498 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS THE LECTURER: We have gone through this using discounted cash flow and other techniques on the problem of handling talc in bulk. It was worthwhile in our case to handle our tonnage of talc in bulk within the factory. Unfortunately, as you well know, it is impossible to buy the talc in bulk, which is a great pity. In England you can get it in bulk but you have to pay an extra bonus for somebody else to de-bag it and put it into the tanker. Working from delivered sacks, we have found that it pays to put the talc into a silo and bulk handle it from there. VVe have not yet installed this equipment. In this particular case we costed it out using discounted cash flow, which although it is a little too detailed for many of our applications, was a good instrument for comparing this method to other methods of handling talc. We like to see a return on the equip- ment which is to be put in and a return in terms of about three years' working with several methods of calculating return. It would help most of us if we could all get together and get talc in bulk in this country.

Book reviews THE CRAFT OF LADIES' HAIRDRESSING. s. G. Flitman. Pp. 1•)2 + Ill. (1[•q37). Odhams Books, London. 25s. This is a handbook for the apprentice hairdresser and there is obviously some difficulty in writing a review that is not intended to be read by hairdressers. It is, of course, interesting to acquire some knowledge of the motivation behind, and the techniques used in, a craft which is closely allied to cosmetic science. Hair cosmetics must obviously be compatible with hairdressing technology in general, on the assump- tion that most users at some time or other will come under the care of a professional hairdresser. Those cosmetic chemists who formulate products specifically for salon use must need an even closer acquaintance with the prevailing circumstances. This little book could no doubt prove of considerable value from these angles. Certain chapters in the volume were approached with some misgivings by the reviewer. These dealt with the structure of the hair, hairdressing chemistry, and also hair and scalp disorders. It was anticipated that some rather glaring howlers would be encountered. The statement that "the action of the sweat gland is first to give off an oily substance which coats the skin, making it to some extent waterproof . . ." did nothing to allay these doubts! Strangely enough, this proved to be an isolated aber- ration, for no others were found later on. Some of the chemistry is perhaps a little "quaint", though mostly quite correct, and the scalp pathology is in some respects debatable. However, topics such as seborrhoea and baldness are still arguable between experts, so it cannot be said unequivocally that any particular interpretation is wrong. It is interesting to note the comparatively scant attention devoted to shampoos and shampooing. This gives the impression that cosmetic chemists tend to be more obsessed with the topic than hairdressers are the latter perhaps feel that there is, after all, not so much to choose between one formulation and another. The description of para dyes as "mineral tints" is possibly justifiable on an "animal, vegetable or mineral" type of logic but the accompanying statement that "simple tests will ascertain whether a client is allergic or not" is surely an under- statement. At least, one would have liked to see the word "usually" included, along with a carefully-worded description of the proper way to carry out and read a test. In brief, it would seem highly desirable for cosmetic formulators to take account of the professional use of their creations, and a book of this nature will nicely suit the purpose. N. J. VAN ABBI•. SPECTROMETRIC IDENTIFICATION OF ORGANIC COMPOUNDS. 2nd Edn. R. M. Silverstein and G. C. Bassler. Pp. ix q- 25t3 q- Ill. (1•)137). John Wiley, London/New York. 75s. This book which, as its title implies, is aimed at the organic chemist, is intended to provide sufficient background information on four methods of spectroscopy such 499