154 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS owing to the public's lack of knowl- edge in these matters and frequent lack of patience. The duration of a ß test should normally be at least forty-eight hours. In a general review of cosmetics as causes of dermatitis, the speaker said that occupational dermatitis, due to the handling of cosmetics, was comparatively rare. This was doubtless due to the preponderance of automatic methods used for mixing, filling, and so forth. Face creams rarely gave trouble except when irritant perfume materials had been ificorporated in them. The same observations applied to face.powders. Permanent waving reagents gave the most trouble, followed by hair dyes. Allergic dermatitis provoked by hair dyes was dramatic in character but usu- ally easy to treat. In cases of lipstick dermatitis there was usually a history of exposure to ultra-violet light: indelible dyes such as eosin were photosensitizers (as was also bergamot oil, used in eau de Cologne, etc.) All brands of lipstick tended to give the same reaction in such cases of idiosyncrasy. Nail lac- quer dermatitis occurred mostly on the thinly keratinised skin around the eyes and on the chin or cheek: not on the fingers themselves. Several of the constituents of plas- tics had been known to act as sen- sitizers. A commoner cause of nail brittleness than nail varnish sol- vents was the injudicious use of some of the newer detergents. Most of the anionic detergents used in cosmetics were satisfactory in the proportions normally employed: more trouble had been caused by other detergents and wetting agents, used in the washing and treatment of fabrics. Rouge was virtually innocuous in character. As the keratin of hair was tougher than that of the skin, it would appear that depilatories were bound to affect the skin keratin. For the purpose of depilation, the speaker preferred the method of electrolysis, although this method was impracticable for axillary hair in women. After briefly referring to cases of oil der- matitis caused by the use of bril- liantines, he interpolated some com- ments on keratoplastics and then referred to the merits and defects of barrier (protective) creams. His concluding remarks dealt with the indiscriminate use of disinfectants, which could easily intensify skin irritation, and with the potential dermatitis-provoking action of highly rosined soaps. In the long and enthusiastic dis- cussion that followed, the following members and friends took part: ' Drs. D. Ferguson, R. Marriott, A. W. Mitchell, R. Matalon, and V. Klein: Messrs. F. V. Wells (Chairman), Pierre Bongard, A. B. Bell, C. B. Moon, Frank Atkins, J. Pickthall, E. W. Clark, A. Barent, and P. G. Gugenheim. A vote of thanks to the lecturer was proposed by Dr. R. W. Marriott, D.Sc., R.R.I.C.

BOOK REVIEWS CHEMICAL TRADES NAMES AND COM- MERCIAL SYNONYMS, by William Haynes. D. Van Nostrand Co., Inc., New York 3, New York. 6 X 9 inches, 279 pages, 1951. Price $5.50. THE ESSENTIAL OILS, Volume V, by Ernest Guenther, 507 pages, 6 ,K 9 inches, cloth, illustrated, indexed. D. Van Nostrand and Company, Inc., New York 3, N.Y., 1952. Price $9.75. This dictionary claims to include over 20,000 trade names, most of which are ofU. S. origin. Included as well are many special abbrevia- tions common to the trades. In general the authors intentions are well carried out. An inconsistency exists at least in one case. For example the Em- cols are classified by types taking about a page and a half. The Duponols get three mentions while everyone knows there are many of them. Many perfume specialties (requiring a book by themselves) are mentioned but some like Sulphol, ß Fragerelle, the Longchamp series, to name a few, are absent. To have covered the many fields the author attempts to include, would have required a much larger book. Hence the sin of omission, mentioned by the author in his pref- ace, is considerable. The book is devitalized by the lack of chemical definitions for the trade names used. This would have made it far more valuable. Trying to keep the book small, therefore less expensive, has also resulted in an incomplete manu- script. It 'will behoove the author to search out more of the trade- named specialties than those which have crossed his path to date. In a dictionary, its value lies in being complete.--M. G. o•.N. ß In this fifth of six volumes, the author describes individual essential oils of the plant families, largely oils of regular concern to flavor and perfumer chemists, such as the com- mon spice oils, rose, j asmin, ylang ylang, and sandalwood to name a few, and many rare perfume oils such as those of lilac, gardenia, and honeysuckle. The treatment is similar to that of volumes III and IV, namely by bo- tanical family but not following any regular taxonomic system. Twenty- three chapters cover this wide range. Oil of rose requires 48 pages for com- plete coverage, to give you an idea of the author's thoroughness. One is also gratified at the recognition given to Australian sandalwood oil. The inclusion of monographs on the rare or unusual oils or absolutes is very useful. The author's easy style makes reading most interesting. In fact, one is reluctant to put the book down. Whether all the known extractions of fragrant flowers, commercial or experimental, have been included by the author will not be known until the final volume is published. But if volume six is anything like its predecessors, then the work will be complete. The author's own wide experience and equally large acquaintance in the perfume and 155