Book Reviews 945

Techniques in Genetic Engineering

Genetic Engineering, 2. Edited by FL Williamson. New York: Academic Press. (1981). 203 pp. $24.00.

Since the introduction of recombinant DNA techniques we have witnessed an almost frenetic display of data gathering from most imaginable sources. Never has the need for lucid reviews been greater, for assessing both what is experimentally possible and what results have already emerged. This book is the second of what could easily be a long series that attempts to enlighten us on both fronts. The book contains four articles, three devoted to technical aspects and one describing achievements.

The first article, by A. Jeffries, describes in some detail the recent advances in understanding gene evolution at the DNA level. As expected, Southern blotting is featured prominently, but there is a satis- factory balance between information derived from re- combinant DNA methodology and that accumulated by more standard procedures. The author’s own re- search interests in the globin gene family provide the overwhelming focus for discussion, and it is sad that some of the other gene families receive so little atten- tion. Histone gene connoisseurs will be disappointed at the treatment of their system. Despite this imbal- ance the review is a refreshing attempt to bring to- gether many of the rather disparate concepts which presently characterize molecular evolution.

The second article, by Dahl, Flavell and Grosveld, is a slumberous attempt to cover the construction of genomic libraries. This review certainly contains a wealth of information relevant to library construction; however, one major defect is its assumption that the reader is ignorant of recombinant DNA techniques. It contains material directed toward the naive reader which detracts from the flow of information to the more experienced reader. I found it particularly heavy going because it was not easily possible to skip the trite material without losing track of the main flow. The final 32 pages of the article, entitled “Applications,” is more like a review of eucaryotic molecular biology than a finale to the technical aspects covered earlier, and I am at a loss to understand why the editor allowed its inclusion. Although there can be no doubt that the construction of genomic libraries is a subject worth reviewing, I cannot believe that it merits 78 pages of this book.

The third article is a very readable review of restric- tion enzymes by A. Malcolm. Most of the important aspects are covered, although rather briefly in many cases. It does, however, focus well on those proper- ties of the restriction enzymes that are appropriate to

the genetic engineer. One very clear message is that these enzymes really are enzymes and not merely stoichiometric reagents. Those who are responsible for buying these reagents should certainly direct their students’ attention to this point.

The final chapter, by J. Beggs, presents a brief outline of gene cloning in yeast, in which the discus- sion centers around the vectors that are now available but goes little beyond a mere catalog. I usually antic- ipate having to read an article on yeast at least twice before beginning to appreciate its message and was a little disappointed to find that this article was easily understood the first time through. While the article is fine material for the reader encountering yeast for the first time, it lacks the depth to appeal to those who would appreciate the first article in this book.

My greatest concern over this book is that I still do not understand at whom it is aimed. The editor be- lieves it will interest both the good student and the dedicated molecular biologist. Three years ago this may have been true, but today I doubt it. The chapters by Jeffries and Malcolm come closest to this aim, but the other two chapters could hope to do little more than interest the student. It is a pity that greater editorial attention was not given to this stated aim, as the subject matter is certainly appropriate for review. An abbreviation of the material by Dahl et al. and a compensatory increase in the contribution by Beggs could have easily resulted in a book worth buying by both categories of reader. As it is, I would only rec- ommend this book to an aspiring student who has not been extensively exposed to molecular biology or recombinant DNA techniques.

Richard J. Roberts Cold Spring Harbory Laboratory Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724

Tracks in the History of Science

Dictionary of the History of Science. By W. F. Bynum, E. J. Browne and R. Porter. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 494 pp. $40.00.

One of the most common errors made by nonscien- tists is to think that science is a collection of facts eveh though the practicing scientist knows that sci- ence is no more a collection of facts than MIT is a collection of bricks. Every scientist knows that science is a collection of questions and problems to be solved; however, one of the most common errors made by

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practicing scientists is to think that because a problem is solved in his or her time it is solved for all time. Paradigms change, and because of this the nature of scientific truth changes, but in the day-to-day excite- ment of the chase even the most philosophical are liable to forget the ephemeral nature of scientific truth. By the time most of us reach vigorous middle age we have seen several fundamental changes in our fields, and if pushed, who among us would not admit that they have winced at the certainty with which they championed arguments in papers written a decade ago? Scientists often lack a long-term perspective on their field because they are so passionately involved with the present problems and solutions. Many histo- rians of science, however, treat their subject as a division of the history of ideas, charting the ebb and flow of changing scientific truth through time-that is, they study the very thing we overlook. This wonderful book allows the reader to see the historical flow of ideas very clearly, thus giving the scientist the long- term view of the historian.

