56 Fall2011 21st Century Science & Technology

Throughouthislifeandministry(Cres-pidiedin1983),thepriestpurchasedun-usualartifactsbroughttohimbylocalin-habitants. Eventually he collectedthousandsofitems,manyobviousfakesofmodernmanufacture.

Genuine ArtifactsBarry Fell, the great epigrapher who

successfully deciphered many ancientscripts,1* heard about the Crespi collec-tionofartifactsandinvestigatedasquarebronze artifact covered with what ap-pearedtobelettersofanalphabet.FelldeclaredthatthescriptwassimilartoascriptdiscoveredinCyprusandhepro-

* See “Barry Fell, Epigrapher: Biography of a Renaissance Man” by Julian Fell, 21st Century, Winter 1999-2000 and Summer 2001.

duced a tentative translation.This arti-fact,foundinEcuador,hasahighproba-bility of being genuine, since noknowledgeofthisscriptexistedpriortoFell’swork.

When Crespi died in1983,hiscollectionwasdispersed.Themostinter-esting pieces were pur-chasedbythestateofEc-uador for the CuencaMuseum,fortheequiva-lentofhalfamilliondol-lars.

Wingate’spointhereisthatCrespi’sartifactsmayindicatecontactbetweentheMiddleEastandSouthAmericainancienttimes.

Thebookisillustratedprofusely,includ-ingcolorphotosofthecontroversialmet-alplateswhichFelldeciphered.Althoughnot quite Atlantis, as Wingate desires,thisdiscoverymayproveimportant.

One of the Crespi gold plates with writing.

BOOKNOTES by Marjorie Mazel Hecht

The Cat Who Designed A Nuclear Plant

Nuclear Power: How a Nuclear Power Plant Really Worksby Amelia FrahmApex North Carolina: Nutcracker Publishing Company, 2011Paperback, 36 pp., $9.95

Move over “Cat in the Hat.” HerecomesPenelopethecat,who,ac-

cordingtoachubbyratandprettybluebird,mustbe responsible fordesigningthe Nukie Nuclear Power Plant. Why?Because nuclear electricity powers thefemalefeline’shousesothatshecanlazearoundintheair-conditionedcool.Withcharmingillustrations,thislittlebookin

rhyme, presents the basics of nuclearpowerforayoungaudience.

Refreshingly, there are no politicallycorrectcaveats, justsimplerhymes thatcoverthebasicsofhowareactorworks.The book is designed for ages 4-9, but

thereareprobablypeopleofallagesonyourgiftlistwhoareinneedofthisnon-scaryintroductiontonuclearpower.

Seriously FunnyFuture Shock Comicsby Jim and Pat McGrealPaperback, 105 pp., $10.00www.futureshockcomics.com

Thislittlebookofcartoonsarrivedwithanotesayingthat“sciencecoulduse

somehumor.”Weconcur,andwethanktheauthors forprovidinguswith somehigh-techandscifilaughs!

Itwashardtoselect justoneillustra-tiontogivereadersasenseoftheMcG-realbrothers’style.Ifyouwantsomeonetolaughatyourgift,thisbookisagoodchoice.

BOOKS

21st Century Science & Technology Fall2011 57BOOKS

Medicine As an ArtA Lost Art: Reflections of a Dermatologistby Dr. Eyal K. LevitNew York, 2011Paperback, 132 pp., $15.00Purchase at advanced.dermatology1220@gmail.com (718) 375-7546

Medicineisanart,butinthesedaysof cost cutting, euthanasia, and

insurancepaperwork,humanlifeisnotvaluedandmedicaldiagnosistoooftenisreducedtoacomputerchecklistwith-out individualizedattentionanddelib-eration.Thus,thetitleofthislittlebookcaughtmyeye,andIrequestedareviewcopy.

Thebookisaseriesofshortessaysbyayoungdermatologistreflectingonlife ingeneralandonsomeofhispa-tientsandtheproblemshehadtosolve.Some of the problems are cosmetic,othersareveryserious;butineachcaseDr.Levittakeswhatevertimeisneededtoassesstheproblemandtalkwiththepatient. It is clear that if all medicinewerepracticedthisway,wewouldhavea happier, healthier nation (andworld).

