- Email: [email protected]
The organometallic chemistry of the transition metals
Book Reviews Understanding Catastrophe. Edited by Janine Bourriau. Pp. 213. Cambridge University Press. 1992. f 17.95. US $29.95 ISBN 0 52 14 1324 9. Understanding Catasrrophe is a well-written, readable and stimulating collection of essays on the theme of sudden and violent change at stellar, global, regional and local scales. Robert P. Kirshner writes abut supernovae. Walter Alvarez and Frank Asaro explore the two chief rival hypotheses of the late Cretaceous mass extinction. Martin Rudwick unravels the early debate over catastrophism and uniformitarianism. Christopher Zeeman outlines the mathematics of catastrophe theory, showing how it can be used to integrate ideas on gradual evolutionary change and punctuational (catastrophic) evolutionary change. Claudio Vita-Finzi discusses earthquakes; Nicholas Cook investigates storms and cyclones and their effects on buildings; Peter Garnsey puts famines in an historical perspective and concludes that famine is basically a product of human society and, lastly, Roy Porter looks into the most serious long-term killer in Western civilisation - consumption - and how its perception by the society so cruelly affected by it has changed. The book is sensibly priced. I thoroughly recommend it - read and enjoy! Richard Huggetr
Statistical Physics. A Probabilistic Approach. By Bernard H. Lavenda. 371. Wiley-Interscience, Chichester. 1991. f56.00 ISBN 0 47154607 0.
Pp.
This book presents a novel and unifying approach to the subject of statistical thermodynamics. It represents an attempt to bridge the gap between mathematical statistics and what, for want of a better word, I will call the ‘physical statistics’ approach characteristic of most treatments of the subject. In so doing the author presents the reader with a treatment which places the subject on a reasonably firm, secure mathematical footing. This is achieved without recourse to highly abstract mathematical machinery which most readers would find unpalatable (and probably incomprehensible). The style in which the book is written makes for pleasant, enjoyable reading and the contents will clearly be of benefit to a large audience. Similarly the historical development of the subject is well interwoven in the body of the text, with the author’s comments and observations adding a colourful, human perspective to scientific innovation in this area. This human factor enhances the appeal of the text, since it is obviously written by someone who has himself been subject to the vicissitudes of the scientific refereeing system in the very area of research. All in all a highly commendable text. W. E. Hagston
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopaedia. Edited by Stephen P. Maran. Foreword by Carl Sagan. Pp. 1002. Cambridge University Press. 1991. ISBN 0 52141744 9. One of the most remarkable things about this book is its extensive range. For example, under ‘C’ one can find comets, historical apparitions, coronographs, solar and cosmology, galaxy formation. Each topic is covered in around two pages, with plentiful illustrations and graphs, and each is written by a recognised expert in the given field - one would have to look far to find a more impressive list of authors. This adds up to a beautifully produced summary of contemporary astronomy that would be hard to match. That said, the encylopaedia is rather more technical than one might expect. For instance, one can learn all about quasar absorption lines, but it is assumed that one already knows what a quasar is. Thus, some background in physical science would be very beneficial to the reader, somewhat limiting its potential readership. For teachers and writers of astronomy, it is invaluable for its scope and contemporary feel. Researchers, particularly those venturing outside their normal field, will gain from the literature entry points in each article’s bibliography as well as from the articles themselves. Students and keen amateurs can expect to spend many hours amongst these 1000 pages. Andrew R. LiddIe
Venus Geology, Geochemistry and Geophysics. Research Results from the U.S.S.R. Edited by K L. Barsukov, A. T. Basilevsky, V. P. Volkov and V. N. Zharkov. Pp. 421. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 1992. ISBN 0 816 5 7222 1. The exploration of the Earth’s sister planet Venus by spacecraft has been the focus of genuine international collaboration by scientists from the U.S.A., the former U.S.S.R. and elsewhere. Venus has not been an easy planet to explore. Its carbon dioxide atmosphere has a surface pressure of about 90 times that of the Earth’s and ambient temperatures go up to about 460°C. Because the planet is veiled by sulphuric acid cover, it is necessary to view the surface of Venus using radar imaging. The first spacecraft to do this were two Soviet Venera spacecraft that imaged most of the northern hemisphere of Venus at a resolution of 2-3 km. In addition, the Soviets accomplished the difficult task of placing soft landers on the surface of Venus to analyse surface characteristics. This book provides us with an excellent summary of the achievements of our colleagues from the former U.S.S.R. and as such is a valuable compendium, providing an important landmark in the study of Venus. The book is
