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Synthetic methods of organic chemistry. Vol. 13
386
BOOK
burg) well adapted to be understood also by nonparasitologists and ably supplemented by J. Bally’s (Basle) article on “Chemical Research on Anthelmintics.” An extensive study on the problem of “Placebo Medication” by H. Haas, H. Fink, and G. Hartefelder (Ludwigshafen) will be of great interest to everybody interested in investigative drug evaluation in humans. The survey of new drugs developed during the last five years, given by W. Kunz (Monheim) covers all recent compounds of therapeutic value, giving briefly their theoretical basis, practical use, and position among related substances in the specific indications. Two of the five contributions which constitute the book are written in English (Beckett, Lin and Chen); the others are written in German. All articles discuss the international literature exhaustively, including publications of 1958, and contain also references to older literature, sometimes as far back as 1850, where the understanding of historical development makes it desirable. Minor errors, unavoidable even in such careful compilations, are rare. It is regrettable that the book does not contain an author or subject index, which would considerably increase its value. R. J. SCHNITZER, Nutley, New Jersey
International Review of Neurobiology. Vol. 1. Edited by CARLC. PFEIFFER,Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and JOHNR. SMYTHIES,The Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Academic Press Inc.,
REVIEWS
own respective bailiwicks, the solution of many critical problems seems hopeless. In the reviewer’s opinion, all of biology must be involved in the understanding of nervous and mental disease; this includes not only the disciplines mentioned above but anatomy and genetics as well. This book with the broad title “Neurobiology” strikes the reviewer as a most timely effort to “maintain a delicate balance between the fascination of basic explanation of clinical and physiological phenomena-and the pressing needs for the development of new and effective treatments of disease on the other.” The individual authors lean to different degrees toward the purely scientific aspects on the one hand, or toward findings which may conceivably lead to direct application on the other. The editors’ influence in attempting to maintain a balance is evident and justified in the reviewer’s opinion. While the ultimate in appreciation should be extended to those whose intellectual curiosity leads them toward basic findings, the same cannot be said for those who tend to cultivate specialization for specialization’s sake. Readers will find much valuable material in each of the sections. The reviewer found much of interest t,hroughout but particularly in the fourth seetion where interesting material dealing with “deanol” (dimethylaminoethanol) was thoroughly reviewed with a broad perspective including nutritional aspects. No attempt was made to find mistakes, but one was noted on page 348 where sodium benzoate was referred to as a phenolic compound. The volume as a whole is a thoroughly commendable one. ROGERJ. WILLIAMS,Austin, Texas
New York, N. Y., 1959.383 pp. Price $10.00. Abbreviated titles of the eight sections and their authors are as follows: “Rhinencephalon and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy,” 42 pp., W. R. Adey; “Elec116 pp., D. P. Purpura; trocortical Potentials,” “Chemical Agents of the Nervous System,” 28 pp., C. 0. Hebb; “Parasympathetic Neurohumors, Precursors and Behavior,” 49 pp., C. C. Pfeiffer; “Psychophysiology of Vision,” 53 pp., G. W. &anger; “Biochemical Studies in Schizophrenia,” 32 pp., R. G. Heath; “Amines in Nervous and Mental Disease,” 23 pp., F. Georgi, C. G. Honegger, D. Jordan, H. P. Rieder, and M. Rottenberg. While it would be unreasonable to expect from one individual a thoroughly critical review of a book which no one man could have written, the time has arrived when students of disease must broaden their view to extend beyond their own speciality. As long as pharmacologists, biochemists, neurophysiologists, and psychologists confine their thinking to the material strictly within their
Synthetic
13.By
Methods
of Organic
Chemistry.
Vol.
