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Histochemistry. Theoretical and applied
VOL. 11 (I953)
BOOK REVIEWS
457
Histochemistry. Th,~oretical and Applied by A. G. EVERSON P E A R S E , J. & A. Churchill Ltd., London, 1953, viii and 53 ° pages, lO 9 illustrations and 4 coloured plates, 60 s. H i s t o c h e m i s t r y in its p r e s e n t t r a n s i t i o n a l stage c e r t a i n l y n e e d s a t e x t b o o k w h i c h fully discusses its theoretical f o u n d a t i o n s . Such a discussion o u g h t to include a b o v e all t h e optical p h e n o m e n a e n c o u n t e r e d in t h e o b s e r v a t i o n of v e r y small s t a i n e d objects, a n d t h e i n t r i c a t e p h e n o m e n a of diffusion, p e r m e a t i o n , a d s o r p t i o n a n d occlusion, w h i c h are of so o v e r w h e l m i n g i m p o r t a n c e for t h e e v a l u a t i o n of h i s t o c h e m i c a l findings. Therefore t h e s u b t i t l e : Theoretical and Applied p r o v o k e s e x p e c t a t i o n s w h i c h are n o t q u i t e fulfilled, since t h e book c o n t a i n s r a t h e r little of p h y s i c a l t h e o r y . I t h a s been (as s t a t e d on t h e cover) " w r i t t e n b y a histologist for histologists", a n d t h e claim c o n t a i n e d in t h e word " t h e o retical" is b a s e d m a i n l y on t h e fact t h a t t h e c h e m i s t r y of t h e v a r i o u s r e a c t i o n s e m p l o y e d is fully a n d ably discussed. T h e first 3 c h a p t e r s deal w i t h general topics: t h e H i s t o r y of H i s t o c h e m i s t r y , t h e C h e m i s t r y of F i x a t i o n , t h e P r e p a r a t i o n of T i s s u e s b y Freeze-Drying. T h e c h a p t e r s 4 - i 6 c o n t a i n a good a n d critical a c c o u n t of t h e v a r i o u s h i s t o c h e m i c a l reactions, a r r a n g e d according to t h e n a t u r e of cellular c o m p o n e n t s , s u c h as: simple a n d c o n j u g a t e d proteins, c a r b o h y d r a t e s , lipids, p i g m e n t s etc. I t is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of t h e p r e s e n t s t a t e of t h e field t h a t five of t h e s e 13 c h a p t e r s deal w i t h e n z y m e s . This p a r t f o r m s t h e real n u c l e u s of t h e book; it c o n t a i n s a w e a l t h of i n f o r m a t i o n a n d derives its g r e a t e s t v a l u e from t h e a u t h o r ' s wide personal experience. T h e last c h a p t e r deals w i t h polarization, fluorescence, p h a s e a n d electron microscopy, a b s o r p t i o n s p e c t r o s c o p y a n d a u t o r a d i o g r a p h y . T h i s c h a p t e r is r e g r e t t a b l y s h o r t (13 pages), only s p e c t r o s c o p y a n d a u t o r a d i o g r a p h y b e i n g considered in a n y detail, a n d even t h e r e t h e a l l - i m p o r t a n t discussion of t h e theoretical basis is scarcely a d e q u a t e . T h r o u g h o u t t h e book, t h e a u t h o r uses t h e word h i s t o c h e m i s t r y in a r a t h e r restricted sense, n a m e l y " a s applied to tissue sections". I t is also s t a t e d t h a t " t h e t y p e of h i s t o c h e m i s t r y a b o u t w h i c h this book h a s been w r i t t e n is essentially qualitative, a n d m a n y w o r k e r s h a v e felt t h a t its conversion to a q u a n t i t a t i v e science would c o n s i d e r a b l y increase its field of u s e f u l n e s s " . According to t h e reviewer's opinion, t h e s e are d a n g e r o u s restrictions since