produced at the high standard that we have come to expect from the series of books on planetary sciences from the University of Arizona Press. J. E. Guest Magnetism and Optics of Molecular Crystals. By J. W. Rohleder and R. W. Munn. Pp. 137. Wiley, Chichester. 1992. f29.95 ISBN 0 471931713. This short but concentrated text is a valuable summary of the mathematical and physical concepts necessary for practitioners in this field. It is more suited to the physicist than the chemist particularly the organic chemist - but the comprehensive tables of crystallographic, susceptibility and optical data of a range of organic compounds enable the more preparative chemist to relate to the physical concepts. This book will be of greatest use to new workers in these fields and those who wish to have a more quantitative understanding of the concepts involved. Current research on mixed crystals and charge-transfer systems is referenced, but not described, and the practical aspects of obtaining and handling the crystalline compounds are not discussed. The majority of the examples are aromatic compounds - this represents the state of knowledge, rather than bias by the authors - although the inclusion of glycine and some aliphatic acids presents a wider perspective. J. R. Fryer The Organometallic Chemistry of the Transition Metals. By Robert H. Crabtree. Pp. 422, Wiley. Chichester. 1992. Paperback f 16.50 ISBN 0 47157388 4 Organotransition metal chemistry has developed into such a large and diverse discipline that any author who tries to provide for senior undergraduates and for graduate courses a comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the subject in some 400 pages faces a difficult task. By introducing specific topics in 16 relatively self-contained chapters, each of which contains key references and a selection of problems, the author has found a good way to highlight significant areas of organometallic chemistry, but at the expense of isolating within individual sections some of the major unifying concepts which permeate the subject. The strong links between organometallic and organic chemistry are well emphasised, particularly in the two longest chapters, and it is also pleasing to see a chapter on bioorganometallic chemistry which reflects the increasing synergism with biochemistry. By contrast, materials science interests are poorly served. In view of the heavy dependence of organometallic chemistry upon physical methods of structure elucidation, a single chapter dedicated almost entirely to NMR methods underplays the significance of this topic.
201
Nevertheless the book offers a great deal of well-organised factual and mechanistic detail which provides a structured framework for more detailed study, and it is a welcome addition to the market. Brian J. Brisdon Apoptosis-The Molecular Basis of Cell Death. Edited by L. David Tomei and Frederick 0. Cope. Pp. 32 7. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 1991. Paperback US $44.00 ISBN 0 8769 366 5. The title of the book introduces the idea that apoptosis should be thought of as providing a molecular basis for programmed cell death, and the enclosed contributory chapters develop this theme in detail. A neat chapter authored by R. A. Lockshin and Z. Zakeri, familiar with examples of invertebrate metamorphosis and developmental cell death, stands the problem on its head and concludes that apoptosis could be interpreted as a specialised kind of programmed cell death. Being an edited compendium, however, the book does lack the cohesion which a more tightly authored volume can offer. The book also appears to avoid controversy, especially with regard to definitions. This is unfortunate in such a new area of research where flexibility would be welcomed. One trap that must be avoided is that having, as it were, officially named or proscribed a phenomenon we kid ourselves that we then understand it. From a semantic point of view it might be better to regard apoptosis as one kind of programmed cell death, perhaps peculiar to vertebrate animals, and to employ the less specialised term ‘programmed cell death’ in a more general sense to encompass genetically and physiologically engendered death. On the other hand apoptosis would prove quite acceptable as the general term if it were to jettison some of the specific properties classically ascribed to it by pathologists, as these are not always observed in many cases of developmentally mediated cell death. Ivor D. Bowen. British Plant Communities. Volume 2. Mires and Heaths. Edited by J. S. Rodwell. Pp. 628. Cambridge University Press. 