W. TKEILHEIMER.Interscience Publishers, New York, N. Y., 1959. xvi + 600 pp. Price
Inc., $27.50. Volume 13 in this admirable series is now available. The arrangement of abstracts according to reaction type remains the same as in preceding volumes. In this format, a general perusal through cognate reactions is guided by Theilheimer’s formal key to the types of bonds made and broken. I like the indexes since they are cumulative. It is difficult to imagine a practicing organic chemist who does not make continual use of these volumes on synthetic methods. What Theilheimer supplies cannot be readily found from the indexes to Chemical Abstracts, and further the series keeps remarkably close to the current literature. With Volume 13 the coverage is through 1958. Of course, many research organizations subscribe to the un-
BOOK
bound abstracts as they are gathered. In this way, the lag from current journals is cut to a matter of several months. If an addition were ever contemplated to this series, I would suggest the inclusion of the flowsheets of the major synthetic achievements of the period covered. For example, the method employed in the control of stereochemistry through a long synthesis would be a source of interest and instruction. ARTHPR I'ATCHETT, Rahway, New Jersey
Virus Growth and Variation: Ninth Symposium of the Society for General Microbiology Held at the Senate House, University of London, April, 1959. Edited by A. ISAACS and B. W. LACEY. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1959. 272 pp. Price $7.00. This volume bears witness of the rapid growth of virology as a unified science. Virology emerged as a fundamental biological science in its own right when it became possible to study viruses quantitatively at the cell level and when t,heir properties and behavior were subjected to rigorous genetic, biochemical, and biophysical analysis. Viruses vary in size, shape, chemical composition, genetic behavior, and in ways in which they interact with host cells. However, the fundamental features of their make-up and the basic mechanism by which viruses grow appear to be similar in all systems. It is only in the last lo-15 years that the general principles which govern the behavior of animal, plant, and bacterial viruses have been elucidated. The bulk of supporting evidence has come from relatively few virus-host cell systems which have been studied intensively. In the introductory essay, S. E. Luria sets forth with clarity some of the fundamental concepts and current problems in virology. Viruses and virus infection are discussed in relation to nucleic acids, cellular functions and constituents, infective heredit,y, and modern biology, with emphasis on recent advances in the bacteriophage field. In the 12 essays which follow, developments in a number of fields are summarized. with animal viruses receiving most of the attention. Far from being undigested reviews of experimental data, these articles represent analytical and readable contributions to knowledge in the several fields, and, t.aken together, they convey a picture of investigative approaches in modern virology. The subjects of the papers, and t,he authors, are the following: “Growth of Bacteriophage,” by E. Kellenberger; “The Multiplication of Viruses in Plants,” by B. D. Harrison; “Some Observations Concerning the Reproduction of RNA-Containing
387
REVIEWS
Animal Viruses,” by W. Schgfer; “Studies of Mixed Infections with NDV, Poliovirus and Influenza,” by G. K. Hirst; “Viral Interference,” by A. Isaacs; “Host-Controlled Variation in Animal Viruses,” by J. M. Hoskins; “Growth Studies with Herpes Virus,” by M. G. P. Stoker; “Special Interactions Between Virus and Cell in the Rous Sarcoma,” by H. Rubin; “Studies on Vaccinia Virus in Hela Cells,” by H. B. Maitland and R. Postlethwaite; “The Chemical Approach to the Study of Animal Virus Growth,” by P. D. Cooper; “Fluorescence Microscopy: Observation of Virus Growth with Aminoacridines,” by E. S. Anderson, J. A. Armstrong, and J. S. F. Niven; and “Electron-Microscopic Observations on Bdenoviruses and Viruses of the Influenza Group,” by C. Morgan and H. M. Rose. IGOR TAMM, Sew York, Xew York
Protein ANTHONY
Laboratory, Greenwich, New York,
and Amino Acid Nutrition. Edited by A. ALBANESE, Nutritional Research St. Luke’s Convalescent Hospital, Connecticut. Academic Press Inc., N. Y., 1959. xii + 604 pp. Price $16.00.
