BOOKS
Seeking the Meaning of Biochemistry thing that could support a preconceived thesis. In the book's five lavishly referenced chapters, he asks perplexn this book I offer my opinions ing questions that often have no ready about the efforts of some scienanswers but that prompt thoughts and tists, philosophers, historians, and reflections. Whether the topic is skeptisociologists to clarify problems which cism, perspectives on the scientific have arisen from the development of method, the interplay of biology and the sector of scientific inquiry that inchemistry, approaches to the history of volves the interplay of chemical and bibiochemical sciences, or reflections on ological thought and practice," writes the biochemical literature—Fruton's Joseph S. Fruton in "A Skeptical Bioskill as a philosopher sustains one's inchemist." terest. Like Pyrrho, founder of a school Looking back on six decades of bioof extreme skeptics in ancient Greece, chemical research, Fruton, who is EuFruton suspends judgment on all propgene Higgins Professor Emeritus at Yale ositions, using doubt, in all its gradaUniversity, draws on his vast scholartions up to outright disbelief, to quesship to write a history of the interplay of tion a vast body of assumptions that chemistry and biology. In the process, he have been taken for granted. becomes a "magister ludi," a teacher Philosophical examination who tempts the reader to follow him in The book's ample subject index this game of stringing the pearls of new strikes a balance between chemical of the interplay of insights he uncovers. Clearly and intencompounds and methods, on the one chemistry and biology tionally, his book follows in the footsteps hand, and philosophical terms and key of Robert Boyle's "The Sceptical Chy- invites a deep consideration words, on the other. There is hardly mist" (1661) and Joseph Needham's one important thinker, philosopher, or "The Sceptical Biologist" (1929). historian missing in the index of perfor the mystery of life sonal names, and all are painstakingly Fruton recently turned 80. Many seresearched for year of birth and death. nior biochemists are grateful to him for the legacy he has already left in his "A Skeptical Biochemist/' by Joseph Nor are any major classical or modern books, among them, "The Place of Bio- S. Fruton, Harvard University Press, 79 treatises absent in the lucidly arranged chemistry in the University" (1951) and Garden St., Cambridge, Mass. 02138, and extensive bibliography. As an unabashed deviationist, Fru"Molecules and Life" (1972). The old 1992, 330 pages, $29.95 ton is sure to ruffle some feathers. He adage, "the style is the man," promptclearly shows how much the writing of ed Fruton's impressive treatise "Conhistory, any history, is a function of the trasts in Scientific Style" (1990), in which he brings to life the laboratories talism, which says that life is in some Zeitgeist—the spirit of the times—and and research of pioneers such as Emil part self-determining. Fruton offers that past events, like most of our memFischer, Franz Hofmeister, Justus von German philosopher Immanuel Kant's ories, are subject to constant reinterpreLiebig, and their scientific progeny. perception of ends and means as a tation and recategorization. Those "General Biochemistry," a textbook guide to interpreting structure and schooled in the art of interpreting past that Fruton and his wife (Sofia Sim- function. He views concept and meth- events must unmask nostalgia and mymonds) coauthored in 1958, has led od as having dualistic counterparts in thology, not only in scientific reporting many young chemists into the field of symbols and ideas and in language and but more so in some scientific autobibiochemistry. thought, which, he notes, must coexist ographies. An expert in the chemistry of proIn trying to come to grips with the in scientific reporting. Reading these challenge he set for himself in "A Skep- passages, I was reminded of the wis- teins and proteolytic enzymes, Fruton tical Biochemist," Fruton exemplifies dom of the aging German poet Johann dwells at length on Frederick Sanger's the dual nature of mind and body in W. von Goethe, who tried to see nature pioneering sequencing of insulin's 104 the many dichotomies that are posed in terms of polarity and gradation— amino acids in 1952. Fruton's purpose: to teach professional philosophers of by the interplay of mechanistic and Polaritàt und Steigerung. life-oriented viewpoints. These viewIn selecting thought-provoking ex- science a lesson on the scientific methpoints arise from the doctrines of amples from what he describes as "the od. He shows how Sanger's work mechanism, which says the processes vast cauldron of available historical opened the way to modern protein of life can be explained by the laws of data," Fruton neither accidentally nor chemistry, demystifying a field fraught chemistry and physics alone, and of vi- intentionally omits or includes any- with misleading arguments and risky Reviewed by Bernhard Witkop