1997. f95.00. US $195.00 ISBN 0 521391652. All too often multi-author books, however careful the Editor may be, are of very variable quality. In this instance, the text is of a universally high standard. ‘Ihe mires have been surveyed to provide a classification based upon their floristic composition, which adds to classifications already produced but based on ecology or hydrology. The book relies on the analysis of a vast database of the floristic composition of mires and those who undertook the analysis are to be congratulated. To the author of this review, heath seems to be difficult to define. In the context of this book, however, ‘heaths are taken to be vegetation types in which sub-shrubs play a most important structural role, albeit sometimes in a dwarfed or broken canopy, with such species as Calluna vulgaris and other ericoids the usual dominates’. Again, a vast amount of
202
data has been collated and analysed to produce, as for the mires, detailed descriptions of heath types based on their floristic composition. This complex and advanced work is certain to become the definitive text on the topic, and will be of immense use to workers who are interested both in mire and heath research and in the management of the two communities. A most rewarding text to review. M. Pugh Thomas Sodium Hunger: the Search for a Salty Taste. By Jan Schulkin. Pp. 192. Cambridge University Press. 1992. f30.00, US $54.95. ISBN 0 52135368 8. This book is a very important contribution to the general literature on ingestive behaviour, and specifically to that on sodium appetite. At the outset the author recounts the genesis of his interest, and his great debt to his teacher George Wolf who was a distinguished investigator in this field. Schulkin makes the central point of his analysis the question of the manner in which motivated behaviour is generated. The first section of the book provides a comprehensive survey of evidence that sodium appetite is innate but, as such, is modified by learning and social influences, and that, furthermore, its characteristics vary between species. He then provides a contemporary view on hormonal influences in the genesis of appetite, with due weight to the importance of sodium appetite to the success of the reproductive process in sodium impoverished environments. He sets the analysis in the context of other innate behaviours determined by hormones - particularly sexual behaviours. A detailed analysis of gustatory mechanisms subserving recognition and ingestion of salt is followed by an overview of mechanisms of sodium homoeostasis. Finally he gives a comprehensive account of present research on the neural circuitry involved in intake behaviour - an area where, in particular, he and colleagues at Pennsylvania University have made distinguished contributions. The style of presentation makes the book easy reading though, occasionally, Schulkin’s philosophic background gives rise to somewhat idiosyncratic ways of expressing the scientific direction of an issue. Overall, the book can be highly commended to post-graduate and postdoctoral investigators as a prime source of knowledge and has a tine corpus of references assembled with considerable scholarship. Nonetheless it is a small book and provides an excellent alternative to some of the larger tomes on thirst and sodium appetite. D. Denton A Semiempirical Life. By Michael J. S. Dewar. Profiles, Pathways and Dreams. Series Editor Jeffrey I. Seeman. Pp. 215. American Chemical Society, Washington, D. C. 7992. US $24.95 ISBN 0841217718. Joseph Priestley was the first brain-drain chemist. Michael Dewer claims to have led the professorial rank fleeing from the British academic establishment. Half-hearted attempts were made to recover this scholar maverick, but the air-conditioned and administration-free pastures
of Chicago and Texas, which provided a suitable environment for his uninhibited development, were much too green. Although not all readers will fully appreciate his many and varied contributions to chemistry - in its broadest sense, ranging from alkaloids and tropolones, steam condensation on metal surfaces and enzyme mechanisms, to MIND03 (modified intermediate neglect of differential overlap, third version!) - they will surely enjoy this racy account of the full life of a ‘self-educated’ polymath; in spite of Winchester (School) and Balliol College, Oxford! An upbringing in an entirely adult community in India, with the invaluable benefit of Arthur Mee’s Children’s Encyclopaedia, combined with genes derived form a father with a First in classics at Edinburgh and on the maternal side four uncles who did likewise at Oxford, helped develop the precocity which got him the top scholarship at Winchester and enough awards to keep him at Balliol for four years in company with the meritorious organ scholar Edward Heath and the brilliant Denis Healey. A fascinating read. E. R. H. Jones Animals and Disease. An Introduction the History of Comparative Medicine. Lise Wilkinson. Pp. 272. Cambridge University Press. 7992. f40.00, US $69.95, ISBN 0 52137573 8.
