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The glass flowers at Harvard
Structure and Function Relationships in Biochemical Systems. Edited by E Bossa, E. Chiancone, A. Finazzi-Agro and R. Strom. Pp. 385. Plenum, New York. 1982. $49 50.
Multi-author works are becoming less and less popular: festschrifts have almost ceased to be published. Here we have a multiauthor festschrift in honour of Rossi Fanelli which such perhaps reveals why undertakings are out of favour with publishers yet at the same time makes one regret their passing. The subsections are devoted to haemoglobin and respiratory proteins; metal-containing enzymes; membranes and cofactormultienzyme complexes; and sulphur dependent enzymes; metabolism. The current new explosion of interest in enzymes should ensure that this volume is viable from a publishing inevitably the standpoint although contributions vary widely in quality and coverage. The fact that it is dedicated to one man imposes some logic on the choice of contributions and ensures loving care from the editors. Although of interest to the wider scientific community the book will be most welcomed by those who have been connected with Fanelli, who, as an illuminating introductory analysis of his publications shows, has been a great collaborator and scientific host. W. Graham Richards Marine Algae in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Vol. 2. Edited by H. A. Hoppe and T. Levring. Pp. 309. de Gruyter Berlin. 1982. DM. 140.00.
This volume, like many sequels, suffers by comparison with its parent. Despite its title, fully a half of the book is devoted to non-pharmaceutical matters and the quality of the contributions varies widely from those with something to say to those reporting nothing but the most preliminary of results, or rehashing old science. Amongst the former are the overview chapter by Hoppe, the contributions on human fibroblasts (Tveter-Gallagher), and anti-ulcer substances (Sakagami). Useful literature surveys are provided in the reviews on Acetubuluria (Bonotto) and Tanzanian algae (Mshigeni). But what is Acetabularia doing in a book on algae and pharmaceutics? At the other end of the scale there is a chapter on viruses (only 3 or 40 references after 1973); vitamin Br, (Guven); and the effect of extractives on Mycobacterium (Rao’s very preliminary results). A state-of-the-art summary or a critical research on appraisal of current pharmaceutical sciences and algae, this book is not. With the exception of Hoppe’s chapter, there are no references to the work of the last decade on algal extractives. The book is a very miscellaneous collection of papers of very variable quality. It is, unfortunately, a disappointment and cannot
158
be recommended, least of all to anybody wishing to learn about pharmaceutical uses or potential of algae. D. J. Chapman The Glass Flowers at Harvard. By Richard E. Schultes and William A. Davis with photographs by Hillel Burger. Pp. vii + 120. D&ton, New York. 1982. Paperback$15.95.
The glass flowers in the Botalical Museum of Harvard University are supreme examples of refined modelling techniques in glass. Their intricate and successful mimicry of living flowers could be fully appreciated only by seeing the models themselves, but by the publication of this book, with its outstanding and faithful photographs, one can now marvel at the modellers’ skills and dedication, especially when one realizes that the 85 colour plates published still represent only about one tenth of the whole collection. The glass flowers were made by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, father and son, between 1887 and 1936. At the time when they started, the study of diversity and classification constituted the main corpus of botany and the Blaschkas’ talents opened the possibility of making a collection of lifelike reproductions which could be examined by students, even in winter when fresh flowers were unavailable. Through the generous patronage of Elizabeth and Mary Ware, mother and daughter, the collection was painstakingly assembled only to be overtaken by an academic shift away from systematic botany. Yet the models stand as consummate examples of the modellers’ craft, one may almost say art, and over 100 000 people pay to see the glass flowers each year. Professor Schultes and Mr Davis are to be congratulated on this book about the collection, and Mr Hillel Burger’s photographs are superb-if you cannot get to see the actual models yourself then at least admire them in this book. P. S. Green The Petrology of Archaeological Artefacts. Edited by D. R. C. Kempe and Anthony P. Harvey. Pp. 374. Oxford Univesity Press. 1983. f30.00.
