JUNE, 1951
345
cytoplasm, the cell nucleus, bacteria and viruses; the metabolism, biological activity, and biosynthesis of nucleic acids. Cousiderable space is devoted to a description of procedures employed for the quantitative study of the chemistry of the nucleic acids and for studying their distribution in plant and animal tissues and cells. Methods of chromatography applied t o nucleic acids, the Use of ultraviolet absorption to detect nucleic acids in tissues, histochemical tests including enzymes and ultraviolet photomicrography are given in same detail. The author has been very careful to define our exact knowledge of the chemical structure of the constituent compounds and the manner in which they are linked in nucleic acids. He warns of the danger of generalization as to the chemistry of this clam of substances. T o avoid this, he recommends, for example, that
local architect gets the commission, and the professor in charge of the huilding committee settles down to a threeyear job teaching him, the inspector, the contractor, and himself, what it's $1 ahout. The architect has his grievances also--witness the engineering-minded professor who draws up the whole chemistry building in full partition detail before he even meets the architect! G . ROSS ROBERTSON U ~ r v n n s r ~OF r CAUPORNIA Los ANOELES. C A ~ F O R N I *
SCIENTIFIC RUSSIAN
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Iomes W. Perry, Associate Professor of Modern Languages, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Interscience Publishers. 816 pp. 16 X 23.5 cm. $7.50 Inc., New York, 1950. m i x
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undoubtedly true, as the author indicates, that mme-of the' material appearing in this hook will be superseded by more recent discoveries. But in this reviewer's opinion, the present status of the suhject is so well presented, supplemented with an excellent bibliography for each chapter, that the direction of current investigation is clearly indicated. This is true of the biosynthesis of nucleic acid constituents, a field in which lately significant contributions have been made. F. A. CAJORI
U ~ w t n s r ~orr C o ~ o n n o oScaoor. O P M E D ~ N E D ~ m z n C, o ~ o n - m o
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LABORATORY DESIGN
Edited by H. S. Coleman, Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh. Reinhold Puhlishing Corp., New York, 1951. ix 393 pp. 305 figs. 23 X 31 cm. $12.
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THIS splendid publication, prepared by direction of the National Research Council, unquestionably takes top place among works of its type, and will be a. "must" for all architects and technical advisers contemplating new laboratories. Although the volume includes more or less engineering, physios. eto., it is after all primarily a guide t o construction of chemical laboratories, both academic and industrial. I t s beautiful rendition of excellent cuts on smooth, high-class white paper almost justifies the $12. Edited by the principal technical adviser in construction of the magnificent Mellon Institute building, this hook is a oompilation of 42 articles by competent specialists. I t might he described as the much-revised report of a 26-year symposium conducted by the persistent National Research Council. The editor is to be complimented on a concisely-written work, packed with valuable information. Of the four main sections, Part I , 7 chapters, deals with "general" topics such as Furniture, Plumbing, etc. Part 11, 10 chapters, discusses in succession academic laboratories by specific type-Analytical, Organic, etc. Part 111, 12 chapters, gives fiimilar individual treatment to industrial laboratory types, but with much useful application to university research plants. Part IV, 13 chapters, discusses individual American laboratories, including Mellon Institute, U. S. Regional, Bell Telephone, and Northwestern Technological Institute laboratories. Part I is written by persons with industrial connections, and these authors occasionally show understandable reluotance to compare critically the competing devices available for a given purpose. For example, fire extinguishers m e not adequately trested. I n other words, the building committee cannot learn all that is right or wrong from the printed word. If the reviewer must find something that &should have beon included in this volume, he would propose a chapter entitled How to Get Along with the Architect. We would like to he as optimistic as architect R. L. Wank (Chap. 1) but we fear he forgets that the good old board of trustees isn't likely to go to New York or Drt,roit and employ one of the relatively few architectural firms that really understand this business. The
Iwok ii h s n l on ;irr i h that i.: wl~ol+l~wrtt~dly rupprted the prrwnt rcvicnw. .il+ntirt. .ihouhl lw l.c,lperl to lolltrw the iorel~a.-lnngu3gcsriwtifir. l i t t r,tuw I,? f It+ dt,signing for flwm of special courses on an elementary level to save their time and effort. This is especially true in the case of Russian for Englishspeaking scientists, since Russian h a less common voeahulary with English than do Germen or French. I t is indeed desirable that a soientist, hssing satisfied his first need, should expand his knowledee of Russian into the lanrmaee .. .. in zeneral. In o d v r ro Iwru lo n , d rltc Itu..sl:,n rrtwriliv litcrnrurr cmc shoulll Inaw ;t Icrl .;tn,wrty rI,v s t d v of illwe f w t u n v that itre ~ A S di5tingui4ied from rl.>arnct+ri
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sons. Each contains grammatical discussions with numerous illustrations of the rules involved, a reading exercise, and a translation exercise from English into Russian. Beginning with the eve nth lesson, the reading material constitutes descriptions or disoussions of scientific subjects. The vocabularies a t the end of the book are well organized and supplied with explanatory notes. The list of abbreviations will he appreciated by the student. Although the language used b y writers on different branches of science has muoh common vocabulary, it is regrettable that the reading material is largely in the fields of physics and chemistry. Very little is given on biology; the geological and mineralogical sciences are represented by only one article on crystallography; mathematics is not represented. Lists of Itussian terms and important expressions peculiar to the various fields of science would have been heluful to the students of these resnpctive fields. TIw ;qq,;rrcnl ernplrwis ui lhib hook is
