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Hawk's physiological chemistry. 14th edition
BOOK
Hawk’s
449
REVIEWS
Physiological Chemistry. 14th Edition. Edited by New York, 1965. xvi + 1472 pp. $19.50.
BERNARD
L.
OSER. McGraw-Hill,
This fourteenth edition of an old stand-by is more than just a revision. It is now a complete text book in physiological chemistry. At the same time the laboratory manual feature of previous editions is retained. The title, also, has been revised and “Hawk’s Physiological Chemistry” will certainly become a part of the language, spoken in one breath in the same manner as “Gray’s Anatomy,” “Remington’s Pharmacy,” and the like. Although Dr. Oser gives full credit to his 37 collaborators, this is essentially a one-man book. The extension and revision was a monumental task and Dr. Oser is to be congratulated on an outstanding piece of work. It is not possible to give a detailed review. There is too much material. Size alone is noteworthy. For example this fourteenth edition weighs almost twice as much as the eighth edition which served this reviewer so well over 40 years ago (2500 grams versus 1300 grams to be exact), This is also a criterion of the growth of the science. The student of to-day must have nearly twice as much to learn. Users of the thirteenth edition will note certain differences in groupings and in the order of presentation. There is less emphasis on some aspects and more on others. The nucleic acids are an example in point. The nomenclature of coenzymes conforms to the recommendations of the International Union of Biochemistry. Where pertinent, older, analytical methods have been replaced with newer and more precise procedures and instrumentation has been updated. The overall effect is more systematic and one of better balance. Unlike many revised editions, the changes and extended coverage make this fourteenth edition a prime necessity no matter which or how many of the previous editions are on the shelf. DAVID
B. SABINE,
U.S. Vitamin
& Pharmaceutical Corporation, Yonkers, New York
Treatise on Analytical Chemistry. Part II: Analytical Chemistry of Inorganic and Organic Compounds, Vol. 12. Edited by I. M. KOLTHOFF AND PHILFP J. ELV~G, with the assistance of ERNEST B. SANDFILL, University of Minnesota. Wiley (Interscience), New York, 1965. xvi + 383 pp. $15.00. Volume 12 (Section B) of Part II of the Treatise is a continuation of Section B-l dealing with the determination of elements in organic compounds. As in Volume 11, E. W. D. Huffman and John Mitchell, Jr. cooperated as section advisors. Eight authors or co-authors contributed the six chapters in the book: Oxygen, by A. Steyermark (56 pp., 340 refs.); Sulfur, by J. F. Alicino, A. I. Cohen, and M. E. Everhard (59 pp., 317 refs.) ; Fluorine, by T. S. Ma (52 pp., 186 refs.) ; Boron, by R. D. Strahm (72 pp., 346 refs.) ; Silicon, by H. J. Horner (53 pp., 82 refs.) ; Determination of Other Elements, by T. T. Gorsuch (78 pp., 396 refs.). In this concluding chapter the author points out that “the determination of ‘other elements’ in organic matrices is a complex problem which does not lend itself to easy generalization. The concentrations to be considered vary from fractions of a part per million
Hawk’s
449
REVIEWS
Physiological Chemistry. 14th Edition. Edited by New York, 1965. xvi + 1472 pp. $19.50.
BERNARD
L.
OSER. McGraw-Hill,
This fourteenth edition of an old stand-by is more than just a revision. It is now a complete text book in physiological chemistry. At the same time the laboratory manual feature of previous editions is retained. The title, also, has been revised and “Hawk’s Physiological Chemistry” will certainly become a part of the language, spoken in one breath in the same manner as “Gray’s Anatomy,” “Remington’s Pharmacy,” and the like. Although Dr. Oser gives full credit to his 37 collaborators, this is essentially a one-man book. The extension and revision was a monumental task and Dr. Oser is to be congratulated on an outstanding piece of work. It is not possible to give a detailed review. There is too much material. Size alone is noteworthy. For example this fourteenth edition weighs almost twice as much as the eighth edition which served this reviewer so well over 40 years ago (2500 grams versus 1300 grams to be exact), This is also a criterion of the growth of the science. The student of to-day must have nearly twice as much to learn. Users of the thirteenth edition will note certain differences in groupings and in the order of presentation. There is less emphasis on some aspects and more on others. The nucleic acids are an example in point. The nomenclature of coenzymes conforms to the recommendations of the International Union of Biochemistry. Where pertinent, older, analytical methods have been replaced with newer and more precise procedures and instrumentation has been updated. The overall effect is more systematic and one of better balance. Unlike many revised editions, the changes and extended coverage make this fourteenth edition a prime necessity no matter which or how many of the previous editions are on the shelf. DAVID
B. SABINE,
U.S. Vitamin
& Pharmaceutical Corporation, Yonkers, New York
Treatise on Analytical Chemistry. Part II: Analytical Chemistry of Inorganic and Organic Compounds, Vol. 12. Edited by I. M. KOLTHOFF AND PHILFP J. ELV~G, with the assistance of ERNEST B. SANDFILL, University of Minnesota. Wiley (Interscience), New York, 1965. xvi + 383 pp. $15.00. Volume 12 (Section B) of Part II of the Treatise is a continuation of Section B-l dealing with the determination of elements in organic compounds. As in Volume 11, E. W. D. Huffman and John Mitchell, Jr. cooperated as section advisors. Eight authors or co-authors contributed the six chapters in the book: Oxygen, by A. Steyermark (56 pp., 340 refs.); Sulfur, by J. F. Alicino, A. I. Cohen, and M. E. Everhard (59 pp., 317 refs.) ; Fluorine, by T. S. Ma (52 pp., 186 refs.) ; Boron, by R. D. Strahm (72 pp., 346 refs.) ; Silicon, by H. J. Horner (53 pp., 82 refs.) ; Determination of Other Elements, by T. T. Gorsuch (78 pp., 396 refs.). In this concluding chapter the author points out that “the determination of ‘other elements’ in organic matrices is a complex problem which does not lend itself to easy generalization. The concentrations to be considered vary from fractions of a part per million