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Basic ideas in neurophysiology
600
BOOK REVIEWS
Basic ideas in neurophysiology. - - T. D. M. Roberts. (Bntterworth and Co., Ltd., London, 1966, 108 p., 25 s.).
This book, although not very extensive, presents a contemporary r6sum6 of basic concepts in elementary neuromuscular physiology. The author is an experienced senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow, who has already published a monograph on Neurophysiology of postural mechanisms, four chapters of which book are reprinted here. The reader will especially acknowledge the didactic procedure from terminology to definition, from simple to most complicated topics, without being discouraged by mathematical formulae, tables and diagrams. Only 15 important figures are used. Each chapter is followed by a comprehensive summary. Individual chapters deal with the mechanical properties of skeletal muscles, electrical activity of nerves and muscle fibres, information transmission in the nervous system and the stretch reflex. In accessible terms complicated and modern problems are referred to; e.g., the presumption of pores in the cell membrane, post-synaptic and presynaptic inhibition, the servo-mechanisms and feed-back of the stretch reflex. Nevertheless, I have some reservations on the title of this book, which is not altogether adequate to its content. The book deals with neuromuscular physiology only (postural mechanisms of skeletal muscles in mammals), with receptors and information transfer; however, it omits almost entirely problems of the central nervous system, representing nowadays an extremely great deal of "basic ideas in neurophysiology". (See, e.g., S. Ochs' book Elements of neurophysiology 1965.)
1 would further like to mention some incorrect details. The muscle cells are sometimes referred to as muscle fibres, not only "because of their elongated shape" (p. 1) but for their polynuclearity and other features. The conclusion (p. 28) that "electrical phenomena.., play some part in the causal chain between the applied stimulus and the mechanical response" is somewhat premature and not yet proved; the author himself is aware of this, as in the subsequent explanation such an apodictical sense of this conclusion is reduced. The formulation on the cell membrane composition (p. 29) is not quite clear. For the uninitiated reader it could lead, therefore, to the impression of a lipid nature of this membrane, which does not correspond to the reality. In the chapter on sensory discrimination (p. 61-67) all discriminatory processes in the central nervous system, well known from brain physiology and psychophysiology, are totally omitted. In a short appendix references to individual findings can be found (among them to authors with extensive bibliographies). The book contains its own bibliography (48 items) and an index (3.5 pages). Above all this book is destined as complementary material for students of physiology; however, because of the extraordinary importance of the phenomena and processes dealt with here, it forms that indispensable minimum from the sphere of basic neurophysiology which should be well known to each physiologist and research worker in any discipline of medical and biological sciences. JAROSLAV~TERC
Institute of Physiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague ( C.S.S.R.) Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol., 1968, 25:600
ANNOUNCEMENT JOINT EUROPEAN
AND NORTH
AMERICAN
For the first time the Ski Meetings of the European and North American Societies will be held together. The Meeting will be organized by the Austrian EEG Society and will take place at Kitzbtihel, Austria, from January 25-February 2, 1969. Scientific sessions will be held in the late afternoon and evening, leaving the rest of the day
ALPINE
EEG MEETING
free for Winter Sports. Reduced prices for hotels and ski lifts will be available during the Meeting and also during the preceding week, January 20-25, 1969. For further information, write to: Dr. E. Scherzer: Chef/irztliche Station der Allgemeinen Unfallversichertmgsanstalt, Webergasse 2, A 1200 Vienna, Austria.
Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol., 1968, 25:600
BOOK REVIEWS
Basic ideas in neurophysiology. - - T. D. M. Roberts. (Bntterworth and Co., Ltd., London, 1966, 108 p., 25 s.).
This book, although not very extensive, presents a contemporary r6sum6 of basic concepts in elementary neuromuscular physiology. The author is an experienced senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow, who has already published a monograph on Neurophysiology of postural mechanisms, four chapters of which book are reprinted here. The reader will especially acknowledge the didactic procedure from terminology to definition, from simple to most complicated topics, without being discouraged by mathematical formulae, tables and diagrams. Only 15 important figures are used. Each chapter is followed by a comprehensive summary. Individual chapters deal with the mechanical properties of skeletal muscles, electrical activity of nerves and muscle fibres, information transmission in the nervous system and the stretch reflex. In accessible terms complicated and modern problems are referred to; e.g., the presumption of pores in the cell membrane, post-synaptic and presynaptic inhibition, the servo-mechanisms and feed-back of the stretch reflex. Nevertheless, I have some reservations on the title of this book, which is not altogether adequate to its content. The book deals with neuromuscular physiology only (postural mechanisms of skeletal muscles in mammals), with receptors and information transfer; however, it omits almost entirely problems of the central nervous system, representing nowadays an extremely great deal of "basic ideas in neurophysiology". (See, e.g., S. Ochs' book Elements of neurophysiology 1965.)
1 would further like to mention some incorrect details. The muscle cells are sometimes referred to as muscle fibres, not only "because of their elongated shape" (p. 1) but for their polynuclearity and other features. The conclusion (p. 28) that "electrical phenomena.., play some part in the causal chain between the applied stimulus and the mechanical response" is somewhat premature and not yet proved; the author himself is aware of this, as in the subsequent explanation such an apodictical sense of this conclusion is reduced. The formulation on the cell membrane composition (p. 29) is not quite clear. For the uninitiated reader it could lead, therefore, to the impression of a lipid nature of this membrane, which does not correspond to the reality. In the chapter on sensory discrimination (p. 61-67) all discriminatory processes in the central nervous system, well known from brain physiology and psychophysiology, are totally omitted. In a short appendix references to individual findings can be found (among them to authors with extensive bibliographies). The book contains its own bibliography (48 items) and an index (3.5 pages). Above all this book is destined as complementary material for students of physiology; however, because of the extraordinary importance of the phenomena and processes dealt with here, it forms that indispensable minimum from the sphere of basic neurophysiology which should be well known to each physiologist and research worker in any discipline of medical and biological sciences. JAROSLAV~TERC
Institute of Physiology, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Prague ( C.S.S.R.) Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol., 1968, 25:600
ANNOUNCEMENT JOINT EUROPEAN
AND NORTH
AMERICAN
For the first time the Ski Meetings of the European and North American Societies will be held together. The Meeting will be organized by the Austrian EEG Society and will take place at Kitzbtihel, Austria, from January 25-February 2, 1969. Scientific sessions will be held in the late afternoon and evening, leaving the rest of the day
ALPINE
EEG MEETING
free for Winter Sports. Reduced prices for hotels and ski lifts will be available during the Meeting and also during the preceding week, January 20-25, 1969. For further information, write to: Dr. E. Scherzer: Chef/irztliche Station der Allgemeinen Unfallversichertmgsanstalt, Webergasse 2, A 1200 Vienna, Austria.
Electroenceph. clin. Neurophysiol., 1968, 25:600