A critical examination is given of a simplifying assumption made in an earlier calculation of the functional dependence of the integral dielectric constant of polar liquids on the applied field. It was assumed in this calculation that, for the cavity and reaction fields at all field strengths the usual expressions for low field strengths could be employed. It was pointed out that this simplification is plausible if the static dielectric constant is large compared with the optical dielectric constant. In the present note it is shown that, if it is postulated that the reaction field alone retains its conventional value, then the cavity field is appreciably increased by dielectric saturation. In the case of water the effect is equivalent to an increase of the external field by about 10 percent; a modified relation between the field and the dielectric constant is suggested.
The alteration of the reaction field as a result of saturation, and the effect of this modification on the dielectric constant, are also examined.