to By
It has long been accepted that man can learn about his own body by studying animals, and this was the only way possible in historical periods when human dissection was proscribed. This present book sets out the development of the study of animal disease, comparative anatomy, physiology, and medicine, from the ancient world onwards, but with special reference to more modem times. Cattle plague in the eighteenth century, the first veterinary schools and the evolution of veterinary education are all summarised very ably. Special attention is given to the rise of experimental work on rabies and glanders, and the confusion caused by the nature of putridity comes over dramatically, as does the influence of France and of various personalities. Of special interest is the history of the Brown Animal Sanatory Institution, established with some difficulty, but opening in 187 1 to work on comparative pathology. It had a colourful history and survived for a surprisingly long time. Attention is given also to the world-wide development of institutes of comparative medicine, bringing out the various ways in which they were funded and developed, and the contributions they made. The book is very readable, well provided with references and of interest to all concerned with medical and veterinary history. B. Bracegirdle Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, Vol. 37. Pp. 494. Royal Society, London. 1991. f76.00. If it works, don’t fix it’ is a good axiom, and the Royal Society has done well to mind it in compiling their annual Biographical Memoirs. Although this volume follows the same format as its predecessors back to 1955 it presents a mass of biographical information - professional
Statistical Physics. A Probabilistic Approach. By Bernard H. Lavenda. 371. Wiley-Interscience, Chichester. 1991. f56.00 ISBN 0 47154607 0.
Pp.
This book presents a novel and unifying approach to the subject of statistical thermodynamics. It represents an attempt to bridge the gap between mathematical statistics and what, for want of a better word, I will call the ‘physical statistics’ approach characteristic of most treatments of the subject. In so doing the author presents the reader with a treatment which places the subject on a reasonably firm, secure mathematical footing. This is achieved without recourse to highly abstract mathematical machinery which most readers would find unpalatable (and probably incomprehensible). The style in which the book is written makes for pleasant, enjoyable reading and the contents will clearly be of benefit to a large audience. Similarly the historical development of the subject is well interwoven in the body of the text, with the author’s comments and observations adding a colourful, human perspective to scientific innovation in this area. This human factor enhances the appeal of the text, since it is obviously written by someone who has himself been subject to the vicissitudes of the scientific refereeing system in the very area of research. All in all a highly commendable text. W. E. Hagston
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopaedia. Edited by Stephen P. Maran. Foreword by Carl Sagan. Pp. 1002. Cambridge University Press. 1991. ISBN 0 52141744 9. One of the most remarkable things about this book is its extensive range. For example, under ‘C’ one can find comets, historical apparitions, coronographs, solar and cosmology, galaxy formation. Each topic is covered in around two pages, with plentiful illustrations and graphs, and each is written by a recognised expert in the given field - one would have to look far to find a more impressive list of authors. This adds up to a beautifully produced summary of contemporary astronomy that would be hard to match. That said, the encylopaedia is rather more technical than one might expect. For instance, one can learn all about quasar absorption lines, but it is assumed that one already knows what a quasar is. Thus, some background in physical science would be very beneficial to the reader, somewhat limiting its potential readership. For teachers and writers of astronomy, it is invaluable for its scope and contemporary feel. Researchers, particularly those venturing outside their normal field, will gain from the literature entry points in each article’s bibliography as well as from the articles themselves. Students and keen amateurs can expect to spend many hours amongst these 1000 pages. Andrew R. LiddIe
Venus Geology, Geochemistry and Geophysics. Research Results from the U.S.S.R. Edited by K L. Barsukov, A. T. Basilevsky, V. P. Volkov and V. N. Zharkov. Pp. 421. University of Arizona Press, Tucson. 1992. ISBN 0 816 5 7222 1. The exploration of the Earth’s sister planet Venus by spacecraft has been the focus of genuine international collaboration by scientists from the U.S.A., the former U.S.S.R. and elsewhere. Venus has not been an easy planet to explore. Its carbon dioxide atmosphere has a surface pressure of about 90 times that of the Earth’s and ambient temperatures go up to about 460°C. Because the planet is veiled by sulphuric acid cover, it is necessary to view the surface of Venus using radar imaging. The first spacecraft to do this were two Soviet Venera spacecraft that imaged most of the northern hemisphere of Venus at a resolution of 2-3 km. In addition, the Soviets accomplished the difficult task of placing soft landers on the surface of Venus to analyse surface characteristics. This book provides us with an excellent summary of the achievements of our colleagues from the former U.S.S.R. and as such is a valuable compendium, providing an important landmark in the study of Venus. The book is
