an ancient military pun the endurance of soldiers depends upon the
strength of their soles. The new compound rubber soles were found useful
in our army and the Germans attribute their success in making a little
leather go a long way during the late war to the use of a new synthetic
tanning material known as "neradol." There are various forms of this.
Some are phenolic condensation products of formaldehyde like those we
have been considering, but some use coal-tar compounds having no phenol
groups, such as naphthalene sulfonic acid. These are now being made in
England under such names as "paradol," "cresyntan" and "syntan." They
have the advantage of the natural tannins such as bark in that they are
of known strength and can be varied to suit.

This very grasping compound, formaldehyde, will attack almost anything,
even molecules many times its size. Gelatinous and albuminous substances
of all sorts are solidified by it. Glue, skimmed milk, blood, eggs,
yeast, brewer's slops, may by this magic agent be rescued from waste and
reappear in our buttons, hairpins, roofing, phonographs, shoes or
shoe-polish. The French have made great use of casein hardened by
formaldehyde into what is known as "galalith" (i.e., milkstone). This is
harder than celluloid and non-inflammable, but has the disadvantages of
being more brittle and of absorbing moisture. A mixture of casein and
celluloid has something of the merits of both.

The Japanese, as we should expect, are using the juice of the soy bean,
familiar as a condiment to all who patronize chop-sueys or use
Worcestershire sauce. The soy glucine coagulated by formalin gives a
plastic said to be better and cheaper than celluloid. Its inventor, S.
Sato, of Sendai University, has named it, according to American
precedent, "Satolite," and has organized a million-dollar Satolite
Company at Mukojima.