This book provides a timely review of a rapidly developing subject. The methods available for determining the physical properties, chemical composition, and geological or archaeological dates of stone artefacts are reviewed and referred to in later chapters on the petrology of building stones, stone axes, querns, etc.; and on the analysis of obsidian, jade, pottery, etc. The advantages and disadvantages of each method, both in what can be achieved and in the size of the sample, if any, required from the artefact, are fully discussed. The scope of the book is world wide. It provides a history of stone implement petrology; case histories on the interpretation of analytical data in the
search for sources and the study of ancient trade; and a summary of the petrology of many types of artefact, all over the world. There are few errors, but when ‘Stukeley (1740) first examined the rocks [of Stonehenge] in thin section’ (p. lOl), he must have been more than a hundred years ahead of his time! The Subject and Geographical Index is a disappointment, as it does not contain a single geographical reference. In summary, this is an essential reference book, with excellent bibliography, for anyone concerned with archaeological petrology. W. A. Cummins The Hunger for Salt. An Anthropological, Physiological and Medical Analysis. By Derek Denton. Pp. 650. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1982. DM 360, $150.20.
Sodium is the principal cation of the circulating blood and interstitial fluid. Regulation of the amount and concentration of sodium in the body is therefore crucial in the maintenance of cellular the environment. More than a century ago Claude Bernard pointed out that the constancy of this milieu intkrieur, achieved by various physiological mechanisms, enabled the higher animals to lead lives largely independent of seasonal or other changes in their external environment. In the case of sodium, the kidney is the most important regulatory organ, normally working on a surplus of sodium salts provided in the diet. However, in many areas of the world there is little sodium available, so that in these regions the possession of a specific appetite for sodium is of the utmost importance, especially for herbivorous animals. Derek Denton has written a monumental treatise on the anthropological, physiological, and medical aspects of sodium appetite, based on an interest in the subject that has extended over thirty years. It is not always an easy book to read because it is packed with detailed considerations of individual experiments’, a feature that is helpful to the expert but less satisfactory for the general reader. The thread of an argument is sometimes lost owing to excessive detail, though excellent summaries at the beginning of each chapter compensate for this to some extent. It would be surprising if I agreed with everything in a book of this size and complexity. For example, I thought that the chapter on salt intake and high blood pressure in man was perhaps too dismissive of the view held by the late Professor Pickering and others that only at the very extremes of intake does salt have an impact on human hypertension. I also found that Denton’s analysis of the transcriptionprotein synthesis hypothesis of sodium appetite and the possible involvement of various hormones including angiotensin in
Multi-author works are becoming less and less popular: festschrifts have almost ceased to be published. Here we have a multiauthor festschrift in honour of Rossi Fanelli which such perhaps reveals why undertakings are out of favour with publishers yet at the same time makes one regret their passing. The subsections are devoted to haemoglobin and respiratory proteins; metal-containing enzymes; membranes and cofactormultienzyme complexes; and sulphur dependent enzymes; metabolism. The current new explosion of interest in enzymes should ensure that this volume is viable from a publishing inevitably the standpoint although contributions vary widely in quality and coverage. The fact that it is dedicated to one man imposes some logic on the choice of contributions and ensures loving care from the editors. Although of interest to the wider scientific community the book will be most welcomed by those who have been connected with Fanelli, who, as an illuminating introductory analysis of his publications shows, has been a great collaborator and scientific host. W. Graham Richards Marine Algae in Pharmaceutical Sciences. Vol. 2. Edited by H. A. Hoppe and T. Levring. Pp. 309. de Gruyter Berlin. 1982. DM. 140.00.
This volume, like many sequels, suffers by comparison with its parent. Despite its title, fully a half of the book is devoted to non-pharmaceutical matters and the quality of the contributions varies widely from those with something to say to those reporting nothing but the most preliminary of results, or rehashing old science. Amongst the former are the overview chapter by Hoppe, the contributions on human fibroblasts (Tveter-Gallagher), and anti-ulcer substances (Sakagami). Useful literature surveys are provided in the reviews on Acetubuluria (Bonotto) and Tanzanian algae (Mshigeni). But what is Acetabularia doing in a book on algae and pharmaceutics? At the other end of the scale there is a chapter on viruses (only 3 or 40 references after 1973); vitamin Br, (Guven); and the effect of extractives on Mycobacterium (Rao’s very preliminary results). A state-of-the-art summary or a critical research on appraisal of current pharmaceutical sciences and algae, this book is not. With the exception of Hoppe’s chapter, there are no references to the work of the last decade on algal extractives. The book is a very miscellaneous collection of papers of very variable quality. It is, unfortunately, a disappointment and cannot
158
be recommended, least of all to anybody wishing to learn about pharmaceutical uses or potential of algae. D. J. Chapman The Glass Flowers at Harvard. By Richard E. Schultes and William A. Davis with photographs by Hillel Burger. Pp. vii + 120. D&ton, New York. 1982. Paperback$15.95.
