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Chemical literature 1700–1860. A bibliography
Reproductive Biology of Invertebrates. Volume HI: Accessory Sex Glands. Edited by K. G. Adiyodi and R. G. Adiyodi. Pp. 518. Wiley, Chichester. 1988. f70.00. This scholarly series, initiated in 1978, has already led to the publication of two majoi Oviposition and ‘Oogenesis, volumes, Oosorption’ (1983) and ‘Spermatogenesis and Sperm Function’ (1983). Each consisted of a series of phylum-treatments, although a debilitating weakness was the omission of the great insect group. We are promised six volumes in all. The tirst three address the question ‘How does the adult metazoan make a zygote?‘. while the last three will consider the complementary question ‘How does the metazoan zygote make a species-specific adult?‘. The editors express their vision of metazoan reproduction boldly, in a way which all invertebrate biologists will find challenging: ‘Biological forces and laws governing propagation of species may be essentially as simple as are the physical forces and laws of nature’. Moreover, there may be ‘a common denominator - common controlling system - at work in regulating sexuality, reproduction. and development in all animals ., a system which differs only in details and complexity in different animals. related to their phylogenetic state and ecological needs’. This volume is an extraordinary compilation, not least because a substantial chapter on the lnsecta is included. The authors have drawn together information on accessory sex glands with admirable zeal. Admirable because the information desired has been scattered through scientific journals of many different types, morphological. biochemical, embryological, and physiological (with a smattering of ecology too), in many modern languages and from more than a century. This volume exemplifies scientific scholarship at a very high level, and will be an essential reference book for anyone carrying out research into invertebrate reproductive biology. T. E. Thompson Air Pollution and Plant Metabolism. Edited by Sigurd Schulte-Hostede, Nancy M. Darrall, Lutz W. Blank and Alan R. We//burn. Pp. 381. Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, Barking. 1988. f44.00. In 1982 a successful symposium was held at Oxford University, on the impacts of gaseous air pollutants on plant metabolism. At the outset it was intended that this would be the first of a continuing series of symposia, with progressive updating of this rapidly advancing topic. Since 1982 the need for a fundamental understanding of the processes by which air pollutants affect plant metabolism has acquired a new urgency, in view of the development of forest decline in central Europe and elsewhere. This book is the proceedings of the second of these symposia held. appropriately. at Munich in 1987. It consists of a series of authoritative invited
papers covering most of the topics of the first symposium and providing a valuable summary of the current state of knowledge. A considerable amount of new information gathered over the previous five years is summarized and this book is an essential item for the bookshelves of all research workers interested in the effects of air pollution on plants. The term ‘plant metabolism’ is widely interpreted, ranging from fundamental processes to interactions with biotic and other abiotic environmental stresses. Unfortunately, this camera-ready publication leaves much to be desired in presentation compared with its predecessor. .I. N. B. Bell Chromium in the Natural and Human Environments. Edited by J. 0. Nriagu and E. Nieboer. Pp. 571. Wiley-Interscience, Chichester. 1988. f 85.00. Environmentally, chromium is a paradoxical element: Cr(V1) species are carcinogenic and generally toxic, whereas Cr(III) is an essential micronutrient, well tolerated in excess, and suspected to be deficient in many diets. Chromium is the tenth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, ahead of zinc, nickel, copper, and lead. These characteristics make the present book on the ecology of chromium particularly timely and important. After an interesting ‘historical’ introduction by one of the editors (J.O.N.) 18 chapters deal with such varied aspects as the biochemistry, geochemistry, toxicology, production, and uses of chromium compounds, and the natural and man-made sources, and behaviour, of chromium species in the atmosphere, soil, and marine and fresh water environments. The emphasis is largely, and sometimes wholly, on the toxic Cr(V1) form, and coverage of the nutritional essentiality of Cr(II1) species is thin and incomplete. There is nothing on chromium levels in human diets in relation to levels deemed to be nutritionally essential, and the possibility of chromium deficiency diseases - e.g. some types of diabetes - is dismissed as controversial. Despite these weaknesses, I strongly recommend the book as a unique source of detailed information on a broad range of aspects of the environmental chemistry of a biologically important element. D. Bryce-Smith Beltsville Symposia in Agricultural Research, 11. Research Instrumentation for the 21st Century. .Edited by Gary G. Beecher. Pp. 455. Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Dordrecht. 1988. Dfl 235.00, lJS$l22.00, f 72.00. The title begs two questions. Can one predict so far ahead in an area of rapid development, and can 455 pages cover the subject area? Clearly, the answer is ‘no’ in both cases. Twenty-three chapters assess the subjects of isotope technology, separation techniques, microscopy, electro-magnetic spectroscopy. resonance spectrometry. mass spectrometry. and microprocessors. The section
on electro-magnetic spectroscopy serves as a useful illustration of the many gaps. At the micro-level, spectroscopy using the highly exploitable ultra-violet to far-red waveband is totally ignored. Conversely, at the macrolevel, only the visible waveband is covered for satellite instrumentation. This is a serious omission when one considers the current increase in emphasis towards microwave wavelengths for the future monitoring of agricultural conditions. Whereas one obvious attraction of the book is the presence of several eminent researchers, the insular choice of contributors - 35 of the 36 are from the USA - may lead a potential purchaser to wonder if he is getting the latest information in all the fields reviewed. I think not. Nevertheless, this is a useful book for many of the subject areas considered, and like the ancient vase rebuilt from remaining sherds, the fragments will give pleasure and information to a few specialists, but most of us will wish we could see the many missing parts. M. G. Holmes Chemical Literature 1700-1860. A Bibliography. By William A. Cole. Pp. 582. Mansell Publishing, London. 1988. f98.00. Bibliographies are an essential support for anybody engaged in historical and other studies. William Cole has produced a volume which will be a boon to all interested in the history of chemistry, who will be able to find full bibliographical details, under the names of authors, of almost any work they come across, with its whereabouts. Naturally not everything is in; one can think of books ‘not in Cole’ (which may well become an indication to booksellers that these must be rare) but the coverage is very thorough, and for librarians and booksellers the book will be essential. Journals, which ever since the 17th century have been the major vehicle for new science, are not included; though a few offprints do appear unsystematically under the author’s name, and clearly reflect a particular collection. One should not suppose that a list of books will contain all the significant publications in chemistry Nevertheless, the different kinds of chemistry books (popular works, textbooks at various levels, monographs) and their different editions which are listed here give a pretty rounded picture of the science and will promote reflection. It is good, too, that works which appear wrong-headed are listed along with the classics. David Knight Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture in South China. The Dike-Pond System of the Zhujiang Delta. By Kenneth Ruddle and Gongfu Zhong. Pp. 173. Cambridge University Press. 1988. f27.50, $49.50. Interest is growing rapidly in integrated agroecosystems as an alternative, and often more appropriate, approach to development than mono-cultures practiced and promoted by Western economies. This excellent short
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papers covering most of the topics of the first symposium and providing a valuable summary of the current state of knowledge. A considerable amount of new information gathered over the previous five years is summarized and this book is an essential item for the bookshelves of all research workers interested in the effects of air pollution on plants. The term ‘plant metabolism’ is widely interpreted, ranging from fundamental processes to interactions with biotic and other abiotic environmental stresses. Unfortunately, this camera-ready publication leaves much to be desired in presentation compared with its predecessor. .I. N. B. Bell Chromium in the Natural and Human Environments. Edited by J. 0. Nriagu and E. Nieboer. Pp. 571. Wiley-Interscience, Chichester. 