Noxious gases and the principles of respiration influencing their action

Noxious gases and the principles of respiration influencing their action

May, 1943.1 I~()()K Rt.:vt[.:ws. 547 division of the book. The next division starts with vapors and proceeds through the subjects of entropy, mixtu...

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May, 1943.1

I~()()K Rt.:vt[.:ws.

547

division of the book. The next division starts with vapors and proceeds through the subjects of entropy, mixtures of air and steam, and the reciprocating steam engine. On the basic assumption that heat may be described as a condition of molecular activity, the process of refrigeration is explained and following this is a division covering the flow of fluids, the flow of heat, steam condensers and steam turbines. Considerable space is devoted to a clear conception of combustion at this point, and contrary to the thought that this subject might better have been placed in the early p a r t of the book, it is well projected here. Internal combustion engines is the next topic which is divided into three parts--the gas engine, the " p e t r o l " engine and the oil engine. The latter part of the book is devoted to s t e a m boilers and p o w e r plant economy, other subjects which seem somewhat removed from logical progression. The book is well illustrated, many of the drawings being of different colors. The mathematical examples bear the mark of careful application to the subject matter under discussion. The subject index facilitates reference. The book gives a good and thorough coverage for students of college grade. R. H. OPPERMANN. NOXIOUS GASES AND THE PRINCIPLES OF RESPIRATION INFLUENCING THEIR ACTION, by Yandell Henderson and Howard W. Haggard. 294 pages, charts and diagrams, 15 )< 23 cms. New York, Reinhold Publishing Corp., 1943. Price $3.50. In view of the use of gases in warfare and the precautions taken recently in national defense, this subject is a pertinent one today. Yet aside from this, not much attention is generally given to a hardly less important danger of noxious gases in peacetime daily life on the street, in the home, or in industry. The gas hazards, particularly in modern peaceful industry, are very real. In fact, this is almost the only field in the whole range of modern sanitation in which the number of fatalities throughout the civilized world has increased year by year. Noxious gases in war or in peace are due to receive very careful study. Immensely valuable measures of protection against industrial gases have resulted from the study of war gas defense. This book deals only with gases which occur in industry but references are made to recent works dealing with chemical warfare. After a brief survey of the field, the elements of respiration are taken up, followed by the respiratory functions of the blood and their laws. This not only lays a foundation for the study of the effects of noxious gases but it impresses the reader as to the practicality of the subject. Built tip from these subjects are the treatments on the laws of gases and vapors where are shown the kind of use to which these fundamental principles are put in the field of respiration; principles determining absorption, distribution and elimination of volatile substances; the significance of standards for physiological response to various concentrations of gases and vapors. All this leads to a study of the gases themselves. These are classified in tables where the names, chemical formulas and physical characteristics of the gases which occur most often in modern industry are set clown along with the general nature of their physiological action. As a means of making the tables of greater practical use the gases are listed in their chemical sequence and reference is indicated to the section of the book describing the physiological action.

548

BOOK REVII~WS.

[J. F. 1.

Discussion on specific gases is made according to groups of gases. Group I covers irritant gases, Group II asphyxiants, Group I I I chemical asphyxiants, Group IV inorganic and organometallic gases. General descriptions of the various types of physiological action are given with lists of substances producing these effects. A few gases are treated separately where their physiological characteristics differentiate them from others. In the discussions, the appropriate treatments ate, in most cases, more or less fully described. A chapter in the latter part of the book brings out the differences and contrasts the prime features in these treatments. The last chapter is devoted to the prevention of poisoning by noxious gases. There is a subject index in the back. This is the second and revised edition of this American Chemical Society Monograph. I t is the result of expert knowledge of the subject and a painstaking review of the literature up to d a t e . The book has practical value to chemists, engineers and others engaged in industry. R. H. OPPERMANN. CONSTITUTION OF ALLOYS BIBLIOGRAPHY, by J. L. Haughton, D.Sc. 162 pages, 14 )< 22 cms. Suffolk, England, Richard Clay and Company, L t d . , 1942. This bibliography contains over 5o00 references to papers dealing with the constitution of binary, ternary and higher alloy systems, both ferrous and nonferrous. References have been included not only to papers of a purely constitutional character but also to many X - r a y and physical-property studies of alloys, which have some bearing on the constitution. T o furnish some guide among the references (which in a few systems exceed IOO), asterisks have been placed against those in the originals of which a new equilibrium diagram, or portion of one, is to be found. The bibliography is intended to be used in conjunction with the abstracts t h a t the Institute of Metals has published since its foundation, first in the JOURI~AL and then in Metallurgical Abstracts (Series II); for convenience, therefore, references have been included to these abstracts, whenever such exist. The bibliography is up to date and should prove valuable to research workers in metallurgy, metallurgists, and others interested in the subject. R. H. OPPERMANN. ENGINEERING MECHANICS, by Glen N. Cox, P h . D . 3oi pages, charts and diagrams, 16 >( 23 cms. New York, D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., x943. Price $3.00. The solution of many different kinds of engineering problems depends on a knowledge of engineering mechanics. The subject is essentially a practical one embodying such studies as physics, the motion of planets, the motion of fluids and gases, and the strength of materials. A good understanding of the principles of mechanics is necessary for success in the engineering field. Therefore a text on the subject must be chosen with care. This text is an attempt to co6rdinate the desires of the engineering teachers of this country to the extent that these desires have been expressed in the various surveys which were conducted under the auspices of the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education. With the thought that the principles of mechanics can only be fixed in one's mind by the solution of a large number of problems, the author presents here a