book reviews This book should prove a fairly good text fur graduate student,sinterested in the study of enzyme catnlysis. One difficdty in its use as a text is the overwhelming amaont of detail included; moch of the specific informnt,ion could be omitted in light of t h e interests and hackgronnd of t,he students. Parts of t h e book, such as the chapter on isotope effect, should be required reading fur s t ~ ~ d e ninterested ts in physicnl-organic chemistry. I n addition there is nn shundance of carefully referenced information on specific reaction mechanisms which will now be easily aecessible t o teachers of bath physical-organic chemistry nnd biochemist,ry. JAM^ T . MCFARLAND lnrliluln of Mol~rvlarBiology Uniumitv of Oregon Eugmr, O w g m 8740.9 The Chemistry of Life: Eight Lecturer on the Hirtery of Biochemistry
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Edited l,v Josczlh A'rcdhnm. P. R . S.. Gonville and Caiw CoIIegc, Cambridge, Englnlrtl. Univcrsity Press. Cnmbridge, Ihglaral, 3970. xxx 202 pp. Figs. and piet,ures. W.50.
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This book is n collceliou of eight lectures, given duriug 10% to 1961 i n n s e i k a t Cnmhridgo Uuiversity n ~ , d e rthe suspicesof tho 1)epxrtmnltaf thc IIislory nud Philosophy of Seicwe in Cambridge University. I h c h lecl~trr rovcw n major aspect of tho devslopmcnt of l,iochcmist,ry. Swcn of lhe leol~werwe1.c givc~lnnd written by emi~tent.British I,iocl~omist~s, while the cighth lerlom wns wl.iltw, hy nn ootstrtnding Cacchnslnvakinn professiotral historinn of soio~rrc. Thwe is also illuminating nnd irlt,ercstill~i ~ t ~ ~ ~ d n c t , i u n by the d i t n r . The topics discussed are: photosynthesis, enzymes xnd hiologirnl oxidnlions, x history of microbiolc,gy, bioehemical signposts it) rteuwlogy, nriimnl hormones, vit,nrnins, historicnl f o ~ ~ ~ r d n l i o ofn s modern L~ioahemistry, n r d nineleenth (.entnry p i o n e ~ rBrilish hioelremisls. I h c h lrotwer dcvelaped Iris topic in his own style. The leehrt.es art. well written (ill the British st j e ) and :we illtereslhg to read. I3seh chapter has x hr.ief bibliography. The aver:we letlglh of each lecture ir 15-20 p:lgrs excepl, for bhe one on neurolom (65 pages) nnrl nnimnl hormones (31 pages). Some of lhr rhnptws, notnbly on enzymes mrl b i o h g i d oxidatinn, were written by :m authority in the field, and it~elurlepeizot~alc~,mrnents, while others were merely histurimd sumrnnrias. Some were in~mnplete, e.g., lhc rhlpler 01) photosynt,hesis inrludrd no mcut,iori of the work of Calvin, whilc athor rhnpters were quite complete. This hook is n good hist,oricnl summery of some significant area* i t r biochemistry. The reviewer was p n ~ . t i c ~ ~ l nfnscinaled dy by {.he story of Ludwig Thudit.hum, described as " t h e greatest of all rcrchvnl chemists" hut m e who was not i n f w o r with the scientific lenders nf his day. Thc book .iecms t,o he free from typo-
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Journol o f Chemical Education