1988. f 85.00. Environmentally, chromium is a paradoxical element: Cr(V1) species are carcinogenic and generally toxic, whereas Cr(III) is an essential micronutrient, well tolerated in excess, and suspected to be deficient in many diets. Chromium is the tenth most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, ahead of zinc, nickel, copper, and lead. These characteristics make the present book on the ecology of chromium particularly timely and important. After an interesting ‘historical’ introduction by one of the editors (J.O.N.) 18 chapters deal with such varied aspects as the biochemistry, geochemistry, toxicology, production, and uses of chromium compounds, and the natural and man-made sources, and behaviour, of chromium species in the atmosphere, soil, and marine and fresh water environments. The emphasis is largely, and sometimes wholly, on the toxic Cr(V1) form, and coverage of the nutritional essentiality of Cr(II1) species is thin and incomplete. There is nothing on chromium levels in human diets in relation to levels deemed to be nutritionally essential, and the possibility of chromium deficiency diseases - e.g. some types of diabetes - is dismissed as controversial. Despite these weaknesses, I strongly recommend the book as a unique source of detailed information on a broad range of aspects of the environmental chemistry of a biologically important element. D. Bryce-Smith Beltsville Symposia in Agricultural Research, 11. Research Instrumentation for the 21st Century. .Edited by Gary G. Beecher. Pp. 455. Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, Dordrecht. 1988. Dfl 235.00, lJS$l22.00, f 72.00. The title begs two questions. Can one predict so far ahead in an area of rapid development, and can 455 pages cover the subject area? Clearly, the answer is ‘no’ in both cases. Twenty-three chapters assess the subjects of isotope technology, separation techniques, microscopy, electro-magnetic spectroscopy. resonance spectrometry. mass spectrometry. and microprocessors. The section
on electro-magnetic spectroscopy serves as a useful illustration of the many gaps. At the micro-level, spectroscopy using the highly exploitable ultra-violet to far-red waveband is totally ignored. Conversely, at the macrolevel, only the visible waveband is covered for satellite instrumentation. This is a serious omission when one considers the current increase in emphasis towards microwave wavelengths for the future monitoring of agricultural conditions. Whereas one obvious attraction of the book is the presence of several eminent researchers, the insular choice of contributors - 35 of the 36 are from the USA - may lead a potential purchaser to wonder if he is getting the latest information in all the fields reviewed. I think not. Nevertheless, this is a useful book for many of the subject areas considered, and like the ancient vase rebuilt from remaining sherds, the fragments will give pleasure and information to a few specialists, but most of us will wish we could see the many missing parts. M. G. Holmes Chemical Literature 1700-1860. A Bibliography. By William A. Cole. Pp. 582. Mansell Publishing, London. 1988. f98.00. Bibliographies are an essential support for anybody engaged in historical and other studies. William Cole has produced a volume which will be a boon to all interested in the history of chemistry, who will be able to find full bibliographical details, under the names of authors, of almost any work they come across, with its whereabouts. Naturally not everything is in; one can think of books ‘not in Cole’ (which may well become an indication to booksellers that these must be rare) but the coverage is very thorough, and for librarians and booksellers the book will be essential. Journals, which ever since the 17th century have been the major vehicle for new science, are not included; though a few offprints do appear unsystematically under the author’s name, and clearly reflect a particular collection. One should not suppose that a list of books will contain all the significant publications in chemistry Nevertheless, the different kinds of chemistry books (popular works, textbooks at various levels, monographs) and their different editions which are listed here give a pretty rounded picture of the science and will promote reflection. It is good, too, that works which appear wrong-headed are listed along with the classics. David Knight Integrated Agriculture-Aquaculture in South China. The Dike-Pond System of the Zhujiang Delta. By Kenneth Ruddle and Gongfu Zhong. Pp. 173. Cambridge University Press. 1988. f27.50, $49.50. Interest is growing rapidly in integrated agroecosystems as an alternative, and often more appropriate, approach to development than mono-cultures practiced and promoted by Western economies. This excellent short
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