This book contains an excellent discussion by various authorities on a number of topics. The quantitative requirement for amino acids is reviewed in chapters by H. H. Mitchell, It. J. Williams, H. J. Almquist, A. A. Albanese, and Ruth M. Leverton, which chapters include consideration of differences in amino acid requirements according to species, age, and individuality. The utilization of D-amino acids is reviewed k)y C. 1’. Berg and of dietary proteins by J. B. Allison, and there are chapters on methods for evaluating the nutritional value of proteins and amino acid mixtures by D. V. Frost, B. L. Oser, and A. A. Albanese. There is an interesting chapter by H. S. Sims and M. S. Parshley in which is discussed the effect of proteins and amino acids on the growth of tissue cultures. Other chapters are on food energy and t,he metabolism of nitrogen by Pearl Swanson, dietary proteins and synthesis of tissue proteins by C. H. Barrows and B. F. Chow, amino acid supplementation of foods and feeds by H. R. Rosenberg, and nutritional needs of the aged by R. A. Higgons. It has been pointed out by Crick, Griffith, and Orgel that the number of nonoverlapping differ. ent triplets of nucleotides that can be formed by the four bases in ribonurleic acid (RNA) is 20. This enables the postulation to be made that the RNA template is capable of synthesizing proteins containing not more than 20 different, amino acids. The subsequent fate of these 20 substances in anabolism and catabolism is more than sufficient
BOOK
burg) well adapted to be understood also by nonparasitologists and ably supplemented by J. Bally’s (Basle) article on “Chemical Research on Anthelmintics.” An extensive study on the problem of “Placebo Medication” by H. Haas, H. Fink, and G. Hartefelder (Ludwigshafen) will be of great interest to everybody interested in investigative drug evaluation in humans. The survey of new drugs developed during the last five years, given by W. Kunz (Monheim) covers all recent compounds of therapeutic value, giving briefly their theoretical basis, practical use, and position among related substances in the specific indications. Two of the five contributions which constitute the book are written in English (Beckett, Lin and Chen); the others are written in German. All articles discuss the international literature exhaustively, including publications of 1958, and contain also references to older literature, sometimes as far back as 1850, where the understanding of historical development makes it desirable. Minor errors, unavoidable even in such careful compilations, are rare. It is regrettable that the book does not contain an author or subject index, which would considerably increase its value. R. J. SCHNITZER, Nutley, New Jersey
International Review of Neurobiology. Vol. 1. Edited by CARLC. PFEIFFER,Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, and JOHNR. SMYTHIES,The Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Academic Press Inc.,
REVIEWS
own respective bailiwicks, the solution of many critical problems seems hopeless. In the reviewer’s opinion, all of biology must be involved in the understanding of nervous and mental disease; this includes not only the disciplines mentioned above but anatomy and genetics as well. This book with the broad title “Neurobiology” strikes the reviewer as a most timely effort to “maintain a delicate balance between the fascination of basic explanation of clinical and physiological phenomena-and the pressing needs for the development of new and effective treatments of disease on the other.” The individual authors lean to different degrees toward the purely scientific aspects on the one hand, or toward findings which may conceivably lead to direct application on the other. The editors’ influence in attempting to maintain a balance is evident and justified in the reviewer’s opinion. While the ultimate in appreciation should be extended to those whose intellectual curiosity leads them toward basic findings, the same cannot be said for those who tend to cultivate specialization for specialization’s sake. Readers will find much valuable material in each of the sections. The reviewer found much of interest t,hroughout but particularly in the fourth seetion where interesting material dealing with “deanol” (dimethylaminoethanol) was thoroughly reviewed with a broad perspective including nutritional aspects. No attempt was made to find mistakes, but one was noted on page 348 where sodium benzoate was referred to as a phenolic compound. The volume as a whole is a thoroughly commendable one. ROGERJ. WILLIAMS,Austin, Texas
New York, N. Y., 1959.383 pp. Price $10.00. Abbreviated titles of the eight sections and their authors are as follows: “Rhinencephalon and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy,” 42 pp., W. R. Adey; “Elec116 pp., D. P. Purpura; trocortical Potentials,” “Chemical Agents of the Nervous System,” 28 pp., C. 0. Hebb; “Parasympathetic Neurohumors, Precursors and Behavior,” 49 pp., C. C. Pfeiffer; “Psychophysiology of Vision,” 53 pp., G. W. &anger; “Biochemical Studies in Schizophrenia,” 32 pp., R. G. Heath; “Amines in Nervous and Mental Disease,” 23 pp., F. Georgi, C. G. Honegger, D. Jordan, H. P. Rieder, and M. Rottenberg. While it would be unreasonable to expect from one individual a thoroughly critical review of a book which no one man could have written, the time has arrived when students of disease must broaden their view to extend beyond their own speciality. As long as pharmacologists, biochemists, neurophysiologists, and psychologists confine their thinking to the material strictly within their
Synthetic
13.By
Methods
of Organic
Chemistry.
Vol.
