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Methods in olfactory research
BOOK REVIEWS Chromtatography, trophoretic Methods,
A Laboratory Handbook of Chromatographic and ElecThird Edition. by ERICH HEFIWW~.. Van Nostrand, New
York, 1975. xxx + 969 pp., $47..50. The Third Edition follows the previous editions in the respect that the book is divided into two parts. The first, 389 pages, covers primarily the theory, techniques, and terminology of chromatographic and related procedures. Part Two, the remainder of the book, covers applications of chromatography. The book is, indeed, a comprehensive summary of chromatographic and electrophoretic methods along with their applications to a wide variety of substances. It is written by a large number of contributing authors who are specialists in their particular area. Accordingly, the interest of the authors is reflected in each of the chapters. In some sections the literature citations are not too current; the manuscript for the book appeared to have been prepared in 1973,based upon the most recent literature citation. There is no question about the utility of the book and the information presented in it. Information can be found in it on any type of chromatographic separation. However, because of the rapid changes in chromatography, the section on HPLC could be considered out of date, and insufficient examples are presented. One of the major revisions, according to the editor, has been Chapter 2 I, which now covers not only the alkaloids but the entire field of pharmaceuticals with the exception of certain drugs that are taken up in other chapters. Unfortunately, the rapidity of change in analysis limits the application of HPLC to only two paragraphs and the interesting statement, “In drug analysis this technique has attracted only sporadic attention.” Similarly, the rapidly expanding technique of immunoelectrophoresis is only very briefly covered. A wealth of information is presented in the more established techniques of thin-layer and gas chromatography. The book is recommended; information will certainly be found on any area of chromatographic work which includes inorganic-ion chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography. gel chromatography, instrumentation methods in chromatography. as well as applications to all types of material.
Methods JOHNSTON,
Research. Edited by D. G. MOUIOS, Aws TURK, Academic Press, New York. 1975. xii + 497 pp.. $28.50.
in Olfactory JR.
.~uI)
J. W.
The NATO-sponsored Summer School on Odor Perception held at Utrecht in 1970 pointed out the need for a text to summarize as well as act as a guide to the methods used in olfactory research. Although this volume is primarily a reference work, it does contain a substantial amount of new material. The combination admirably fulfills the objectives set by the editors. Each of the 14 chapters has an ample bibliography and in addition there are separate author and subject indices at the end of the volume. The chapter headings give a convenient overview of the contents: Instrumental Aspects of Olfactometry, The Purity of Odorant Substances, Biological and Chemical Methodology in the Study of Insect Communication, The Application of Transmission Electron Microscopy 103 Copyright C> 1977 by Academic I+,,. Inc All rights of reproduction m any form reserved.
104
BOOK
REVIEWS
on the Study of the Olfactory Epithelium of Vertebrates, Application of Scanning Electron Microscopy and Autoradiography in the Study of Olfactory Mucosa, Correlative Anatomical Methods for Studying the Intrinsic Organization of the Olfactory Bulb, Techniques for Investigating Single Unit Activity in the Vertebrate Olfactory Epithelium, Methods in Electrophysical Studies of the Olfactory System, Human Psychophysics in Olfaction, Laboratory Methods for Obtaining Olfactory Discrimination in Rodents, Determination of Odor Preferences in Rodents, The Simultaneous Measurements of Neural Response and Performance in Rats and Rabbits involved in an Odor Detection Task, Psychophysical and Electrophysiological Experiments with Binary Mixtures of Acetophenone and Eugenol, and Pharmacological Aspects of Olfaction. This is truly a multidisciplined exposition and for the microchemist particular attention might be drawn to the work with microelectrodes and micropipettes but certainly not limited thereto. BILL
ELPERN,
9 Surrey Way, White Plains, New York 10607
The Pathogenic Anaerobic Bacteria. By LOUIS DS. SMITH. Springfield, 1975. xiii + 430 pp, Second Edition. $26.75.
CHARLES
C THOMAS,
This text is a fine survey of the anaerobic pathogenic bacteria of humans and animals. Topics included for each group of organisms are: ecologic niche, identifying characteristics, mechanisms of pathogenesis, pathology, and methods of disease control. An excellent bibliography of about 1000 references is included. The book is well edited and attractively printed. The index of 10 pages is too lean. EUGENE
Rosalind $8.95
Franklin
and DNA.
By
D.
WEIIVBERG,
ANNE SAYRE.
Microbiology. Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana 47401
Norton, New York, 1975. 221 pp.,
Everyone who has read “The Double Helix” (and who hasn’t?) will want to read this book. Had Dr. Franklin lived, she would have undoubtedly shared the Nobel Prize with Crick, Watson, and Wilkins. Whether Dr. Franklin’s personality was a “prickly” as Dr. Watson implies in “The Double Helix” or as sweet as Mrs. Sayre claims in this book is unimportant. What matters is that Rosalind was imaginative and brilliant; a careful, painstaking, and exhaustive researcher who believed in hard facts. According to Sayre, “She had no vested interest in any technique she did not even describe herself as a crystallographer,” but her X-ray crystallographic pictures were superb. The beautifully clear X-ray picture of hydrated DNA (the p-form) went far to establish the helical structure of the genetic molecule. It was Watson’s perceptive ability with “tinker-toy” models that supplied the finishing touch. Only Dr. Franklin’s premature death prevented the full recognition of her contributions. Sayre’s book presents additional and interesting information about the final determination of the DNA structure but is unnecessarily polemical. There was glory enough for ah. Crick and Watson did acknowledge Franklin’s unpublished experimental results and ideas in their epochal paper in Nature. Furthermore, it is useless to speculate whether or not Crick and Watson would have reached their conclusions without Franklin’s X-ray pictures or whether Franklin would have done it without Watson’s models. The facts are that neither did.
