Botany Principles and Problems. by Edmund W. Sinnott; Katherine S. WilsonReview by: Robert F. SmartThe Scientific Monthly, Vol. 81, No. 4 (Oct., 1955), p. 203Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/22011 .

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difficult problems of modern science education. I must confess to a personal bias, but to me it seems as if a clever trick were being introduced in place of sound instruction in scientific principles and, perhaps, at the expense of making those scientific principles meaning- ful in terms of their historical and social background and their philosophic and practical implications.

An excellent feature of the book is a "bibliography with annotations of college science and general educa- tion, 1951-1953" by Vaden W. Miles.

I. 'BERNARD COHEN Department of the History of Science, Harvard University

The Chemistry of Living Cells. Helen R. Downes. Harper, New York, 1955. x + 549 pp. Illus.- $7.50.

In about 540 pages the author presents a remarkably concise and at the same time highly readable survey of biochemistry. This textbook is intended as an intro- duction to the subject for students of chemistry and the biological sciences. Atlthough the organization of the material is not after the fashion of medical biochem- istry, neither is there much of comparative biochem- istry, which would be of greatest value to students of biology. A feature of the book that makes it well worth recommending is the historical approach to many of the classical chemical problems discussed; there are also footnotes of a biographical nature related to the names of biochemists associated with important discoveries.

L. J. MULLINS Biophysical Laboratory, Purdue University

Botany Principles and Problems. Edmund W. Sinnott and Katherine S. Wilson. McGraw-Hill, New York, ed. 5, 1955. vii + 528 pp. Illus. $6.75.

Teachers who have used former editions of Botany Principles and Problems by E. W. Sinnott will be pleased with the fifth edition of this excellent textbook by Sinnott and his associate Katherine S. Wilson. Teach- ers who have iiever used the book will do well to give it careful consideration.

The authors have retained the clear, simple, and con- cise presentation that has characterized Botany Prin- ciples and Problems since the first edition came from the press in 1923. The plant is presented as a living, functioning organism, and botany is presented as a sci- ence against a background of biology in general. The excellent stimulating questions and problems following each chapter, together with the lucid style of the au- thors, should create in students an attitude of interest, curiosity, and critical thinking.

In rewriting the text a number of changes were made in order and content, chief among which is a new chapter, "Plants and life," which emphasizes the im- portance of botany in the field of biology and the life of man in general. The second chapter, "Plant science and its development," has been enlarged to include a new section on the development of science in general

and the scientific attitude. The chapter on "Metabo- lism" has been completely rewritten and improved, and the more technical aspects of the treatment of photo- synithesis have been removed from the chapter on "The leaf" and included in this chapter. Other minor shifts in basic material from one chapter to another and the rearrangement of some of the chapters are evident. The illustrations are much improved over those used in former editions, more than 230 new figures having been added and many old drawings redone. The photographs are of excellent quality and interest.

The change in format of the book resulting in larger pages printed in two columns increases the ease of reading. The publishers have done a better job with the fifth edition than with any of the previous editions.

Even though the sequence of the chapters may not be approved by many teachers of general botany, the book will continue to be a valuable work in the field of gen- eral botany textbooks.

ROBERT F. SMART Department of Biology, University of Richmond

The Elements of Chromatography. Trevor Illtyd Wil- liams. Philosophical Library, New York; Blackie, London, 1955. 90 pp. Illus. +plates. $3.75.

As the title indicates, this book describes only the essentials of chromatography. The eight chapters cover the following topics: historical introduction, adsorption chromatography, partition chromatography, ion-ex- change chromatography, miscellaneous forms of chro- matography, treatment of colorless substances, the proc- ess of development, and chromatography in industry. The small format does not allow complete coverage of these topics, except the first. This chapter is particularly outstanding because it gives a very thorough survey of the early history of chromatography.

The space allotted to the major topics is well bal- anced, with the discussion of the less familiar tech- niques, such as paper electrophoresis, reverse phase chromatography, and chemically modified paper, con- fined to the chapter on miscellaneous methods. There are conspicuously few references. This objection, how- ever, is partially removed by the inclusion of a bibliog- raphy with 17 general references at the end of the book. Diagrams, tables, and color plates are well chosen to illustrate the applicability of the methods and to a certain extent their practicality.

The book is printed on good quality art paper; and while this contributes greatly to the quality of the typography and color-plate reproductions, it does pro- duce some eyestrai!n from the contrast and surface glare. The volume is well bound and very readable. There are very few typographic errors and one incorrect reference to reverse phase chromatography in the index.

The teacher, research worker, or supervisor who desires a general survey of chromatography will find this work interesting as well as useful.

JAMES D. O'ROURKE Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan

October 1955 203

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