JULY. 1950
413
istry, the antibiotics being discussed under the topics: aspergillic acid, gliotoxin, phenazine compounds, lactones, and quinones. The variety of configurations demonstrated by known antibiotics counled with the multinlicity of bacterial enevme systems are takin to argue against'interference with any-single metabolic pathway, such as sulfhydryl group function, as a general explanation for the mecbanism of antibiotic action. Workers who have considered antibiotic production by fungi other than Aetinomycetes, Aspergilli, and Penieillia will be interested in R o b b i d brief review of the Basidiornycetes. Clytacybine and polyporin, produced by species in the latter group, have shown some promise in therapy. An interesting sidelight to these studies is the observation that a rapidly crobing fungus may produce s. low level of antagonistic &b%nce, while the same oreanism can demonstrate vieorous antibiotic nroduetion on a semideficient medium. In such cases, it is suggested that the antibacterial agent is, therefore, a product of incomplete metabolism. Plant physiologists and soil scientists will 6nd a succinct outline of antibiotic production by higher plants. In this lecture, Irving draws attention, also, to the intriguing possibility of employing antibiotics in the control of plant pathogens. While this treatment o m be almost summarily ruled out in view of excessive present costs, it may find furtker stimulus as improved production techniques develop. Then, too, antibiotics toxic to animals may find an application here. More than 500 references are cited. The book is relatively free of errors in makeup, typography is good, and a subject index is included. WILLIAM D. ROSENFELD C*.rrosnu Resmsca C o n ~ o m n o ~ *.I H*~B*.C * L ~ O ~ I *
GIANT BRAINS OR MACHINES THAT THINK Edmund Collis Berkeley, Consultant in Modern Technology, President, E. C. Berkeley and Associates. John Wiley & Sons, 270 pp. 78 figs. 17 tables. Inc., New Yark, 1949. mi 14 X 21 cm. $4.
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TEE development of computing machines is proceeding so rapidly that a scientist is fortunate to know the field in even gross outline. Because these developments are heralding exceedingly powerful tools, scientists will want to learn of them. Because these machines may be expected to affect society considerably, men in many fields will need to learn of them. Finally, because they are so very fascinating, logically minded people greatly enjoy learning about them. Mr. Berkeley has spared no effort in writing the first popular book on modem computers. A clear and colorful expositor, he selects and explains ideas in physics, semantics, mathematics, logic, m d electronics so wall that persons with some scientific training should follow the story readily. The author says the book is for every one, and certainly the approach is broad rather tban deep. The unusual freedom from misprints, the 27-page bibliography, and the entirely adequate index reveal the author's conscientiousness. We are first introduced to machine language, and for orientation are led carefully through the design of a, primitive relay computer. There follow chapters desoribing I. B. M. equipment, the newer M. I. T. differential analyzer, the Harvard "Mark I" Caloulator, the ENIAC, the Bell Telephone Laboratories' Relay Csloulator, and the Kalin-Burkhardt logical-truth caloulator. In each of these chapters there are many diagrams and examples and an operational evaluation of the machine. There is next a briefer survey of the much faster electronic machines which appeared in 1948 and 1949, or whieb are to appear shortly. Findlv. the imaeination is stimulated with sketches of nossible
decisious-all automatic and all in principle possible with present knowledge. One regrets that the author could not include more tban a peek a t the mast recent type of digital computer&-for example, the EDVAC (Aberdeen), MANIAC (Princeton), or Zephyr (Los Angeles), any of which may be operating when this is published. The size and great adaptability of such general-purpose digital computers makes possible a much wider variety of logical spplications and enormously more rapid arithmetic computation. If available, a popular description of these would make a fine sequel to Mr. Berkeley's book. Such a book could add many details on bow the future machine applications mentioned above can be carried out, as well as mathematicslandlogiealcalculation. The reader will meantime need to prepare himself by mastering the present work. It is probably unnecessary to add that, despite the possible sales appeal of the title and the figure on the cover jacket, the question of whether machines can think is irrelevant to their technical usefulness. GEORGE E. FOFSYTHE narrow*^ Basl;*o or BTANDARDII Los A N ~ E L ~ CSa ,~ m o n ~ r *
ADVANCED ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
G. W. Wheland, Profeesor of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Second edition. John Wiley & Sons,Ioc., New York, 1949. xi 799 pp. 3 5 figs. 30 tables. 15 X 2 3 cm. $8.
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PROFESSOR WHELAND'S new text is designed for second-year students of organic chemistry who have bad a thorough firstyear course. It attempts to point out the relationships between the numerous facts of organic chemistry snd to provide an introduction to the theoretical aspects of the science. The primary viewpoint of the book is the structural one, and the main body of argument and evidence is in support of our current structural concepts. The question of mechanism receives secands.~,but by no means slighted treatment, although mechanistic evidence, especially of the kinetic sort, is not developed in extensive detail. A marked dart has been made to examine the fundamental concepts and delinitions of the science, to point out ambipuitiea and inconsistencies, and to substitute more adequate statements of clearly delineated applicability. The book is divided into fifteen chanters.. wrvine in leneth from 13 to over 100 pages, and trcutinc the subjccts oi fundarneutal ronrrpts, addition compomd?, :r&lsnnd bases, s~ruerural Biomrrwm, strrioinucrism, stcrrocl.c~nu.itryof rnrbon and other elements, strain theory and steric hindrance, resonance, electrostatic effects, molecular rearrangements, tautomerism, and free radicals. The chapters are further divided into sub-headings dealing logically with specific aspects of each general chapter topic. An author index of 11pages and a carefully constructed subject index of 37 pages follow the textual material. The book is well documented with references to the original literature, and on many subjects it serves aa a good reference work as well as a text. There are almost 750 footnotes, many containing two or more individual references, and surveying the literature into 1949. In evaluating such a book one might ask how well it fulfills its objectives and how it compares with other trestises of a similar sort. There is no question that the book succeeds in being a "unified treatment of the subject, primarily guided by the principle of the structural theory in its broadest sense," and that it is superbly written a t sbout the level which can be profitably read by its intended reader, an advanced senior or frrs&yes*rgraduate student. The objectives are well fulfilled. In most respects Professor Wheland's book compares favorably with other available second-year organic texts, and in many respects i t fsr excells its eomnetitors. Its laneuaee is lucid and orwise, its emlana~ . . most i&nort&t. it is nontionn are unusuallv c o m ~ l .e and. doymatir ~ n Ioiglily d critw~lwith rcwrd to the rhroreti~dand cxprrirunltal material it trcnts. By its cmphasi~llnc\perinlental
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