W. TKEILHEIMER.Interscience Publishers, New York, N. Y., 1959. xvi + 600 pp. Price
Inc., $27.50. Volume 13 in this admirable series is now available. The arrangement of abstracts according to reaction type remains the same as in preceding volumes. In this format, a general perusal through cognate reactions is guided by Theilheimer’s formal key to the types of bonds made and broken. I like the indexes since they are cumulative. It is difficult to imagine a practicing organic chemist who does not make continual use of these volumes on synthetic methods. What Theilheimer supplies cannot be readily found from the indexes to Chemical Abstracts, and further the series keeps remarkably close to the current literature. With Volume 13 the coverage is through 1958. Of course, many research organizations subscribe to the un-
BOOK
bound abstracts as they are gathered. In this way, the lag from current journals is cut to a matter of several months. If an addition were ever contemplated to this series, I would suggest the inclusion of the flowsheets of the major synthetic achievements of the period covered. For example, the method employed in the control of stereochemistry through a long synthesis would be a source of interest and instruction. ARTHPR I'ATCHETT, Rahway, New Jersey
Virus Growth and Variation: Ninth Symposium of the Society for General Microbiology Held at the Senate House, University of London, April, 1959. Edited by A. ISAACS and B. W. LACEY. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1959. 272 pp. Price $7.00. This volume bears witness of the rapid growth of virology as a unified science. Virology emerged as a fundamental biological science in its own right when it became possible to study viruses quantitatively at the cell level and when t,heir properties and behavior were subjected to rigorous genetic, biochemical, and biophysical analysis. Viruses vary in size, shape, chemical composition, genetic behavior, and in ways in which they interact with host cells. However, the fundamental features of their make-up and the basic mechanism by which viruses grow appear to be similar in all systems. It is only in the last lo-15 years that the general principles which govern the behavior of animal, plant, and bacterial viruses have been elucidated. The bulk of supporting evidence has come from relatively few virus-host cell systems which have been studied intensively. In the introductory essay, S. E. Luria sets forth with clarity some of the fundamental concepts and current problems in virology. Viruses and virus infection are discussed in relation to nucleic acids, cellular functions and constituents, infective heredit,y, and modern biology, with emphasis on recent advances in the bacteriophage field. In the 12 essays which follow, developments in a number of fields are summarized. with animal viruses receiving most of the attention. Far from being undigested reviews of experimental data, these articles represent analytical and readable contributions to knowledge in the several fields, and, t.aken together, they convey a picture of investigative approaches in modern virology. The subjects of the papers, and t,he authors, are the following: “Growth of Bacteriophage,” by E. Kellenberger; “The Multiplication of Viruses in Plants,” by B. D. Harrison; “Some Observations Concerning the Reproduction of RNA-Containing
387
REVIEWS
Animal Viruses,” by W. Schgfer; “Studies of Mixed Infections with NDV, Poliovirus and Influenza,” by G. K. Hirst; “Viral Interference,” by A. Isaacs; “Host-Controlled Variation in Animal Viruses,” by J. M. Hoskins; “Growth Studies with Herpes Virus,” by M. G. P. Stoker; “Special Interactions Between Virus and Cell in the Rous Sarcoma,” by H. Rubin; “Studies on Vaccinia Virus in Hela Cells,” by H. B. Maitland and R. Postlethwaite; “The Chemical Approach to the Study of Animal Virus Growth,” by P. D. Cooper; “Fluorescence Microscopy: Observation of Virus Growth with Aminoacridines,” by E. S. Anderson, J. A. Armstrong, and J. S. F. Niven; and “Electron-Microscopic Observations on Bdenoviruses and Viruses of the Influenza Group,” by C. Morgan and H. M. Rose. IGOR TAMM, Sew York, Xew York
Protein ANTHONY
Laboratory, Greenwich, New York,
and Amino Acid Nutrition. Edited by A. ALBANESE, Nutritional Research St. Luke’s Convalescent Hospital, Connecticut. Academic Press Inc., N. Y., 1959. xii + 604 pp. Price $16.00.
This book contains an excellent discussion by various authorities on a number of topics. The quantitative requirement for amino acids is reviewed in chapters by H. H. Mitchell, It. J. Williams, H. J. Almquist, A. A. Albanese, and Ruth M. Leverton, which chapters include consideration of differences in amino acid requirements according to species, age, and individuality. The utilization of D-amino acids is reviewed k)y C. 1’. Berg and of dietary proteins by J. B. Allison, and there are chapters on methods for evaluating the nutritional value of proteins and amino acid mixtures by D. V. Frost, B. L. Oser, and A. A. Albanese. There is an interesting chapter by H. S. Sims and M. S. Parshley in which is discussed the effect of proteins and amino acids on the growth of tissue cultures. Other chapters are on food energy and t,he metabolism of nitrogen by Pearl Swanson, dietary proteins and synthesis of tissue proteins by C. H. Barrows and B. F. Chow, amino acid supplementation of foods and feeds by H. R. Rosenberg, and nutritional needs of the aged by R. A. Higgons. It has been pointed out by Crick, Griffith, and Orgel that the number of nonoverlapping differ. ent triplets of nucleotides that can be formed by the four bases in ribonurleic acid (RNA) is 20. This enables the postulation to be made that the RNA template is capable of synthesizing proteins containing not more than 20 different, amino acids. The subsequent fate of these 20 substances in anabolism and catabolism is more than sufficient