Book Heviews Progress in Drug Research. Volume 8. Edlted by E. J c C h L R Birckhauser Verlag, Basrl 1965 530 pp 16 X 24 cni Fr./Dhl96.
The eighth volume of this iinportant serieh cont,airis six articleh distinguished, with one exception, by unusual clarity of presentat'ion and excellent writing. A review of the state of antiamebic drugs by G. Woolfe leads off the book. The rhemotherapeutic activity, pharmacology, aiid cliiiicd use> of each major Inoderii antiamebic drug is given, correct structural aiid conformation:il forriiulas are shown, and the e r e c t of moleciilar inodificatioii is di-cussed where enough d a t a are available. The vhapter emphasize< the need for :in orally active well-tolerated agent, lvhic3h c.ould wiitrol I)otjh the intra- arid extruintestirial fornis of Entczmoehn histoi!/ticcc. L. Decsi writes 140 pages on the biochemical ef'fecmi of drugs ar:t,ing 011 t,he C S S . iis a salutorv and very welroine I)ackgroiiiid, 48 pages are devoted to the k)ioche~ iiic~luditig energy-yieldilly processec, iiiterm l r z , nerve cell niet:ibolisin, arid c~heii~iral trailsriiitterh. Thia portion of the chapter is well ~vritt,eiiand affords conc,iie i m d carefully selected infornmtion. T h i ~cannot be raid about the iii:tual discussion of the biocheniical etirct.5 of CNS-active drug.. 1his section is full of deletions, errors i n fact and iri .pelling, aiid in the midst of the other fine chapters niakes tt poor iinpre-aiun. The extensive Iiibliography i I811 rpfereii('es) ~oniewh:it ~:ounterbalancesthese shortcoming^. The third chapter by H. Uelileke (in Gernmrij deal:: n-itli the biological oxidation atid reduetioil :it the uitrogeli atom uf :ireriiatic arniiies arid nitro compounds, :tnd the i n vi00 consequelires (especially irietheiiioglohiii arid verdoglobiri formation) of t h e e reactions. Thercx are good sei+ii,ns o n the niei~liariisnisof Foxidation atid rednction i i i biologir~sl tellis, although freeradical studies 1i:ive not Iieeii cuiisideret Each seexclusive T-. S. agents. 19 1s x 23 C l i i . s9.7.5.
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Selective Toxicity. I3y A n ~ i r .~~ Ls R E R T . 3rd ed. Johii \YiIey and Sons, Iiic., S e w Tork, S. T., and l1ethueri xrid Co., L t t l . . I.oiidon. 1965. xiii 394 pp. 22.5 X 1.5 rm.
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"Selective Toxicity" ha< lung. Iieeii :L favorite with interdiacipliriary readers in the field? of i.heniistry, pharmacology, oheniot,herapy, iiutrition, aiiiiiial husbandry, plant growth roiitrol, and other areas in mhirh a therapeutirally or econoniic:ilIy beneficial effect is to lie nchieved i n one cell species wit,hout toxic. attack upon other cella.. The new edition retain- the structure of previou.: editiuii.; but h:is growi i n size. It tiow iiiiAludes iielv w A ) i i a o i l i,oiiip:ir:ttive I)iorherni+y and molecwlnr i)iology, :&ridthe niode of acbtioii of :iiitil,iotjics, Sections which have heen inucli enlarged iiwlude :qplicatioiis t o pharmacot1yii:tniii.s aiid steric f a r t o r . The author's own coiisider:iblc
T h i j book coiit:iitis the proceedings id il s y i i i ~ i ~ ~ ~oil i i i i,i.i,lii~ii phi~sphamide,held a t the Ro!-al College of Surgeons of Eiig1:iiiiI o i l October 4, 1963. Physirians niid surgeons, ni:iinly from Grest Britiiiii, described t,lieir clinical esperienrea in using i disease. In addition therc. i :I lophosphamjde as mi iiiiiiiutiosuppresive drrig. Th so ( ~ i i i t a i i iit~ bibliography o f npiir(i~iiii~ite1~SO0 referetires :m:inged alphabetically with it'gard to tlie author's o r fiwt :iuilior'z iiaiiie. The index refer.; tlr t h e p:ipers iti the bibliography :I> well as to the text. T h e ivtitributioii~are short : i i i d soiiietiines eoiisibt oiily of t l i e Jverec! i r i ii few lines. Little attenrpt h:i.e the results in u roiisisteiit iriaiiiicr ave i i o t in:ide aii :tttenipt to toniparc: i hi> phniriitic JT-ith other :iv:iil:ihIe tigelits, 01' 1:itiiig :getits. KO c*onii~ienloii thcr rnechii~iisniof iii'~i o i i o f cyclopliosplianiide or h o w i t might tiill'w froin other agent? is iiie>eiited. lack of I)duiirc : i i i t I 1x1 The rrioiiograpli apl)eai's 11)tin Iiaps to the clinic,inii. tive :iiid has little v d u e c s c e p t i i i the latter c':ibe thc l)ibliogr;tph~-might irideed be the r r i o x t I p w t of the kIUIlk. l ~ i L \ S J i1). I>l)l*i'