Onememorableimageisalecturehegivesto100orsodermatologistsatCo-lumbiaUniversity.Hedescribesthecaseofawomanwhocomesinforsomecos-metic surgeryonveinsonher face, forwhichpurposehehasinvestedinaverycostlynewspeciallaser,andheisecstat-icattheprospectofputtingittouse.Butupon examining her, he realizes thatmoreimportantthanthecosmetictreat-ment,heneededtoruleoutHereditaryHemorrhagicTelangiectasia.And, then,hedramaticallyunveilsahumanskele-ton hidden behind him, to remind thedoctors present of the importance oflooking behind the surface for hiddencauses.

Dr.Levit isDirectorofCosmeticandDermatologicalSurgeryatSt.Luke’sHos-pital,ColumbiaUniversity,andpracticesdermatologyinBrooklyn.

The Sad State of Science ‘Success’

Whiz KidsTom Shepard, DirectorWaterville, Me.: Shadow Distribution, 2010Documentary Film, 82 min.(Check local PBS stations for 2011 showings, beginning in April)

This is a fast-paced look at high-schoolstudentswhosubmittedsci-

ence projects to the premier sciencecompetition, the Intel Science TalentSearch,formerlysponsoredbyWesting-house.Thethreeprojectsfocussedonindepth are a fossil discovery, a botanyexperimentinplantgrowth,andasys-temfordetectingandremovingacon-taminantfromwater.

Thestudentspursuing thoseprojectsarediverse—anHispanicyoungwomanfromaUniondale,N.Y.mostlyminorityschool,aPakistaniyoungmanfromasin-

gleparentfamilyinStatenIsland,andayoung woman fromWestVirginia wholives near a DuPont plant that has re-leasedchemicalsintoalocalriver.

What the youth have in common isthattheyareallself-drivento“succeed,”so much so that the science is over-whelmed by the competition, and bytheirmeasuringofsuccessasgettingintoanIvyLeaguecollege.

ThefilmbeginsbynotingthatAmeri-can students rank 26th in science andmath compared to the youth of othercountries.The narrator then announcesthatthefilmwilllookatthoseAmericanyouthwhoarethe“bestandthebright-est.”

Onecanonlyfeelpityandhorroratwhat American science has become,andthepressuretoday’sstudentsareun-dertoperform.Lostisthejoyofdiscov-eryandtheloveof learning.Themen-tors involvedwith theyouthobviouslylovetheirwork,butthescientificenter-prise,notintentionally,comesacrossascutthroat and competitive. And likemostofsciencetoday,thehintofapur-poseinhelpingmankindmoveforwardis tied to cleaning up the environ-ment.

The three youth are obviously verybrightandlikeable,asaretheotheryouthportrayedonly inpassing.But themoststrikinglessononetakesawayfromthedocumentaryisthefailedstateofAmeri-cansciencetoday.

Not Just for Girls

Women Invent! Two Centuries of Discoveries That Have Shaped Our Worldby Susan CaseyChicago Review Press, 1997Paperback, $16.95Now available in electronic formats; Ages 9+

This is an engaging book for youngpeople,whichcolorfullyconveysthe

ideathathumanbeingscreateallsortsofthings to make life better. And sincewomenarehuman,womeninvent!

Mostreadershaveprobablythoughtofafewthingsthatshouldbeinventedtosolveeverydayproblems.Butfewpeoplepursuetheseideastothedesignandpat-entstage.Thisbooktellsyouaboutwom-

58 Fall2011 21st Century Science & Technology

enwhohadagoodideaandpatentedit.Fromtheironingboardandlifepreserverto frozenpizzaandasystemoforere-covery,authorSusanCaseydescribes50women inventors.Theycome fromcityandfarm,andareblackandwhite;someareeducated,othersarenot.Somebe-camemillionaires.

Youngsters who want to pursue theirpotentialinventionsmightalsobeinter-estedinSusanCasey’sotherbook,Kids Inventing: A Handbook for Young Inven-tors.

