KOSTYCHEV'S CHEMICAL PLANT PHYSIOLOGY.
Translated by Charles J. Lyon. P. Blakiston's Son & Co., Philadelphia. 1931.
Most of us who have had to go through the routine of Graduate School have at some time during that experience been obliged to commit ourselves as to our facility in reading French and German. The fact that we succeed in convincing those in authority that we have that ability does not by any means signify that we shall ever again, save under stress, go to sources outside our own language for information. To a large share of the students of the sciences books written in other languages are possible, but highly improbable, sources of information. The translation into English of such a work as the present represents, then, a very decided service to this group, as well as to many others who would undertake to read the German edition but would find it very slow work.
Dr. Kostychev's book appeared in 1926, and has proved a valuable contribution to this field of Plant Biochemistry. The English translation departs from the German in a number of points, mainly due to revisions which Dr. Kostychev made late in 1929 in order to bring the English edition up to date. The changes have been particularly in the sections dealing with plant enzymes, photosynthesis, dentrification, vitamins, cell-free fermentation, and theories of fermentation and respiration.
Dr. Lyon has worked these changes into the text, and in some cases has added further material, although the chief work has been rendering the German into English. The translator has also improved the index, by making it more detailed, adding the names of plants mentioned in the text, and compiling an index to Authors. Over 1500 Authors and combinations of Authors are included.
As to the scope of the book the title is almost self-explanatory. It has been Dr. Kostychev's intention to produce a textbook of Plant Physiology in two volumes, the present one dealing with Chemical aspects, a second, not yet issued, devoted to such aspects as are best dealt with by the Physical methadology, such as absorption of materials and their transport, growth, correlations, and tissue differentiations, and plant movements.
The present work gives an exposition of the processes of food assimilation and transformation, and the processes which furnish energy to plants. The author has dealt with plant tissue, so far as possible, as a common medium in which these transformations occur, rather than attempting to deal with the significance of specific plant structures. This makes the work more available to the nonbotanical chemist, while still serving the uses of the Botanist.
Professor Eric P. Kelly is the author of a series of four articles under the general title "Why Write?" The first of these articles under the title "The Urge" appeared in the March issue of the Horn Book. The three others to follow in the same magazine are entitled "Literary Architecture," "Use of the Symbol" and "Improvisation." Silver Burdett & Company have just published "Latin-Fourth Year" by Professor Harry Edwin Burton, and Professor Richard Mott Gummere. This book will be reviewed in a later issue of the MAGAZINE.
"Learning—a Spiritual Experience" by Professor Harold E. B. Speight, appears in the March issue of the Intercollegian. Another article by Professor Speight "An Educational Dilemma" appears in the April number of the Hibbert Journal.
Dr. A. Myrton Frye has contributed an article on "Moral Freedom and Power" to the issue of the Journal of Philosophy for May 17 th.
Mr. Frederick K. Sparrow, Jr., has an article "Observations on Pythium Dictyosporum" in the May-June 1931 issue of Mycologia.
