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Man in the cold
184
BOOK REVIEWS
pounded earlier in the book: and he raises his eyebrow at the very wide range of citation frequencies in the various chapters (from 10 to 267) not in keeping with their relative importance or development. But these are trivialities. He remains impressed. DOUGLAS
H. K. LEE
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801
MAN
By J. LeBlanc, with Foreward by C. G. Wilber. Springfield, Ill.. 1975, 195 pp., illustrated. $15.50.
IN THE COLD.
Thomas,
Charles C
The author is well known among cold-weather physiologists for his longtime study of the effects of arctic environments on man. This book summarizes in useful compass the knowledge that has been gained since the demands of World War II created an intense interest in these effects, their prevention and their treatment. American, British and Canadian military establishments, separately and in conjunction, have carried out extensive investigations in both climatic chamber and field, on experimental animals as well as on men, with a view to minimizing casualties. The results have been put to good use in the pursuit of civilian activities, and not least in protection of the sports-minded hunter or fisherman from the consequences of uninstructed enthusiasm. The fact that our information on the subject can be reduced to a fairly small volume, coupled with the observation that little new has been added since Burton and Edholm brought out their book, “Man in the Cold Environment,” in 1955, indicates that a certain maturation has overtaken the field. A similar maturation in the field of thermal physiology in general has been postponed only by the search of comparative and general physiologists for basic adaptive principles, as set out in the book (also reviewed in this issue) by Bligh, Cloudsley-Thompson, and Macdonald. The comparative physiology described in LeBlanc’s book dates mainly from the publications circa 1950. It is a sobering thought to those of us involved with current environmental problems that maturity and quiescence may be the inherent fate of research programs initiated in response to practical needs. When one thinks of the expanding universe of steroid chemistry that was created by establishment of the structural formula for cholesterol, or the awesome research problems spawned by discovery of the double helix, one realizes that the half-life of more practically inspired research is short indeed. It is entirely possible, of course, that some new basic concept may emerge such as Aphrodite from the troubled seas of human concerns, but so far the vision has not materialized in connection with thermal physiology. To return to the present book, the text is written in fairly simple language, although it follows along fairly conventional lines. The reader does not have to be a physiologist, let alone a thermal physiologist, to follow the argument and
185
BOOK REVIEWS
profit from charts are suggesting charts are physiologist,
the conclusions. In this respect, it is a pity that the accompanying printed so large and so bold; they may well turn off the browser as the need for expertise. Let him not be discouraged, however; the there to support the text. and not vice versa. For the thermal however, they create a distinct sense of deja vu.
St. Thomas,
DOUGLAS H. K. LEE Virgin Islands 00801
BOOK REVIEWS
pounded earlier in the book: and he raises his eyebrow at the very wide range of citation frequencies in the various chapters (from 10 to 267) not in keeping with their relative importance or development. But these are trivialities. He remains impressed. DOUGLAS
H. K. LEE
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801
MAN
By J. LeBlanc, with Foreward by C. G. Wilber. Springfield, Ill.. 1975, 195 pp., illustrated. $15.50.
IN THE COLD.
Thomas,
Charles C
The author is well known among cold-weather physiologists for his longtime study of the effects of arctic environments on man. This book summarizes in useful compass the knowledge that has been gained since the demands of World War II created an intense interest in these effects, their prevention and their treatment. American, British and Canadian military establishments, separately and in conjunction, have carried out extensive investigations in both climatic chamber and field, on experimental animals as well as on men, with a view to minimizing casualties. The results have been put to good use in the pursuit of civilian activities, and not least in protection of the sports-minded hunter or fisherman from the consequences of uninstructed enthusiasm. The fact that our information on the subject can be reduced to a fairly small volume, coupled with the observation that little new has been added since Burton and Edholm brought out their book, “Man in the Cold Environment,” in 1955, indicates that a certain maturation has overtaken the field. A similar maturation in the field of thermal physiology in general has been postponed only by the search of comparative and general physiologists for basic adaptive principles, as set out in the book (also reviewed in this issue) by Bligh, Cloudsley-Thompson, and Macdonald. The comparative physiology described in LeBlanc’s book dates mainly from the publications circa 1950. It is a sobering thought to those of us involved with current environmental problems that maturity and quiescence may be the inherent fate of research programs initiated in response to practical needs. When one thinks of the expanding universe of steroid chemistry that was created by establishment of the structural formula for cholesterol, or the awesome research problems spawned by discovery of the double helix, one realizes that the half-life of more practically inspired research is short indeed. It is entirely possible, of course, that some new basic concept may emerge such as Aphrodite from the troubled seas of human concerns, but so far the vision has not materialized in connection with thermal physiology. To return to the present book, the text is written in fairly simple language, although it follows along fairly conventional lines. The reader does not have to be a physiologist, let alone a thermal physiologist, to follow the argument and
185
BOOK REVIEWS
profit from charts are suggesting charts are physiologist,
the conclusions. In this respect, it is a pity that the accompanying printed so large and so bold; they may well turn off the browser as the need for expertise. Let him not be discouraged, however; the there to support the text. and not vice versa. For the thermal however, they create a distinct sense of deja vu.
St. Thomas,
DOUGLAS H. K. LEE Virgin Islands 00801