For the Coffee Table

Atoms for Peace: A Pictorial History of the International Atomic Energy AgencyVienna: IAEA, 2007Hardcover (11 X 13), 200 pp., $ 50 Euro

This handsome, large-format book is a50-yearhistoryoftheIAEAandhasmanyfinephotographsincludingsomesurpris-es,evenforanuclear-literateperson.

The Ozonator$29.25www.ozonator.com

Wedon’tusuallyreviewnewprod-ucts,butthisoneseemedworth

makinganexception.TheOzonatorisasmall(6”X5”),battery-operatedde-vice that sitson the topshelfofyourrefrigerator and produces enoughozonetopurifytheairinsidetherefrig-erator,thusprotectingperishablesfrommold and decay. The FDA-approvedmachine isadvertisedassaving fami-lies up to$500a year, the estimatedamount of produce that a householdthrowsoutbecauseofspoilage.

We did not do a scientific experi-ment,butanecdotally,here’swhatwefound:Therefrigeratorsmelledcleaneralmostimmediatelyafterinstallingthedevice.TheOzonatoreliminatedodorsfromfreshfishorotherusuallydiscern-

iblesmellyitems.Producelastedlonger.Inparticular,

lettuce and fresh herbs, berries, andmany fruitsandvegetables (includingespeciallythoseboughtatalocalfarm-ers’market)stayedfreshlonger.

Ozone,O3,worksbyoxidizingsomechemicals and by neu-tralizing ammonia andethylene, thus delayingthe onset of mold anddecay.Again,anecdotal-ly,theOzonatorseemedto keep meat fresheralso.

Four “D” batterieskeeptheOzonatoroper-ating on a cycle thatmaintains an adequatelevelofozonetodothejob.There isnopercep-tible ozone smell (asthere sometimes is from

an ozone air cleaner). The suppliedbatterieslastedalittlemorethanthreemonths.Wereplacedthemwithalka-line“D”batteries,whichhavealongerlifespan. A small red light indicateswhenit’stime.

Insum,thisisaworthwhileproduct,and perhaps will be standard equip-mentintherefrigeratorsofthefuture.

—Marjorie Mazel Hecht

PRODUCT REVIEW

A New Technology for the Refrigerator

BOOKS

Back Issues of21st CENTURYSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

are available at$5 each postpaid ($8 foreign).

Send check or moneyorder, U.S. currency only

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Index for 1988-2005 available on website

Found! A verified electrical technique for the early detection of

cancer and human ovulation.The Collected Works on Field Theory includes studies that were previously lost, forgotten and ignored by the academic community. They reveal scientific secrets that will stand the pharmaceutical and medical industries on their ears.Several of the articles republished in this collection were retrieved from dusty Yale University archives dating back to the 1930’s*. They contain ground breaking research that could only truly be appreciated now 90 years later, revealing methods of early cancer detection and effective birth control that are both physically and chemically non-invasive.*These pre-1960’s papers, are not available digitally through the National Institutes of Health

Volume I

The Electro-Dynamic Theory of Life, H.S. Burr and F.S.C. Northrop (1935)

A Vacuum Tube Microvoltmeter for the Measurement of Bioelectric Phenomena, H.S. Burr, C.T. Lane, L.F. Nims (1936-1937)

Experimental Findings Concerning the Electro-Dynamic Theory of Life and an Analysis of Their Physical Meaning, F.S.C. Northrop and H.S. Burr (1939) (submitted 1936)

fifteen additional, related journal papers

Volume II

Electrodynamic Field Theory in Psychiatry, Leonard J. Ravitz (1950)

History, Measurement, and Applicability of Periodic Changes in the Electromagnetic Field in Health and Disease, Leonard J. Ravitz (1962)

five additional related journal papers

six papers relating field theory to human physiology

two papers of Einstein’s work on cosmology and the energy associated with elementary particles

one paper linking Northrop’s work on field theory to Pierre Teilhard’s hypothesis of radial energy

Author Darden Dickson edited this compilation of important philosophical and scientific papers that attest to “The Electro‑Dynamic Theory of Life”.

The two volume set is $160.One volume is $80.

E-mail: Darden Dicksonadvancednoosphericsystems@clearwire.net