produced at the high standard that we have come to expect from the series of books on planetary sciences from the University of Arizona Press. J. E. Guest Magnetism and Optics of Molecular Crystals. By J. W. Rohleder and R. W. Munn. Pp. 137. Wiley, Chichester. 1992. f29.95 ISBN 0 471931713. This short but concentrated text is a valuable summary of the mathematical and physical concepts necessary for practitioners in this field. It is more suited to the physicist than the chemist particularly the organic chemist - but the comprehensive tables of crystallographic, susceptibility and optical data of a range of organic compounds enable the more preparative chemist to relate to the physical concepts. This book will be of greatest use to new workers in these fields and those who wish to have a more quantitative understanding of the concepts involved. Current research on mixed crystals and charge-transfer systems is referenced, but not described, and the practical aspects of obtaining and handling the crystalline compounds are not discussed. The majority of the examples are aromatic compounds - this represents the state of knowledge, rather than bias by the authors - although the inclusion of glycine and some aliphatic acids presents a wider perspective. J. R. Fryer The Organometallic Chemistry of the Transition Metals. By Robert H. Crabtree. Pp. 422, Wiley. Chichester. 1992. Paperback f 16.50 ISBN 0 47157388 4 Organotransition metal chemistry has developed into such a large and diverse discipline that any author who tries to provide for senior undergraduates and for graduate courses a comprehensive and authoritative coverage of the subject in some 400 pages faces a difficult task. By introducing specific topics in 16 relatively self-contained chapters, each of which contains key references and a selection of problems, the author has found a good way to highlight significant areas of organometallic chemistry, but at the expense of isolating within individual sections some of the major unifying concepts which permeate the subject. The strong links between organometallic and organic chemistry are well emphasised, particularly in the two longest chapters, and it is also pleasing to see a chapter on bioorganometallic chemistry which reflects the increasing synergism with biochemistry. By contrast, materials science interests are poorly served. In view of the heavy dependence of organometallic chemistry upon physical methods of structure elucidation, a single chapter dedicated almost entirely to NMR methods underplays the significance of this topic.
201
Nevertheless the book offers a great deal of well-organised factual and mechanistic detail which provides a structured framework for more detailed study, and it is a welcome addition to the market. Brian J. Brisdon Apoptosis-The Molecular Basis of Cell Death. Edited by L. David Tomei and Frederick 0. Cope. Pp. 32 7. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. 1991. Paperback US $44.00 ISBN 0 8769 366 5. The title of the book introduces the idea that apoptosis should be thought of as providing a molecular basis for programmed cell death, and the enclosed contributory chapters develop this theme in detail. A neat chapter authored by R. A. Lockshin and Z. Zakeri, familiar with examples of invertebrate metamorphosis and developmental cell death, stands the problem on its head and concludes that apoptosis could be interpreted as a specialised kind of programmed cell death. Being an edited compendium, however, the book does lack the cohesion which a more tightly authored volume can offer. The book also appears to avoid controversy, especially with regard to definitions. This is unfortunate in such a new area of research where flexibility would be welcomed. One trap that must be avoided is that having, as it were, officially named or proscribed a phenomenon we kid ourselves that we then understand it. From a semantic point of view it might be better to regard apoptosis as one kind of programmed cell death, perhaps peculiar to vertebrate animals, and to employ the less specialised term ‘programmed cell death’ in a more general sense to encompass genetically and physiologically engendered death. On the other hand apoptosis would prove quite acceptable as the general term if it were to jettison some of the specific properties classically ascribed to it by pathologists, as these are not always observed in many cases of developmentally mediated cell death. Ivor D. Bowen. British Plant Communities. Volume 2. Mires and Heaths. Edited by J. S. Rodwell. Pp. 628. Cambridge University Press. 1997. f95.00. US $195.00 ISBN 0 521391652. All too often multi-author books, however careful the Editor may be, are of very variable quality. In this instance, the text is of a universally high standard. ‘Ihe mires have been surveyed to provide a classification based upon their floristic composition, which adds to classifications already produced but based on ecology or hydrology. The book relies on the analysis of a vast database of the floristic composition of mires and those who undertook the analysis are to be congratulated. To the author of this review, heath seems to be difficult to define. In the context of this book, however, ‘heaths are taken to be vegetation types in which sub-shrubs play a most important structural role, albeit sometimes in a dwarfed or broken canopy, with such species as Calluna vulgaris and other ericoids the usual dominates’. Again, a vast amount of
202