Superficially the book looks like an ordinary dictionary with alphabetized entries of varying length. The short ones define by directing the reader to a series of longer entries (for example, nucleic acid, see gene; genetic code; molecular biology; tetranucleo- tide hypothesis). The longer entries, which vary from half of a page to two pages, trace the historic devel- opment of the subject, often from Aristotle to the 20th century. It would seem that covering the history of an idea in anything but a superficial manner in two pages would be an impossible task, but surprisingly, the contributors to this volume have been able to carry it off. The entries are tightly reasoned, cleanly written essays, shaping the changing ideas about a subject, mentioning the names of the leading proponents of each thought and leaving the reader with a heightened sense of the change in the idea through time. Most importantly, the reader becomes acutely aware that there is no reason why the flow will not continue.

The nature of the entries the editors have chosen is interesting. All of the “hard” sciences are covered, and psychology and philosophy are also represented. As an example of the scope of the entires, there are three entries for induction: induction (biology) re- ceives half a column; induction (electricity) directs the reader to lightning and lines of force; while induction (philosophy) receives a page and a half. Infinity (math- ematics) and infinity (philosophy) get equal space. The biology subject matter ranges from cell theory and inheritance to evolution and eugenics, from hu- mours to mind-body relationship. I found the mathe- matics tough sledding but the physics and philosophy to be enlightening. This mix will vary with the individual reader, but every biologist should enjoy much of the nonbiological material.

Few dictionaries lend themselves to browsing. Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language and a

few others come to mind. This one most certainly can be used in this manner. I do not know how historians will use this book, but I recommend it to scientists for reading in the,bath or en route to meetings. The grand perspective of the flow of ideas of science may lessen the finality of the current interpretation we put on our data but this should not reduce the general intensity of the pursuit. (After all, the fact that few scientists can get the crossword entry for the clue “1932 No- belist in Chemistry” does not reduce the ardor for that prize.) I rambled through the entries tracing the chang- ing ideas on epigenesis and preformation while riding on a train. Sitting next to me was a clean young man intently studying his Bible. It occurred to me, in large part because of the perspective which this book gives, that in our lifetimes the dogma of the trinity which I know as a scientist may very likely change, but his will not.

In the preface to his dictionary Johnson wrote that “Every other author may aspire to praise; the lexicog- rapher can only hope to escape reproach .” The good doctor was wrong about both his own and this dictionary.

Edward S. Golub Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana 47907

Books Received

Adelman. W. J., Jr. and Goldman, D. E., eds. (1981). The Biophysical Approach to Excitable Systems: A Volume in Honor of Kenneth S. Cole on His 80th Birthday. New York: Plenum Press. 258 pp. $29.50.

Anderson, C. K., Jones, W. G. and Ward, A. M., eds. (1981). Germ Cell Tumours (proceedings of a conference). London: Taylor and Francis (published in New York by Alan R. Liss). 448 pp. $44.00.

Carpenter, D. 0.. ed. (1982). Ceilular Pacemakers, 1. Mechanisms of Pacemaker Generation. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 332 pp. $45.00.

Dawe, C. J., Harshbarger, J. C., Kondo, S., Sugimura, T. and Tak- ayama. S., eds. (1981). Phyletic Approaches to Cancer (proceedings of a symposium). Tokyo: Japan Scientific Societies Press. $49.50.

Engel, P. C. (1981). Enzyme Kinetics: The Steady-state Approach. London: Chapman and Hall (published in New York by Methuen, Inc.). 96 pp. $5.95-paper.

Harper, A. E. and Davis, G. K.. eds. (1981). Nutrition in Health and Disease and International Development. Symposia from the 12th International Congress of Nutrition. New York: Alan R. Liss. 1060 pp.

Herbert, R. B. (1981). The Biosynthesis of Secondary Metabolites. London: Chapman and Hall (published in New York by Methuen, Inc.). 178 pp. $29.65-cloth; $13.95-paper.

Hsu, T. C., ed. (1982). Cytogenetic Assays of Environmental Muta- gens. Totowa, New Jersey: Allanheld, Osmun and Company. 431 pp. 545.00.

Jacob, F. (1982). The Possible and the Actual (The Jessie and John