Torchbearers of chemistry. By Henry Monmouth Smith. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1949. 270 pp. 17.5 × 25.5 cm. Price $ 8

Torchbearers of chemistry. By Henry Monmouth Smith. Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1949. 270 pp. 17.5 × 25.5 cm. Price $ 8

Book Reviews Viral and Rickettsia2 Infections of Man. Edited by THOMAS M. RIVERS. The J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1948. xvi 587 pp. 17 x 2...

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Book Reviews Viral and Rickettsia2 Infections of Man. Edited by THOMAS M. RIVERS. The J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1948. xvi 587 pp. 17 x 25 cm. 77 illus. Price $5. Ten or twenty years ago this book could not have been written, for knowledge concerning virus and rickettsial disease was changing so rapidly that the book would have been completely out of date by the time it could be published. Although these fields are by no means static now, they are changing sufficiently slowly that the facts can be evaluated and fitted into broader patterns. The first 125 pages of this book deal with methodology. Physical and chemical procedures, serological reactions, chick-embryo techniques, and the propagation of viruses and Rickettsia in tissue cultures are all well covered by such experts as W. M. Stanley, Max Lauffer, Joseph Smadel, E. W. Goodpasture, John Buddingh, and John Enders. In reading this portion of the book one is impressed by the tremendous contribution which improved methodology has made to progress in these fields. I n a section of nearly 20 pages, Dr. Kenneth F. Maxey discusses the epidemiology of these diseases. Again, because of the more or less illusive character of this class of organisms, their epidemiological characteristics present special problems. The remaining chapters are devoted t o specific viral and rickettsia1 diseases. Some of the diseases covered are viral encephalitis, rabies, poliomyelitis, infectious hepatitis, common cold, primary atypical pneumonia, influenza, smallpox, measles, mumps, yellow fever, dengue, the typhus fevers, the “spotted” fevers, Q fever, and scrub typhus. Each of these chapters is written by a n expert and contains information on the history, clinical picture, pathological picture, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, and control measures for each disease where such information is available. No small measure of the worth of this book resides in the careful and conscientious editing by Dr. Rivers. The price is so reasonable because of the subsidy by The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis.

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Symposium on Nutrition of the Robert Gould Research Foundation. Volume I . Anemia. Edited by ARTHURLEJIWA. The Robert Gould Research Foundation, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, 1947. 194 pp. 15 x 22 cm. For many centuries, anemia has been recognized as an important branch of pathology. During the past two decades, important strides have been made in distinguishing the many kinds of anemia and in developing their treatments. A symposium t o discuss the many phases of this important subject could be expected to contribute much t o offset the confusion which has arisen. The symposium reported in the pages of this book helped immeasurably in such a clarification. Here one will find the viewpoint of the biochemist, the nutritionist, the clinician, and the pathologist, as presented by such authorities as Maxwell M. Wintrobe, C. A. Elvehjm, William J. Darby, M . 0. Schultze, Wolf W. Zuelzer, G. E. Cartwright, Cail V. Moore, George M. Guest, W. H. Sebrell, and Richard W. Vilter. The broader implications of the anemic state are presented, after which consideration is given to the role of folk acid. Unfortunately the full realization of the presence of vitamin Bls was not known at that time so that the picture of pernicious anemia is quite incomplete. The role of the metabolism of iron and copper was well elucidated by Dr. Schultze, who has made major research contributions in that area. Other phases (clinical) were well covered by Drs. Moore, Cartwright, and Guest. The anemias of vitamin B Complex and ascorbic acid deficiencies were discussed in a straightforward and fair manner. Symposia of this type are a welcome addition to the literature for they aid in separating the “wheat from a large quantity of chaff.”

Human Physiology. By F. R. WINTONand L. E. BAYLIS. 3rd ed. The Blakiston Co., Philadelphia, 1948. xv 592. 14 x 23.5 cm. Price $7. Many in the field of pharmaceutical teaching will welcome the third edition of this excellent and standTorchbearers of Chemistry. BY HENRYMONMOUTH ard text in physiology. The book owes its charm SMITH.Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1949. to the fact that it maintains the medical (and thus 270 pp. 17.5 x 25.5 cm. Price $8. the pharmaceutical) point of view without becoming Torchbearers of Chemistry is a collection of the bogged down with the abundance of detail found so portraits of the leading “torchbearers” in the im- frequently in medical texts. Although the text is British in origin, the portant field of chemistry. The portraits were taken from the collection of the Chemistry Depart- authors have carefully reviewed the American ment of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. literature and present a nice balance between Continental, British, and American physiology. Each portrait is on a separate page and a very brief The text gives evidence throughout, of thorough biographical sketch is underneath. A useful feature is the bibliography of biographies compiled by revision and modernization. The documentation is Ralph E. Oesper. Those interested in the humanis- selective and representative. The typography, tic approach t o chemistry will find this t o be a fas- binding, and paper stock are of the high quality usually used by the publisher. cinating book.

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