A Laboratory Handbook of Chromatographic and ElecThird Edition. by ERICH HEFIWW~.. Van Nostrand, New
York, 1975. xxx + 969 pp., $47..50. The Third Edition follows the previous editions in the respect that the book is divided into two parts. The first, 389 pages, covers primarily the theory, techniques, and terminology of chromatographic and related procedures. Part Two, the remainder of the book, covers applications of chromatography. The book is, indeed, a comprehensive summary of chromatographic and electrophoretic methods along with their applications to a wide variety of substances. It is written by a large number of contributing authors who are specialists in their particular area. Accordingly, the interest of the authors is reflected in each of the chapters. In some sections the literature citations are not too current; the manuscript for the book appeared to have been prepared in 1973,based upon the most recent literature citation. There is no question about the utility of the book and the information presented in it. Information can be found in it on any type of chromatographic separation. However, because of the rapid changes in chromatography, the section on HPLC could be considered out of date, and insufficient examples are presented. One of the major revisions, according to the editor, has been Chapter 2 I, which now covers not only the alkaloids but the entire field of pharmaceuticals with the exception of certain drugs that are taken up in other chapters. Unfortunately, the rapidity of change in analysis limits the application of HPLC to only two paragraphs and the interesting statement, “In drug analysis this technique has attracted only sporadic attention.” Similarly, the rapidly expanding technique of immunoelectrophoresis is only very briefly covered. A wealth of information is presented in the more established techniques of thin-layer and gas chromatography. The book is recommended; information will certainly be found on any area of chromatographic work which includes inorganic-ion chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography. gel chromatography, instrumentation methods in chromatography. as well as applications to all types of material.
Methods JOHNSTON,
Research. Edited by D. G. MOUIOS, Aws TURK, Academic Press, New York. 1975. xii + 497 pp.. $28.50.
in Olfactory JR.
.~uI)
J. W.
The NATO-sponsored Summer School on Odor Perception held at Utrecht in 1970 pointed out the need for a text to summarize as well as act as a guide to the methods used in olfactory research. Although this volume is primarily a reference work, it does contain a substantial amount of new material. The combination admirably fulfills the objectives set by the editors. Each of the 14 chapters has an ample bibliography and in addition there are separate author and subject indices at the end of the volume. The chapter headings give a convenient overview of the contents: Instrumental Aspects of Olfactometry, The Purity of Odorant Substances, Biological and Chemical Methodology in the Study of Insect Communication, The Application of Transmission Electron Microscopy 103 Copyright C> 1977 by Academic I+,,. Inc All rights of reproduction m any form reserved.
104
BOOK
REVIEWS
on the Study of the Olfactory Epithelium of Vertebrates, Application of Scanning Electron Microscopy and Autoradiography in the Study of Olfactory Mucosa, Correlative Anatomical Methods for Studying the Intrinsic Organization of the Olfactory Bulb, Techniques for Investigating Single Unit Activity in the Vertebrate Olfactory Epithelium, Methods in Electrophysical Studies of the Olfactory System, Human Psychophysics in Olfaction, Laboratory Methods for Obtaining Olfactory Discrimination in Rodents, Determination of Odor Preferences in Rodents, The Simultaneous Measurements of Neural Response and Performance in Rats and Rabbits involved in an Odor Detection Task, Psychophysical and Electrophysiological Experiments with Binary Mixtures of Acetophenone and Eugenol, and Pharmacological Aspects of Olfaction. This is truly a multidisciplined exposition and for the microchemist particular attention might be drawn to the work with microelectrodes and micropipettes but certainly not limited thereto. BILL
ELPERN,
9 Surrey Way, White Plains, New York 10607
The Pathogenic Anaerobic Bacteria. By LOUIS DS. SMITH. Springfield, 1975. xiii + 430 pp, Second Edition. $26.75.
CHARLES
C THOMAS,
This text is a fine survey of the anaerobic pathogenic bacteria of humans and animals. Topics included for each group of organisms are: ecologic niche, identifying characteristics, mechanisms of pathogenesis, pathology, and methods of disease control. An excellent bibliography of about 1000 references is included. The book is well edited and attractively printed. The index of 10 pages is too lean. EUGENE
Rosalind $8.95
Franklin
and DNA.
By
D.
WEIIVBERG,
ANNE SAYRE.
Microbiology. Indiana University Bloomington, Indiana 47401
Norton, New York, 1975. 221 pp.,
Everyone who has read “The Double Helix” (and who hasn’t?) will want to read this book. Had Dr. Franklin lived, she would have undoubtedly shared the Nobel Prize with Crick, Watson, and Wilkins. Whether Dr. Franklin’s personality was a “prickly” as Dr. Watson implies in “The Double Helix” or as sweet as Mrs. Sayre claims in this book is unimportant. What matters is that Rosalind was imaginative and brilliant; a careful, painstaking, and exhaustive researcher who believed in hard facts. According to Sayre, “She had no vested interest in any technique she did not even describe herself as a crystallographer,” but her X-ray crystallographic pictures were superb. The beautifully clear X-ray picture of hydrated DNA (the p-form) went far to establish the helical structure of the genetic molecule. It was Watson’s perceptive ability with “tinker-toy” models that supplied the finishing touch. Only Dr. Franklin’s premature death prevented the full recognition of her contributions. Sayre’s book presents additional and interesting information about the final determination of the DNA structure but is unnecessarily polemical. There was glory enough for ah. Crick and Watson did acknowledge Franklin’s unpublished experimental results and ideas in their epochal paper in Nature. Furthermore, it is useless to speculate whether or not Crick and Watson would have reached their conclusions without Franklin’s X-ray pictures or whether Franklin would have done it without Watson’s models. The facts are that neither did.