psychiatry, eugenics and the many aspects of science and the adjudicatory function of law. For this bibliography alone the book holds outstanding potential, not least for the enquiring lawyer. Though not promptly received for review, its contents are and will continue to be, topical and illuminating.

Alistair R. Brownlie

A TOUCH OF POWDER

Powdered Vegetable Drugs Betty P. Jackson and Derek W . Snowdon (London, Churchill, 1968, 203 pp., 651-)

The need for this book is well demonstrated by the authors' claim that no similar work has appeared since the publication in 1904 of Greenish and Collin's "Anatomical Atlas of Vegetable Powders". It is certainly a long awaited publication and will be welcomed by all analysts having to deal with vegetable drugs and materials, and by forensic scientists in particular.

In order to make proper use of the book the reader must digest the contents of the short preface before consulting the body of the book containing details of the 99 drugs included. The excellent drawings which appear only on the right hand pages are very clear and well annotated underneath. The left hand page lists the sensory and diagnostic characters of the particular powder examined and not of the whole parent drug as is the misleading practice in some books. The end of the book contains a list of mountants used and a good index cross referenced with the proper, common and latin names of the powders.

The authors admit of the difficulties over choice of drugs to be included, and it must indeed be a formidable problem, but from the forensic scientist's point of view certain omissions are unfortunate, particularly of those drugs found in the reputedly abortifacient preparation, for example, tansy, pennyroyal, cimicifuga, saffron, juniper, etc. These omissions, however, may be less serious in the light of the new abortion laws when examination of this type of preparation may well be a thing of the past. A run down key based on the absence or presence of specific diagnostic characters to identify unknowns would also have been a useful addition.

Notwithstanding these slight criticisms, it is in all a most valuable reference book which has filled a large gap in our shelves and will do so for years to come.

Kneale J. Kimber

AND, TALKING ABOUT FIBRES . . . Handbook of Textile Fibres, 4th Edition J. Gordon Cook (Watford, Herts., England. Merrow, 1968, 2 Vols., 1, Natural Fibres, xxvii +208 pp. I I , Man-made Fibres, xxix + 695 pp., 951-).

I know little of the psychology of colour, in fact the only reference I can call to mind is a couple of pages (80-81) in F. A. Taylor's "Colour Technology" (London, Oxford U.P., 1962). The colour (is it off-puce?) chosen for the dust- cover of the first edition of the Handbook some ten years ago has persisted. Although I thought it odd at first I have come to like it; perhaps it is the "personality of the book" showing through; some sort of association of ideas.

Within the ten years this book has reached its fourth edition and the content has been multiplied by about three. This is not enlargement for enlargement's sake ; there is no padding, it is "full of meat". I t has become a library (both educational and reference) in its own right and includes the essence (an approx- imately one-eigthth precis) of the companion volume "Polyolefin Fibres" (same Author and Publisher) which preceded it by a year. If I read the

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introduction correctly it also contains the essence of "The Fibre Encyclopaedia" which one must assume is in a state of "Foetus in utero" at the moment. From this one might expect still further specialised volumes in the future.

The Handbook has the advantage that it has and does follow a fairly definite pattern. The information on each fibre-type is laid out in a similar manner so far as is practicable. For each we find :-

-something of the history and general background information, -methods of both production and processing which includes outline notes

on the mechanics of converting the raw material to finished fabric, etc., as it relates to natural fibres and the chemistry onwards of the man-made fibres,

-physical properties, with in addition to true physics such practical and important features as relaxation shrinkage and the effects of age,

-chemical properties, i.e., what will or will not harm (or enhance), -uses which go some way to answering questions such as "Is it suitable

for a rope or negligee?"

I t is both easy to read and easy to use as a reference book so long as one remembers that the index is only part of the true index, which in fact includes The Directory of Natural Fibres in Volume 1, and The Directory of Man-made Fibres in Volume 11. This last mentioned is divided into two well defined parts, namely :

-Trade name, class of fibre and manufacturer -Manufacturers and Processors and their addresses. Hence, for instance, one finds Polyurethane and Spandes in the index to

Volume 11, but not "Lycra" which (being a trade name) is found in the first part of the Directory in the same volume with a lead to Polyuretllane and thence to Spandex.

I like the binding, the paper and the type face used. The binding enables either volume to be opened and lie flat unaided and appears to be so well made that it will tolerate years of continuous handling. I t is worth noting that my volume I purchased 26th June, 1959, is very grubby and worn but has no loose pages and the cover is intact.

If this book were not available one would have to refer to many sources to obtain similar data for a single fibre-type. One will still have to seek additional information ; for such a book can never be complete, can never do more than reach out towards perfection. Because of the very nature of the fibre industry it must, in some measure, be out of date by the time it gets to the printer.

It must be a brave decision to stop and say "It must go at this point". Dr. Cook has done just this and done so successfully. To me this is an essential book and I hope that "The Fibre Encyclopaedia" will be published very soon (another off-puce dust-cover?).

Norman Lee.

FIRST A N D NOBLEST O F HUMAN SCIENCES

Frecedent in English Law and Other Essays-J. L. Montrose Edited by I f . G. Hanbury (Shannon, Irish University Press, 1968, 368 pp., 631-)

In nineteen chapters there are presented reprints of learned articles covering the juristic and philosophical topics studied by the late Professor Montrose. Though of great interest to students and academic lawyers, this volume is little concerned with the matters in which forensic scientists become involved. The author brilliantly combined the humanitarian outlook with the analytical,

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