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BOOKS hypotheses. Fruton probes the question of whether macromolecules such as insulin and hemoglobin exhibit properties in living cells that are not observable in the test tube. This is the question asked by organicism, a doctrine that explains life and living processes in terms of the levels of organization of living systems rather than in terms of the properties of their smallest components. The same question was asked by François Jacob, who proposed in 1970 that simple "intégrons" unite to form networks of intégrons at a higher level. It is a problem of the relationship of the part to the whole. Fruton credits Max Perutz, whom he views as one of the chief originators of the discipline of molecular biology, with helping to clarify this relationship. Perutz, through his x-ray analysis of hemoglobin in 1959, was able to explain in chemical terms how the packing and interaction of the molecule's four-component polypeptide chains effect the uptake of oxygen. This question had previously baffled physiologists and biochemists. Layers of increasing complexity and holistic principles figure for Fruton as dualisms, which he likens to the two immortal monsters of Greek mythology that beset the waters traversed by Odysseus in his wanderings: "the Scylla of crude biochemical reductionism and the Charybdis of obscurantist vitalist holism, inspired by 19th century romanticism." Although Fruton's attitude may be justified in many instances, very difficult problems, such as the dichotomy between mind and brain, leave the choice between the two extremes wide open. Fruton believes "the vast increase in the population of molecular biologists competing with ever narrower areas of inquiry" bodes ill for the unfettered diversity of biological and chemical thought and practice. The chapter on reflections on the biochemical literature should be required reading for all authors of scientific papers, who may never have given heed to the origin or changing meaning of words. Proteins, enzymes, hormones, genes, and affinity (which to Goethe was "elective attraction") are some words whose meaning has changed drastically with time. British philosopher John Locke's dictum: "Words, in their primary or immediate signification, stand for nothing but the ideas in 32 NOVEMBER 9,1992 C&EN
the mind of him that uses them," is obvious when we look at the word "messenger." Once denoting a servant of sovereigns, this word now also is used to describe cell dispatchers essential to life and its propagation. Clearing away the confusion and ambiguities of jargon is one of Fruton's major concerns. "A Skeptical Biochemist" could become a lodestar for scientists on their never-ending quest for the mystery of life. Fruton says he was inspired by the character Martin Arrowsmith in Sin-
clair Lewis' novel "Arrowsmith" to seek a career in biochemistry and, in this sense, refers to some great books as catalysts. "A Skeptical Biochemist" could well be such a catalyst, drawing receptive readers to seek a career in the life sciences, with their many challeng es and unsolved problems. Bernhard Witkop is an institute scholar at the National Institutes of Health, follow ing 30 years (1957-87) as chief of NIH's oldest laboratory, its laboratory of chemis try, π
Paperbacks
Foundations of Colloid Science. Vol. 2. Robert J. Hunter, viii + 414 pages. Ox ford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1992. $39.50.
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Introduction to Colloid and Surface Chemistry. 4th Ed. Duncan J. Shaw. 306 pages. Butterworth-Heinemann, 80 Montvale Ave., Stoneham, Mass. 02180. 1992. $27.95. Laboratory Decontamination and De struction of Carcinogens in Laborato ry Wastes: Some Mycotoxins. M. Castegnaro et al. viii + 63 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1992. $20. Mini-Activities for Earth Science Class es. Robert G. Hoehn. ix + 160 pages. J. Weston Walch, Publishers, P.O. Box 658, Portland, Me. 04104-0658. 1992. $20.95. Protein Targeting and Secretion. Brian M. Austen, Olwyn M. R. Westwood. ix + 81 pages. Oxford University Press, 200 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016. 1991. $14.95. Strategies for Assessing the Safety of Foods Produced by Biotechnology, iv + 59 pages. World Health Organization Publications, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzer land. 1991. $9.90.
Synthetic Aspects of the Fluorination of Organic Compounds. G. G. Furin. χ + Environmental Regulation Through 140 pages. Harwood Academic Pub Strategic Planning. Steven Cohen, lishers, P.O. Box 786, Cooper Station, Sheldon Kamieniecki. xvii + 194 pages. New York, N.Y. 10276. 1991. $38, £21. Westview Press, 5500 Central Ave., Boulder, Colo. 80301-2847.1991. $29.50. Verification of Dual-use Chemicals un der the Chemical Weapons Conven Food: Facts and Fiction. Ralph I. Freudtion: The Case of Thiodiglycol. S. J. enthal, Susan Loy Freudenthal. viii + 196 Lundin, editor, χ + 144 pages. Oxford pages. Hill & Garnett Publishing Inc., University Press, 200 Madison Ave., P.O. Box 810847, Boca Raton, Ha. 33481New York, N.Y. 10016. 1992. $35. 0847. 1991. $9.95. Foundations of College Chemistry. 4th Waves and Patterns in Chemical and Bio logical Media. Harry L. Swinney, Val Alternate Ed. Morris Hein. xiv + 515 entin I. Krinsky, editors, ix + 256 pages. pages. Brooks/Cole Publishing Co., MIT Press, 55 Hayward St., Cambridge, 511 Forest Lodge Rd., Pacific Grove, Mass. 02142. 1992. $27.50. Π Calif. 93950-5098. 1991. $42.
