tell how such in- formation has been obtained.

As the title indicates, the book has as its main subject the story of parasitic Protozoa and stresses particularly those which are of importance to man, although the free-living forms are by no means neglected. Sareodina, Mastigophora and Infusoria are introduced so that their parasitic members as well as those of the Sporozoa can be passed in review. Of the parasites, a few of those which in- habit lower forms of animals are dis- cussed so that the problems of com- mensalism, symbiosis and parasiticism can be made clear. Most of the book deals with important human types, such as the organisms causing amoebic dysen- tery, malaria and African sleeping sick- ness.

Every human being is directly or in- directly affected by the Protozoa, but very few realize how important their place in nature is. Those who yearn for the good old days have no conception of the changes which our knowledge of these simple organisms has produced on the hu- man race. Reading this book will open their eyes to the problems involved and help them understand the ways in which this knowledge has been obtained, and incidentally show them the tremendous lnumber of problems which still remains to be solved.

D. B. YOUNG

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