t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n of q u a n t i t a t i v e p r o b l e m s n o t only "increases t h e field of u s e f u l n e s s " b u t f o r m s t h e v e r y b a c k b o n e of h i s t o c h e m i s t r y . M a n y riddles c o n c e r n i n g t h e unreliability of t h e so-called q u a l i t a t i v e r e a c t i o n s c a n n o t be solved w i t h o u t k n o w l e d g e of t h e q u a n t i t a t i v e factors w h i c h determine, inter alia, t h e f u n d a m e n t a l fact w h e t h e r or n o t t h e p r o d u c t s of a colour reaction c a n be seen in t h e microscope. T h e t e c h n i c a l details of t h e m e t h o d s are given in a s e q u e n c e of a p p e n d i c e s w h i c h are i n t e n d e d to form " a c o m p l e t e and, if necessary, a u t o n o m o u s u n i t " . T h i s excellent p l a n is, however, s o m e w h a t f r u s t r a t e d b y deficiencies of a r r a n g e m e n t a n d t y p o g r a p h y (there is, e.g., no i n d e x to t h e 17 appendices, w h i c h comprise m o r e t h a n 12o m e t h o d s ) . Also t h e q u o t a t i o n s y s t e m is c u m b e r s o m e , t h e references to t h e a p p e n d i c e s b e i n g g i v e n at t h e e n d of t h e respective m a i n c h a p t e r s . T h i s m a k e s it difficult to discover t h a t several references are lacking. Short reviews m u s t of n e c e s s i t y t e n d to stress t h e deficiencies a n d curtail t h e praise. L e t m e therefore e m p h a s i z e t h a t in spite of t h e s e criticisms (and in spite of m i n o r errors w h i c h h a v e n o t been mentioned), t h e book is v a l u a b l e a n d indispensable for a n y m e m b e r of t h e r a p i d l y growing guild of h i s t o c h e m i s t s . H. HOLTER (Copenhagen)
A trail o~ research in sul/ur chemistry and metabolism, VINCENT DU VIGNEAUD, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y., 1952, pp. XIII + 191, 51 fig.., $ 3,25. On sait la p a r t considerable q u e D u VIGNEAUD a prise 5, l ' a c q u i s i t i o n de nos c o n n a i s s a n c e s actuelles s u r la biochimie d u soufre, aussi bien en ce qui c o n c e r n e le r61e de cet 616ment c o m m e c o n s t i t u a n t de mol6cules b i o l o g i q u e m e n t i m p o r t a n t e s , c o m m e l'insuline, la biotine, etc., q u e e n ce q u i t o u c h e son m 6 t a b o l i s m e chez les a n i m a u x sup6rieurs. C ' e s t l ' h i s t o r i q u e des recherches faites d a n s ce d o m a i n e p a r D u VIGNEAUD et ses c o l l a b o r a t e u r s qui c o n s t i t u e la t r a m e du p r 6 s e n t o u v r a g e ; celui-ci m o n t r e ainsi la logique de l'6volution suivie p a r le t r a v a i l de l ' a u t e u r , a u fur et ~ m e s u r e q u e de n o u v e a u x r 6 s u l t a t s se p r 6 s e n t a i e n t 5~ lui. D ' u n e e x f c u t i o n mat6rielle parfaite, le v o l u m e en q u e s t i o n c o m p o r t e les six p a r t i e s s u i v a n t e s : I. De l'insuline ~ l ' h o m o c y s t i n e , II. L a t r a n s f o r m a t i o n , chez l'animal, de la m 6 t h i o n i n e et de l ' h o m o c y s t i n e en cystine; la t r a n s s u l f u r a t i o n , I I I . L a t r a n s f o r m a t i o n de l ' h o m o c y s t i n e en m 6 t h i o n i n e ; la n o t i o n de t r a n s m 6 t h y l a t i o n et la b i o s y n t h 6 s e des groupes m 6 t h y l e "labiles", IV. L a p a r t i c i p a t i o n de la choline, de la b6taine et de s u b s t a n c e s voisines a u x p r o c e s s u s de t r a n s m 6 t h y l a t i o n , V. Le destin des g r o u p e s m 6 t h y l e " b i o l o g i q u e m e n t labiles" et
