JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS 323 suffers the same flaw as Volume I-- it is obsolete. The research of hundreds of chemists has gone by unnoticed while the scanty data of other days is recorded. The approach to perfume fixation is a sound and modern one and quite likely reflects the overt or intuitive technique of most professional per- fumers. The cherished notion of holding light, fugacious bodies by means of inodorous, non-volatile resins or plasticizers is refuted via a series of experiments. Poucher's system of odor evaluation is care- fully explained and considerable space has been devoted to odor classifications of the different odor types. I feel that systems are for their authors and no one else. Poucher is at least ahead of others in that he avoids abstract generalized categories and has not employed sterile numerical ratings. He as- sociates one odor with other chemi- cals and essential oils and thus draws on a thousand adjectives of great specificity for instance, "sweet" may mean almost anything to any- body but "vanillin" implies a very particular sweetness. Most of the important odor types, both the florals and the fancies, are described both by his system and by formulae to produce the desired effect. It is not hard to imagine which of these two are going to be studied! There is probably no better way to explain the odor of a lilac to a perfumer than to write down the formula for a good one--then he understands it in terms of raw materials, and equally im- portant, their proportion. Formu- lae are given for all the important odor types. It is almost a credo that good perfume formulae are never published, and although these are useful as ideas or rough models they are certainly not to be taken seriously as working compounds. Expensive floral absolutes appear in many of his recipes, whereas in actual practice such products are reserved for fine perfumes only, where cost and availability are not likely to be exceeded. I feel that few readers will use or profit by the new system even when completely baffled and it is necessary to resort to association to take the place of direct knowledge of notes present. Perfumers just will not use a middle ground or bridge--they prefer to go direct from the odor in the product to some component, chemical or oil as dictated by their past contact with the raw materials of the in- dustry. Short chapters on tobacco flavors, breath sweeteners, sachets and fruit flavors have been provided as well as more extended presentations on soap perfumery and on handker- chief perfumes in general. A copy of Poucher's works should be on every perfumer's shelf, and every young student of the art will read them to his advantage but it would not make much difference which editions were chosen--those of thirty-five years ago or these of most recent vintage.--C. F. van Ameringen-Haebler, Inc. TRAITI•, DE BIOCHIME CUTAN•E' LEs PROTIDES, Vol. II, by Jean Morelle. Editions Varia, Paris 6% France. 1958. 398 pages, illus- trated. Price 5800 francs. This is the most amazing con- densate of over 3000 published articles on various facets of bio- chemistry relating to the skin. To condense so much material into an easy reading manuscript is a grand undertaking on' subject. any The author handles his material quite well, covering the world's literature on quite an impartial basis. The first volume of this series of three discussed biochemical generali- ties. It had over 1500 references.

324 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS The entire work is to encompass six volumes. The present Volume II is com- posed of three chapters including general characteristics of the pro- teins and their metabolism, con- cluding with a discussion of cu- taneous proteins. The author is to be complimented for so ably reviewing both the old and new material. The series will be a valuable refer- ence for all interested in biochemis- try, particularly of the skin. The book needs an index badly. .Perhaps the last volume is to supply it for the entire series. It is well printed but could have a better cover and binding.--M. G. DE- NAVARRE. THE CHEMISTRY OF INDUSTRIAL TOXICOLOGY, by H. B. Elkins. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York 16, N.Y. 1959. 452 pages. Price $11.50. The study of industrial poisons, often considered from the medical viewpoint, is here treated as a chemical problem. This second edi- tion adds new subject matter in the field of industrial toxicology. Both organic and inorganic substances are discussed. The entire theme is based on skin contact or inhalation of industrial products by workers in chemical plants. For example, acetone is listed as producing narcosis which is transient with the maximum al- lowable air concentration of 500 p.p.m. Nothing is said about in- ternal .toxicity. A few common cosmetic ingredients, such as thio- glycolares, triethanolamine, diethyl phthalate, hexachlorophene, po- tassium bromate and aluminum chloride are not listed in the index. Ethylene glycol is given but not diethylene glycol. However, many other compounds are listed. The index appears adequate. The chapter headings are to the point. The presentation is clear and easy to follow.--M. G. DE- NAVARRE. THE SEQUESTRATION OF METALS, by R. L. Smith. The Macmillan Co., New York 11, N.Y. (Chapman & Hall, Ltd., London). 1959. 256 pages, indexed and illustrated. Price $8.50. In books as in anything there is the usual and then we occasionally get the outstanding. This is a usual book. Sometimes it is text that seems lacking, sometimes the refer- ences and then the final chance to polish a presentation, the proof reading. It is a shame that authors drop inventors' names and the year of the invention when listing patents. Each patent reference should answer, in so far as the autho• is able to do so, what, who and when. Too many of the patent references, especially in the section on practical application, are incomplete. In the theoretical section one senses a hastiness leading to an i.mpression of writing down to a given academic level. This is a useful book, particularly the practical section. A second edition should help correct errors, omissions and the presentation.-- M. G. DENAVARRE. gOAl' FILMS--STUDIES OF THEIR THINNING, by Karol J. Mysels, Kozo Shinoda and Stanley Frankel. Pergamon Press, New York. 116 pages, illustrated. Price $7.50. This monograph on the behavior of soap and detergent films very ad- mirably serves a twofold purpose. There is an adequate review of pre- vious observations of soap film be- havior. No work of this type has appeared in the 30-50 years since