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Histochimie et cytochimie animales
Comp. Biochem. Physiol., 1961, Vol. 3, pp. 71 to 72. Pergamon Press Ltd., London. Printed in Great Britain
BOOK
REVIEW
L. LISON: H i s t o c h i m i e e t Cytochimie Animales. 3rd ed., Vol. 1. Gauthier Villars, Paris, 1960. 397 pp., 45 N.F., $9"50. IT IS NOW almost 25 years since the publication of the first edition of Lison's H i s t o c h i m i e A n i m a l e , an event which it may fairly be claimed, first placed histochemistry on a sound basis. Since the time of Raspail little histochemistry had been a t t e m p t e d - - s u c h as there was involved a m o r e biochemical approach and consequent destruction of the tissue. Moreover, with the advent of the aniline dyes in the latter part of the nineteenth century, attention was diverted to the staining of tissues with the object of determining their structure and the chemical nature of these tissues was completely neglected. T h i s outlook was entirely changed by the work of Lison, who introduced a critical approach towards histochemical methods and by determining their validity, limits and uncertainties, opened the way to an understanding of how the structure of tissues could be linked to a knowledge of some aspects of their chemical nature. Since the first edition of this book, histochemistry has progressed greatly and it is indeed a pleasure to welcome the third edition of such a classic text. T h i s edition represents a completely new book, since the results of so m u c h research have been incorporated into the subject in recent years that a revision of the existing text obviously proved impracticable. T h i s new edition of the Histochirnie is split up into two volumes (of which only the first has yet appeared); this first v o l u m e deals with general principles and the validity of methods, with physical and optical methods, with the reactions of individual radicals and with the special reactions of the proteins and nucleic acids. T h e section on general principles is extremely valuable, as so m a n y workers attempt to utilize the techniques of histochemistry with little knowledge of the m a n y problems and pitfalls involved in this approach. In particular the author emphasizes the dual nature of the histochemical p r o b l e m - - t h e discovery of the identity of a substance and secondly its localization in the cell or tissue. Such a problem m a y be attacked in two quite separate ways. T h e r e is the standard biochemical approach, with its great refinement of technique for discovering the identity of a substance but with limitations to its ability to give information as to the location of that substance in the cell. T h e alternative is the use of in situ histochemical methods which suffer from poor characterization of c o m p o u n d s but do give more useful information as to their location. In this book, although the author does not attempt to deal with the e x t r a s i t u m or more biochemical approach, he does emphasize the necessity for the use of both types of approach in the attempted solution of any problem. A n y such closer collaboration between histochemists and biochemists will surely be very fruitful; the present reviewer welcomes the way in which this is made clear by the author, m a n y histochemists still believing that they have nothing to gain from such collaboration. One completely new section of the book is devoted to the reactions of radicals or reactive groups. M u c h of current histochemistry is in fact the detection of the presence of such groups rather than that of actual compounds. It is, one feels, a very valuable step forward to see this principle recognized in a leading text book. A further i m p r o v e m e n t noted in this edition is the summarizing in tabular form of the reactions of each group of substances at the beginning of the chapter in which they are discussed. T h i s is perhaps a m i n o r point, but one which contributes to the value of the book as a whole. As we have come to expect from this author, the book has m a n y references and is written in a very clear manner. T h e fact that the language is not our own should not deter intending 71
72
BOOK REVIEV¢
users[ T h e value of the contained i n f o r m a t i o n is such as to justify any struggles with the F r e n c h . All details of actual t e c h n i q u e s are n o w to be i n c l u d e d in a separate section in V o l u m e 2, so that at p r e s e n t the book cannot be used as a laboratory m a n u a l ; other hooks are, h o w e v e r , available to fill this p u r p o s e and the majority of h i s t o c h e m i s t s will find that I,ison is m o r e often c o n s u l t e d in the s t u d y t h a n in the laboratory. One hopes that the p u b l i s h e r s will p r o d u c e the second volume of this work with the m i n i m u m delay. In short, this is a book w h i c h can be u n r e s e r v e d l y r e c o m m e n d e d . S. F/RADBURY
ERRATUM C. A. O. W~RSMA and R. L. C. PILGRIM: T h o r a c i c stretch r e c e p t o r s in crayfish and rocklobster. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 2, 51-64.
I n the A b s t r a c t item (3) should read: (3) It is shown by electrical recording and by staining that each of the first five segmental thoracic nerves is connected to a single receptor cell (N-cell) which is not a specialized receptor muscle; the sixth nerve in Procambarus innervates a single slow stretch receptor, and in Panulirus a fast one in addition.
