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Elementary nuclear theory
496
BOOK REVIEWS.
[J. F. l.
ELEMENTARY NUCLEAR THEORY, by H. A. Bethe. 147 pages, drawings, 14 >( 22 cms. New York, John W i l e y & Sons, Inc., 1947. Price $2.50. In his preface Dr. Bethe, who during the war was a staff member of the M a n h a t t a n Project, states t h a t his latest book is not meant to be a textbook of the theory of atomic nuclei. Rather, he emphasizes the central problem of nuclear physics--nuclear forces, and treats the subject empirically. Theoretical considerations of nuclear forces (the meson theory) are treated with brevity. The theory of beta disintegration was chosen by Dr. Bethe as a second, developed and fundamental field of nuclear physics. Again, he treats the theory of the compound nucleus very briefly, judging it to be "more profitable to treat part of the theory thoroughly than to treat all of it superficially." The theories of the fission process, those of alpha radioactivity, and of nuclear systems containing from 3 to 60 nuclear particles, were left out for reasons of familiarity to the students, or of being a highly special phenomen6n as in the case of fission. A table of nuclear species based on Seaborg's "Table of Isotopes" and Segre's "Isotope C h a r t " forms the appendix. HENRY N. MICHAEL. THE SELECTED WRITINGS OF BENJAMIN RUSH, edited by Dagobert D. Runes. 433 pages, 14 X 21 cms. New York, Philosophical Library, 1947. Price $5.00. Among the leading figures in Philadelphia during the Revolution and the formative years of the United States of America, was Benjamin Rush. An outstanding physician, he was also an ardent defender of liberty and an exponent of the mitigation of social evils which bear on the poor and oppressed. His personal courage was amply demonstrated during the yellow fever epidemic of 1795. Mr. Runes has made a selection from Rush's writings which are revealing of the man and his philosophy. They are grouped in four sections: good government, education, natural and medical sciences and miscellaneous. GEORGE E. PETTENGILL. ELECTRIC MOTOR MAINTENANCE, by W. W. McCullough. 126"pages, illustrations, 15 X 22 cms. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1947. Price $2.00. A useful manual intended to help inspectors, mechanics, electricians, and engineers take better care of the motors for which they are responsible. The material is arranged in such a manner so as to give the reader significant information on each phase of maintenance. The section on mechanical maintenance deals with assembly, lubrication, care of sleeve, ball and roller bearings and Kingsbury thrust bearings, as well as current-collecting devices and a d j u s t m e n t of air gap. The electrical maintenance section gathers the various problems of insulation: cleaning, drying, testing, as well as the materials used for insulation. The last section includes the operation and application of the three prevalent types of electrical motors; the induction, direct current, and synchronous motors and their combinations with reduction gears and generators. This up-to-date manual, written in simple, direct language should prove of value to the intelligent maintenance men and the interested student. HENRY N. MICHAEL. THE WATER SOLUBLE GUMS, by C. L. Mantell. 279 pages, drawings, 16 X 24 cms. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1947. Price $6.00. This book is a discussion of t h a t interesting group of hydrophilic substances usually referred to as "gums." Hydrophobic resinous materials are not discussed in this volume. The subject m a t t e r covers the tree exudations such as arabic, ghatti, haraya, and tragacanth; the seaweed colloids such as agar, Irish moss, carrageenin, and the algiuates; the water dispersible proteins such as gelatin, hide, bone, fish, and protein, and the various albumins; and the modified celluloses.
BOOK REVIEWS.
[J. F. l.
ELEMENTARY NUCLEAR THEORY, by H. A. Bethe. 147 pages, drawings, 14 >( 22 cms. New York, John W i l e y & Sons, Inc., 1947. Price $2.50. In his preface Dr. Bethe, who during the war was a staff member of the M a n h a t t a n Project, states t h a t his latest book is not meant to be a textbook of the theory of atomic nuclei. Rather, he emphasizes the central problem of nuclear physics--nuclear forces, and treats the subject empirically. Theoretical considerations of nuclear forces (the meson theory) are treated with brevity. The theory of beta disintegration was chosen by Dr. Bethe as a second, developed and fundamental field of nuclear physics. Again, he treats the theory of the compound nucleus very briefly, judging it to be "more profitable to treat part of the theory thoroughly than to treat all of it superficially." The theories of the fission process, those of alpha radioactivity, and of nuclear systems containing from 3 to 60 nuclear particles, were left out for reasons of familiarity to the students, or of being a highly special phenomen6n as in the case of fission. A table of nuclear species based on Seaborg's "Table of Isotopes" and Segre's "Isotope C h a r t " forms the appendix. HENRY N. MICHAEL. THE SELECTED WRITINGS OF BENJAMIN RUSH, edited by Dagobert D. Runes. 433 pages, 14 X 21 cms. New York, Philosophical Library, 1947. Price $5.00. Among the leading figures in Philadelphia during the Revolution and the formative years of the United States of America, was Benjamin Rush. An outstanding physician, he was also an ardent defender of liberty and an exponent of the mitigation of social evils which bear on the poor and oppressed. His personal courage was amply demonstrated during the yellow fever epidemic of 1795. Mr. Runes has made a selection from Rush's writings which are revealing of the man and his philosophy. They are grouped in four sections: good government, education, natural and medical sciences and miscellaneous. GEORGE E. PETTENGILL. ELECTRIC MOTOR MAINTENANCE, by W. W. McCullough. 126"pages, illustrations, 15 X 22 cms. New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1947. Price $2.00. A useful manual intended to help inspectors, mechanics, electricians, and engineers take better care of the motors for which they are responsible. The material is arranged in such a manner so as to give the reader significant information on each phase of maintenance. The section on mechanical maintenance deals with assembly, lubrication, care of sleeve, ball and roller bearings and Kingsbury thrust bearings, as well as current-collecting devices and a d j u s t m e n t of air gap. The electrical maintenance section gathers the various problems of insulation: cleaning, drying, testing, as well as the materials used for insulation. The last section includes the operation and application of the three prevalent types of electrical motors; the induction, direct current, and synchronous motors and their combinations with reduction gears and generators. This up-to-date manual, written in simple, direct language should prove of value to the intelligent maintenance men and the interested student. HENRY N. MICHAEL. THE WATER SOLUBLE GUMS, by C. L. Mantell. 279 pages, drawings, 16 X 24 cms. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1947. Price $6.00. This book is a discussion of t h a t interesting group of hydrophilic substances usually referred to as "gums." Hydrophobic resinous materials are not discussed in this volume. The subject m a t t e r covers the tree exudations such as arabic, ghatti, haraya, and tragacanth; the seaweed colloids such as agar, Irish moss, carrageenin, and the algiuates; the water dispersible proteins such as gelatin, hide, bone, fish, and protein, and the various albumins; and the modified celluloses.