The glass flowers in the Botalical Museum of Harvard University are supreme examples of refined modelling techniques in glass. Their intricate and successful mimicry of living flowers could be fully appreciated only by seeing the models themselves, but by the publication of this book, with its outstanding and faithful photographs, one can now marvel at the modellers’ skills and dedication, especially when one realizes that the 85 colour plates published still represent only about one tenth of the whole collection. The glass flowers were made by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, father and son, between 1887 and 1936. At the time when they started, the study of diversity and classification constituted the main corpus of botany and the Blaschkas’ talents opened the possibility of making a collection of lifelike reproductions which could be examined by students, even in winter when fresh flowers were unavailable. Through the generous patronage of Elizabeth and Mary Ware, mother and daughter, the collection was painstakingly assembled only to be overtaken by an academic shift away from systematic botany. Yet the models stand as consummate examples of the modellers’ craft, one may almost say art, and over 100 000 people pay to see the glass flowers each year. Professor Schultes and Mr Davis are to be congratulated on this book about the collection, and Mr Hillel Burger’s photographs are superb-if you cannot get to see the actual models yourself then at least admire them in this book. P. S. Green The Petrology of Archaeological Artefacts. Edited by D. R. C. Kempe and Anthony P. Harvey. Pp. 374. Oxford Univesity Press. 1983. f30.00.
This book provides a timely review of a rapidly developing subject. The methods available for determining the physical properties, chemical composition, and geological or archaeological dates of stone artefacts are reviewed and referred to in later chapters on the petrology of building stones, stone axes, querns, etc.; and on the analysis of obsidian, jade, pottery, etc. The advantages and disadvantages of each method, both in what can be achieved and in the size of the sample, if any, required from the artefact, are fully discussed. The scope of the book is world wide. It provides a history of stone implement petrology; case histories on the interpretation of analytical data in the
search for sources and the study of ancient trade; and a summary of the petrology of many types of artefact, all over the world. There are few errors, but when ‘Stukeley (1740) first examined the rocks [of Stonehenge] in thin section’ (p. lOl), he must have been more than a hundred years ahead of his time! The Subject and Geographical Index is a disappointment, as it does not contain a single geographical reference. In summary, this is an essential reference book, with excellent bibliography, for anyone concerned with archaeological petrology. W. A. Cummins The Hunger for Salt. An Anthropological, Physiological and Medical Analysis. By Derek Denton. Pp. 650. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 1982. DM 360, $150.20.
Sodium is the principal cation of the circulating blood and interstitial fluid. Regulation of the amount and concentration of sodium in the body is therefore crucial in the maintenance of cellular the environment. More than a century ago Claude Bernard pointed out that the constancy of this milieu intkrieur, achieved by various physiological mechanisms, enabled the higher animals to lead lives largely independent of seasonal or other changes in their external environment. In the case of sodium, the kidney is the most important regulatory organ, normally working on a surplus of sodium salts provided in the diet. However, in many areas of the world there is little sodium available, so that in these regions the possession of a specific appetite for sodium is of the utmost importance, especially for herbivorous animals. Derek Denton has written a monumental treatise on the anthropological, physiological, and medical aspects of sodium appetite, based on an interest in the subject that has extended over thirty years. It is not always an easy book to read because it is packed with detailed considerations of individual experiments’, a feature that is helpful to the expert but less satisfactory for the general reader. The thread of an argument is sometimes lost owing to excessive detail, though excellent summaries at the beginning of each chapter compensate for this to some extent. It would be surprising if I agreed with everything in a book of this size and complexity. For example, I thought that the chapter on salt intake and high blood pressure in man was perhaps too dismissive of the view held by the late Professor Pickering and others that only at the very extremes of intake does salt have an impact on human hypertension. I also found that Denton’s analysis of the transcriptionprotein synthesis hypothesis of sodium appetite and the possible involvement of various hormones including angiotensin in