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Chemistry and uses of insecticides
March, 1949.]
277
BOOK REVIEWS.
I t should be borne in mind by the reader that the basic principles for designing cathode ray tube displays are laid down in this book. But these principles have been used since the war to refine and improve the circuit techniques beyond what is published here and elsewhere. With the knowledge offered by this text, the engineer is in a position to improve on the basic designs illustrated in the book and to design displays to meet his own particular requirements. E. A. MECHLER.
CHEMISTRY AND USES OF INSECTICIDES, by E. R. De Ong. 345 pages, 14 X 22 cm., illustrations. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1948. Price, $6.00. The field of insecticides considered in this book i~ not that of the scientific or chemical study of these preparations; it is rather the field of insecticides which is of primary interest to the public as a whole. As such it is concerned with an exposition of the intelligent use of certain chemicals for very practical purposes, especially agricultural. The development of specialists in the control of insects on growing crops by chemical application, dating back to about 1860, has progressed to the point where two related groups are now intimately concerned with this general problem: economic entomologists who have a basic knowledge of insects and related forms; and plant pathologists, who specialize in the fungi and bacteria which attack plants. These groups have developed the terms insecticides and fungicides, with a further breakdown of the former into: stomach poisons; contact sprays; and fumigants. The terms are self-explanatory. Since many chemicals fall into two or even all three of these categories, there is a recent tendency to classify insecticides in accordance with their field of application, such as agricultural insecticides and fungicides and household insecticides. For the most part, the early developed insecticides were inorganic chemicals, such as arsenic, lead, calcium, barium and mercury, with copper and sulfur being the principal fungicides. Toward the turn of the century it was realized that arsenic is a protoplasmic poison, and effort was devoted to the development of organic materials, starting with pyrethrum flowers and nicotine, and continuing into the present with such developments as DDT, naphthalene derivatives, organic mercury and sulfur compounds, and others. The book is written in catalogue fashion. By this is meant that the material is systematically arranged with separate chapters devoted to: arsenic, copper, and sulfur and their compounds; minerals and oils; fumigants and fumigation; plant derivatives; synthetic organic compounds; and heat, cold, and radiation as insecticides. Each chapter devoted to these insecticides includes information regarding its chemical nature; its effectiveness on various types of insects; cautions regarding its use; methods of application to crops, and other pertinent d a t a . While the book may be of interest to the general scientific reader, it is especially designed to meet the need for a general and comprehensive treatment of insecticidal materials and their agricultural applications as may be encountered by insecticide manufacturers, botanists, entomologists, agricultural research workers, farmers and even those homeowners who are amateur gardeners. Written in a systematic and most thorough manner, from the practical point of view, the book can be well adapted for use as a text book in agricultural colleges, for it considers as subjects of secondary interest problems of supply, labeling, packaging, antidotes, and the mechanical problems of grinding, formulation, and application. The many insecticides considered are listed in catalogue fashion, making the work of further interest to the professional worker who must be kept abreast of all the new and promising compositions as well as those which are well established. Readers who are laymen and manufacturers in this field will find great interest in the indices which include: a chemical and common name glossary; official antidotes for the common poisons; legal requirements for mannfacture; and other miscellaneous chemical and physical d a t a . S. CHARP.
277
BOOK REVIEWS.
I t should be borne in mind by the reader that the basic principles for designing cathode ray tube displays are laid down in this book. But these principles have been used since the war to refine and improve the circuit techniques beyond what is published here and elsewhere. With the knowledge offered by this text, the engineer is in a position to improve on the basic designs illustrated in the book and to design displays to meet his own particular requirements. E. A. MECHLER.
CHEMISTRY AND USES OF INSECTICIDES, by E. R. De Ong. 345 pages, 14 X 22 cm., illustrations. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1948. Price, $6.00. The field of insecticides considered in this book i~ not that of the scientific or chemical study of these preparations; it is rather the field of insecticides which is of primary interest to the public as a whole. As such it is concerned with an exposition of the intelligent use of certain chemicals for very practical purposes, especially agricultural. The development of specialists in the control of insects on growing crops by chemical application, dating back to about 1860, has progressed to the point where two related groups are now intimately concerned with this general problem: economic entomologists who have a basic knowledge of insects and related forms; and plant pathologists, who specialize in the fungi and bacteria which attack plants. These groups have developed the terms insecticides and fungicides, with a further breakdown of the former into: stomach poisons; contact sprays; and fumigants. The terms are self-explanatory. Since many chemicals fall into two or even all three of these categories, there is a recent tendency to classify insecticides in accordance with their field of application, such as agricultural insecticides and fungicides and household insecticides. For the most part, the early developed insecticides were inorganic chemicals, such as arsenic, lead, calcium, barium and mercury, with copper and sulfur being the principal fungicides. Toward the turn of the century it was realized that arsenic is a protoplasmic poison, and effort was devoted to the development of organic materials, starting with pyrethrum flowers and nicotine, and continuing into the present with such developments as DDT, naphthalene derivatives, organic mercury and sulfur compounds, and others. The book is written in catalogue fashion. By this is meant that the material is systematically arranged with separate chapters devoted to: arsenic, copper, and sulfur and their compounds; minerals and oils; fumigants and fumigation; plant derivatives; synthetic organic compounds; and heat, cold, and radiation as insecticides. Each chapter devoted to these insecticides includes information regarding its chemical nature; its effectiveness on various types of insects; cautions regarding its use; methods of application to crops, and other pertinent d a t a . While the book may be of interest to the general scientific reader, it is especially designed to meet the need for a general and comprehensive treatment of insecticidal materials and their agricultural applications as may be encountered by insecticide manufacturers, botanists, entomologists, agricultural research workers, farmers and even those homeowners who are amateur gardeners. Written in a systematic and most thorough manner, from the practical point of view, the book can be well adapted for use as a text book in agricultural colleges, for it considers as subjects of secondary interest problems of supply, labeling, packaging, antidotes, and the mechanical problems of grinding, formulation, and application. The many insecticides considered are listed in catalogue fashion, making the work of further interest to the professional worker who must be kept abreast of all the new and promising compositions as well as those which are well established. Readers who are laymen and manufacturers in this field will find great interest in the indices which include: a chemical and common name glossary; official antidotes for the common poisons; legal requirements for mannfacture; and other miscellaneous chemical and physical d a t a . S. CHARP.