BOOK
REVIEW
L. LISON: H i s t o c h i m i e e t Cytochimie Animales. 3rd ed., Vol. 1. Gauthier Villars, Paris, 1960. 397 pp., 45 N.F., $9"50. IT IS NOW almost 25 years since the publication of the first edition of Lison's H i s t o c h i m i e A n i m a l e , an event which it may fairly be claimed, first placed histochemistry on a sound basis. Since the time of Raspail little histochemistry had been a t t e m p t e d - - s u c h as there was involved a m o r e biochemical approach and consequent destruction of the tissue. Moreover, with the advent of the aniline dyes in the latter part of the nineteenth century, attention was diverted to the staining of tissues with the object of determining their structure and the chemical nature of these tissues was completely neglected. T h i s outlook was entirely changed by the work of Lison, who introduced a critical approach towards histochemical methods and by determining their validity, limits and uncertainties, opened the way to an understanding of how the structure of tissues could be linked to a knowledge of some aspects of their chemical nature. Since the first edition of this book, histochemistry has progressed greatly and it is indeed a pleasure to welcome the third edition of such a classic text. T h i s edition represents a completely new book, since the results of so m u c h research have been incorporated into the subject in recent years that a revision of the existing text obviously proved impracticable. T h i s new edition of the Histochirnie is split up into two volumes (of which only the first has yet appeared); this first v o l u m e deals with general principles and the validity of methods, with physical and optical methods, with the reactions of individual radicals and with the special reactions of the proteins and nucleic acids. T h e section on general principles is extremely valuable, as so m a n y workers attempt to utilize the techniques of histochemistry with little knowledge of the m a n y problems and pitfalls involved in this approach. In particular the author emphasizes the dual nature of the histochemical p r o b l e m - - t h e discovery of the identity of a substance and secondly its localization in the cell or tissue. Such a problem m a y be attacked in two quite separate ways. T h e r e is the standard biochemical approach, with its great refinement of technique for discovering the identity of a substance but with limitations to its ability to give information as to the location of that substance in the cell. T h e alternative is the use of in situ histochemical methods which suffer from poor characterization of c o m p o u n d s but do give more useful information as to their location. In this book, although the author does not attempt to deal with the e x t r a s i t u m or more biochemical approach, he does emphasize the necessity for the use of both types of approach in the attempted solution of any problem. A n y such closer collaboration between histochemists and biochemists will surely be very fruitful; the present reviewer welcomes the way in which this is made clear by the author, m a n y histochemists still believing that they have nothing to gain from such collaboration. One completely new section of the book is devoted to the reactions of radicals or reactive groups. M u c h of current histochemistry is in fact the detection of the presence of such groups rather than that of actual compounds. It is, one feels, a very valuable step forward to see this principle recognized in a leading text book. A further i m p r o v e m e n t noted in this edition is the summarizing in tabular form of the reactions of each group of substances at the beginning of the chapter in which they are discussed. T h i s is perhaps a m i n o r point, but one which contributes to the value of the book as a whole. As we have come to expect from this author, the book has m a n y references and is written in a very clear manner. T h e fact that the language is not our own should not deter intending 71
72
BOOK REVIEV¢
users[ T h e value of the contained i n f o r m a t i o n is such as to justify any struggles with the F r e n c h . All details of actual t e c h n i q u e s are n o w to be i n c l u d e d in a separate section in V o l u m e 2, so that at p r e s e n t the book cannot be used as a laboratory m a n u a l ; other hooks are, h o w e v e r , available to fill this p u r p o s e and the majority of h i s t o c h e m i s t s will find that I,ison is m o r e often c o n s u l t e d in the s t u d y t h a n in the laboratory. One hopes that the p u b l i s h e r s will p r o d u c e the second volume of this work with the m i n i m u m delay. In short, this is a book w h i c h can be u n r e s e r v e d l y r e c o m m e n d e d . S. F/RADBURY
ERRATUM C. A. O. W~RSMA and R. L. C. PILGRIM: T h o r a c i c stretch r e c e p t o r s in crayfish and rocklobster. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 2, 51-64.
I n the A b s t r a c t item (3) should read: (3) It is shown by electrical recording and by staining that each of the first five segmental thoracic nerves is connected to a single receptor cell (N-cell) which is not a specialized receptor muscle; the sixth nerve in Procambarus innervates a single slow stretch receptor, and in Panulirus a fast one in addition.