BOOK REVIEWS
457
Histochemistry. Th,~oretical and Applied by A. G. EVERSON P E A R S E , J. & A. Churchill Ltd., London, 1953, viii and 53 ° pages, lO 9 illustrations and 4 coloured plates, 60 s. H i s t o c h e m i s t r y in its p r e s e n t t r a n s i t i o n a l stage c e r t a i n l y n e e d s a t e x t b o o k w h i c h fully discusses its theoretical f o u n d a t i o n s . Such a discussion o u g h t to include a b o v e all t h e optical p h e n o m e n a e n c o u n t e r e d in t h e o b s e r v a t i o n of v e r y small s t a i n e d objects, a n d t h e i n t r i c a t e p h e n o m e n a of diffusion, p e r m e a t i o n , a d s o r p t i o n a n d occlusion, w h i c h are of so o v e r w h e l m i n g i m p o r t a n c e for t h e e v a l u a t i o n of h i s t o c h e m i c a l findings. Therefore t h e s u b t i t l e : Theoretical and Applied p r o v o k e s e x p e c t a t i o n s w h i c h are n o t q u i t e fulfilled, since t h e book c o n t a i n s r a t h e r little of p h y s i c a l t h e o r y . I t h a s been (as s t a t e d on t h e cover) " w r i t t e n b y a histologist for histologists", a n d t h e claim c o n t a i n e d in t h e word " t h e o retical" is b a s e d m a i n l y on t h e fact t h a t t h e c h e m i s t r y of t h e v a r i o u s r e a c t i o n s e m p l o y e d is fully a n d ably discussed. T h e first 3 c h a p t e r s deal w i t h general topics: t h e H i s t o r y of H i s t o c h e m i s t r y , t h e C h e m i s t r y of F i x a t i o n , t h e P r e p a r a t i o n of T i s s u e s b y Freeze-Drying. T h e c h a p t e r s 4 - i 6 c o n t a i n a good a n d critical a c c o u n t of t h e v a r i o u s h i s t o c h e m i c a l reactions, a r r a n g e d according to t h e n a t u r e of cellular c o m p o n e n t s , s u c h as: simple a n d c o n j u g a t e d proteins, c a r b o h y d r a t e s , lipids, p i g m e n t s etc. I t is c h a r a c t e r i s t i c of t h e p r e s e n t s t a t e of t h e field t h a t five of t h e s e 13 c h a p t e r s deal w i t h e n z y m e s . This p a r t f o r m s t h e real n u c l e u s of t h e book; it c o n t a i n s a w e a l t h of i n f o r m a t i o n a n d derives its g r e a t e s t v a l u e from t h e a u t h o r ' s wide personal experience. T h e last c h a p t e r deals w i t h polarization, fluorescence, p h a s e a n d electron microscopy, a b s o r p t i o n s p e c t r o s c o p y a n d a u t o r a d i o g r a p h y . T h i s c h a p t e r is r e g r e t t a b l y s h o r t (13 pages), only s p e c t r o s c o p y a n d a u t o r a d i o g r a p h y b e i n g considered in a n y detail, a n d even t h e r e t h e a l l - i m p o r t a n t discussion of t h e theoretical basis is scarcely a d e q u a t e . T h r o u g h o u t t h e book, t h e a u t h o r uses t h e word h i s t o c h e m i s t r y in a r a t h e r restricted sense, n a m e l y " a s applied to tissue sections". I t is also s t a t e d t h a t " t h e t y p e of h i s t o c h e m i s t r y a b o u t w h i c h this book h a s been w r i t t e n is essentially qualitative, a n d m a n y w o r k e r s h a v e felt t h a t its conversion to a q u a n t i t a t i v e science would c o n s i d e r a b l y increase its field of u s e f u l n e s s " . According to t h e reviewer's opinion, t h e s e are d a n g e r o u s restrictions since t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n of q u a n t i t a t i v e p r