data has been collated and analysed to produce, as for the mires, detailed descriptions of heath types based on their floristic composition. This complex and advanced work is certain to become the definitive text on the topic, and will be of immense use to workers who are interested both in mire and heath research and in the management of the two communities. A most rewarding text to review. M. Pugh Thomas Sodium Hunger: the Search for a Salty Taste. By Jan Schulkin. Pp. 192. Cambridge University Press. 1992. f30.00, US $54.95. ISBN 0 52135368 8. This book is a very important contribution to the general literature on ingestive behaviour, and specifically to that on sodium appetite. At the outset the author recounts the genesis of his interest, and his great debt to his teacher George Wolf who was a distinguished investigator in this field. Schulkin makes the central point of his analysis the question of the manner in which motivated behaviour is generated. The first section of the book provides a comprehensive survey of evidence that sodium appetite is innate but, as such, is modified by learning and social influences, and that, furthermore, its characteristics vary between species. He then provides a contemporary view on hormonal influences in the genesis of appetite, with due weight to the importance of sodium appetite to the success of the reproductive process in sodium impoverished environments. He sets the analysis in the context of other innate behaviours determined by hormones - particularly sexual behaviours. A detailed analysis of gustatory mechanisms subserving recognition and ingestion of salt is followed by an overview of mechanisms of sodium homoeostasis. Finally he gives a comprehensive account of present research on the neural circuitry involved in intake behaviour - an area where, in particular, he and colleagues at Pennsylvania University have made distinguished contributions. The style of presentation makes the book easy reading though, occasionally, Schulkin’s philosophic background gives rise to somewhat idiosyncratic ways of expressing the scientific direction of an issue. Overall, the book can be highly commended to post-graduate and postdoctoral investigators as a prime source of knowledge and has a tine corpus of references assembled with considerable scholarship. Nonetheless it is a small book and provides an excellent alternative to some of the larger tomes on thirst and sodium appetite. D. Denton A Semiempirical Life. By Michael J. S. Dewar. Profiles, Pathways and Dreams. Series Editor Jeffrey I. Seeman. Pp. 215. American Chemical Society, Washington, D. C. 7992. US $24.95 ISBN 0841217718. Joseph Priestley was the first brain-drain chemist. Michael Dewer claims to have led the professorial rank fleeing from the British academic establishment. Half-hearted attempts were made to recover this scholar maverick, but the air-conditioned and administration-free pastures
of Chicago and Texas, which provided a suitable environment for his uninhibited development, were much too green. Although not all readers will fully appreciate his many and varied contributions to chemistry - in its broadest sense, ranging from alkaloids and tropolones, steam condensation on metal surfaces and enzyme mechanisms, to MIND03 (modified intermediate neglect of differential overlap, third version!) - they will surely enjoy this racy account of the full life of a ‘self-educated’ polymath; in spite of Winchester (School) and Balliol College, Oxford! An upbringing in an entirely adult community in India, with the invaluable benefit of Arthur Mee’s Children’s Encyclopaedia, combined with genes derived form a father with a First in classics at Edinburgh and on the maternal side four uncles who did likewise at Oxford, helped develop the precocity which got him the top scholarship at Winchester and enough awards to keep him at Balliol for four years in company with the meritorious organ scholar Edward Heath and the brilliant Denis Healey. A fascinating read. E. R. H. Jones Animals and Disease. An Introduction the History of Comparative Medicine. Lise Wilkinson. Pp. 272. Cambridge University Press. 7992. f40.00, US $69.95, ISBN 0 52137573 8.
to By
It has long been accepted that man can learn about his own body by studying animals, and this was the only way possible in historical periods when human dissection was proscribed. This present book sets out the development of the study of animal disease, comparative anatomy, physiology, and medicine, from the ancient world onwards, but with special reference to more modem times. Cattle plague in the eighteenth century, the first veterinary schools and the evolution of veterinary education are all summarised very ably. Special attention is given to the rise of experimental work on rabies and glanders, and the confusion caused by the nature of putridity comes over dramatically, as does the influence of France and of various personalities. Of special interest is the history of the Brown Animal Sanatory Institution, established with some difficulty, but opening in 187 1 to work on comparative pathology. It had a colourful history and survived for a surprisingly long time. Attention is given also to the world-wide development of institutes of comparative medicine, bringing out the various ways in which they were funded and developed, and the contributions they made. The book is very readable, well provided with references and of interest to all concerned with medical and veterinary history. B. Bracegirdle Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, Vol. 37. Pp. 494. Royal Society, London. 1991. f76.00. If it works, don’t fix it’ is a good axiom, and the Royal Society has done well to mind it in compiling their annual Biographical Memoirs. Although this volume follows the same format as its predecessors back to 1955 it presents a mass of biographical information - professional