VOLUME 33, NO. 7, JULY, 1956
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CHEMISTRY AND. HUMAN HEALTH
B. S. Walker, Professor of Biochemistry, I. Asimov, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, both at Boston University Schaol of Medicine, and M. K. Nicholas, Instructor in Chemistry and Pharmacology, Medical Center, Jersey City Hospital Schwl of Nursing. The Blakston Division, McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., 445 pp. 11 figs. 4 5 tables. 16 X New York, 1956. ix 23.5 cm. $5.75.
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THE purpose of this book is best stated by the first two sentences of the preface. "This book has been planned to deal with those portions of the science of chemistry which are of pitrtioular importance in those professions and occupations which work to maintain health and relieve disease. The design is such that some knowledge of the pertinent fields is gained even though the student's formal study of chemistry is limited to a single course." This book is designed for the student who has no previous knowledge of chemistry and takes the student through such complicated t o ~ i c as s oxidative metabolism. Comparison of this book with other texts in the field of chemistry for nurses shows that the authors have deoreased the em-
phasis on inorganic and organic chemistry but haveincreased the treatment of biochemistry. The sections on inorganic and organic chemistry include essentially the same topics as other comparable texts; however, the treatment of each topic is much less extensive in most cases. The condensation of these sectiona results in a very terse presentation of material containing few illustrations to aid the student in grasping the meaning of the subject matter. The biochemistry section is considerably longer and more detailed than is present in other comparable texts. This section is well written and up to date in its content but the reviewer feels that it is inconsistent with the short treatment given the basic chemistry subjects. The reviewer found few mistakes and feels that the hook ia reasonably well written. If the student is able to comprehend the complex biochemistry section after such a brief treatment of inorganic and organic chemistry, the book should he a.valuable text.