o b l e m s n o t only "increases t h e field of u s e f u l n e s s " b u t f o r m s t h e v e r y b a c k b o n e of h i s t o c h e m i s t r y . M a n y riddles c o n c e r n i n g t h e unreliability of t h e so-called q u a l i t a t i v e r e a c t i o n s c a n n o t be solved w i t h o u t k n o w l e d g e of t h e q u a n t i t a t i v e factors w h i c h determine, inter alia, t h e f u n d a m e n t a l fact w h e t h e r or n o t t h e p r o d u c t s of a colour reaction c a n be seen in t h e microscope. T h e t e c h n i c a l details of t h e m e t h o d s are given in a s e q u e n c e of a p p e n d i c e s w h i c h are i n t e n d e d to form " a c o m p l e t e and, if necessary, a u t o n o m o u s u n i t " . T h i s excellent p l a n is, however, s o m e w h a t f r u s t r a t e d b y deficiencies of a r r a n g e m e n t a n d t y p o g r a p h y (there is, e.g., no i n d e x to t h e 17 appendices, w h i c h comprise m o r e t h a n 12o m e t h o d s ) . Also t h e q u o t a t i o n s y s t e m is c u m b e r s o m e , t h e references to t h e a p p e n d i c e s b e i n g g i v e n at t h e e n d of t h e respective m a i n c h a p t e r s . T h i s m a k e s it difficult to discover t h a t several references are lacking. Short reviews m u s t of n e c e s s i t y t e n d to stress t h e deficiencies a n d curtail t h e praise. L e t m e therefore e m p h a s i z e t h a t in spite of t h e s e criticisms (and in spite of m i n o r errors w h i c h h a v e n o t been mentioned), t h e book is v a l u a b l e a n d indispensable for a n y m e m b e r of t h e r a p i d l y growing guild of h i s t o c h e m i s t s . H. HOLTER (Copenhagen)
A trail o~ research in sul/ur chemistry and metabolism, VINCENT DU VIGNEAUD, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N.Y., 1952, pp. XIII + 191, 51 fig.., $ 3,25. On sait la p a r t considerable q u e D u VIGNEAUD a prise 5, l ' a c q u i s i t i o n de nos c o n n a i s s a n c e s actuelles s u r la biochimie d u soufre, aussi bien en ce qui c o n c e r n e le r61e de cet 616ment c o m m e c o n s t i t u a n t de mol6cules b i o l o g i q u e m e n t i m p o r t a n t e s , c o m m e l'insuline, la biotine, etc., q u e e n ce q u i t o u c h e son m 6 t a b o l i s m e chez les a n i m a u x sup6rieurs. C ' e s t l ' h i s t o r i q u e des recherches faites d a n s ce d o m a i n e p a r D u VIGNEAUD et ses c o l l a b o r a t e u r s qui c o n s t i t u e la t r a m e du p r 6 s e n t o u v r a g e ; celui-ci m o n t r e ainsi la logique de l'6volution suivie p a r le t r a v a i l de l ' a u t e u r , a u fur et ~ m e s u r e q u e de n o u v e a u x r 6 s u l t a t s se p r 6 s e n t a i e n t 5~ lui. D ' u n e e x f c u t i o n mat6rielle parfaite, le v o l u m e en q u e s t i o n c o m p o r t e les six p a r t i e s s u i v a n t e s : I. De l'insuline ~ l ' h o m o c y s t i n e , II. L a t r a n s f o r m a t i o n , chez l'animal, de la m 6 t h i o n i n e et de l ' h o m o c y s t i n e en cystine; la t r a n s s u l f u r a t i o n , I I I . L a t r a n s f o r m a t i o n de l ' h o m o c y s t i n e en m 6 t h i o n i n e ; la n o t i o n de t r a n s m 6 t h y l a t i o n et la b i o s y n t h 6 s e des groupes m 6 t h y l e "labiles", IV. L a p a r t i c i p a t i o n de la choline, de la b6taine et de s u b s t a n c e s voisines a u x p r o c e s s u s de t r a n s m 6 t h y l a t i o n , V. Le destin des g r o u p e s m 6 t h y l e " b i o l o g i q u e m e n t labiles" et