detriil is gcncriilly given t.0 ciinblc the process~s to be worked nccurntcly. 'I!hey sl~ould be very uscful to aturlcnt.~, ~vhet~her C;ernin ti or J3ritish.

€1. E. c. EssEsfrla1.s OP l ' l lYslOI~oGIc'\l , CIII:MIGTHY. By

A . I(. :\lldcrSon, P11.1). 1'1). v 1- 257. x o w York : J. Wilcy S; Sons, Tnc. : London : Chnpninn S; Ilnl l , Ltd., 1035.

This book is w r y siiidiir in outline to tlic niiiiicrous other Arncricnn tcst books on tlic sul)jcct.. It begins d l i n cliiiptcr on pliysicnl chcmistry, discusscs the pure chcniistry of proteins, cnrl)ohyilrntes, and fats, pnsscs on to tligcstion nntl nictiil)oiisni, rind ends with chnptcrs on tlic endocrine organs i ind thc vitnmins. It is written in R stnccuto " toltl-to-the-cliiltrcti " stylc, rind cspccts tlic reirtlcr, t i t lcust of tlic cnrly ciinptcrs, to have priicticrilly no previous knowlcdgc of chemistry. I t iilso suffcrs through bcirig completcly uncriticirl, iniiny controvcrsiul stiitcnicnts bciug givcn as tliougli t h y wcrc ilcfinitcly proved. 'I'hc aut,lior ridiiiits t.liis in t Iic prcfiicc, but tltinks i t better not to confuse tlic studcnt. with tirgitnicnts for and nguinst. I t niigllt be urgucd t h t physiological chemistry is too diflicult n subject to be studied by thosc wlio would be confiisctl by controversy, iind that presentation of' only one side of ii picture is iipt to leavc tlic student with II jiiundiccd mind. Tho meciianisni of urine secretion in the kidneys, for cxninplc, is prescntctl siniply iis 11 filtriitioli in tlic gloincruli find conccntrntion in the tiibrilcs. 'I!his is by no incans :in isoltitcd csuinple of cases i n \rllicll the Look is not only uncriticiil, b u t also innccurutc.

1,. BI. J1.

13s. Gtl.

FIJX I)AAII:NTAI.S OF ~ U I O C I I I S A I ~ S ' ~ I ~ Y IS l{t<t.di*rtos TO HUAIAX PIIYRIOIAJGY. I3y 1'. R. Parsons, U.Sc., 3I.A. 5th cd. 1'1). sii 1- 453. Cnmbridgc : \V,

'l!liis is one of t,lic very hst , if not tlic best, textbook on its subject. For the st,tttlcnt it providcs i i n iidniir- iiblc introduction to plry~iologiciil clicniistry ; for tlic niorc ;iclviincccl \rorI<cr, iiltliough i t dciils only with physiologiuil cltc!niistry iintl tniilics no nictitioii of other iispccts of Lioclicniist.ry, yct it reniiiins R very uscful rcfecrcncc book i n thiit the fiicts iirc stated clctirly nnd cnn bc relict1 upon to IN both nccurtitc iintl up to tliitc. 'l'ltt! test of this edition differs only rcry sliglitly froni tluit3 of tlic fourth edition. TLc size of tlic boolc Iiiis, i n fact, increased only by cightccn pagcs, wlicrciis tlic fourth edition had over a liundrcd niorc p g c s t,licin its prcdcccssors. This is indicritivc of tlic growth of t h subject, which has rciiclictl tlic strigc w'lien thc foi~ndutions tinil t n i i i n structure Iiavc bccn built and tlic bricks tire iiow being filled in, tlius providing plenty of niiitcriul for pupcrs t i t id niore iidvnnccd L~oolis, but little for tho oleincntary ones. Aniongst tho topics discussed moro fully in this edition tliun in tho pro\' ~ioiis onc is thc chemistry of musculnr contrmtiou. A , far moro coniplctc description is g iwn of tho brcukdowu of glycogen to lactic iicid via tltc series of p11oxl)linto

l3cffer s: 8ot1sI l',td., 1035. 10s. Ud.

coinpouuds. The flsviiics rcccivc inention for tlic first t,inie, both in conncsion with the ycllow oxidation catnlyst iilid wit.h vitamin-U,. It is nlso notc\vortliy that tho author is for the first t,ime bold ciiough to print n spntiiil forinuln for ergostcrol, even if only a tentative one. !l!licrc is, Iio\rcvcr, onc Iminch of the sitbjcct wliicli surely dcserves grent.cr incntion thrin it is givcn-thc scs lionnones. 1)cspite the fact t , h t it is stilted in tlic prefiice that they dcuiund inention, yct they arc given lcss tlinn a pigc at the cud of tlic cliapter 011 fiits, ttiostly taketi up by sp;lt.id fortnitlro. Tlic iiuthor writcs i n u singul:irly rittrnctivc stylc for a scientific writer, nntl, \vhilc liis fnct,s tire stnted lucidly i n ii Inngi~ngc i i l l ciin understand, he iiovcr descends to the childish siniilics iind inctii- phors 80 oftcti used by those who try to writc do\w to their public. Altliouglt not intendccl for such people, onc \roiild hare no hesitation in rcconiinonding i t to n ninn wit11 but tlic sliglitcst kiiowlcclgo of chemistry who wislietl to lcnrn soinething of digcstion and the o t h x c:lreinicnl processes in thc nnininl body.

I,. 31. JI.

[ S S U L I S : PJ'S ~ . ' l ~ O l J ~ J ~ ~ l ' l O S , I'UItIFICA'rlOX, ASIJ PHYSIOI.O~:ICAI, l i c ' r ~ ~ s . By D. \\'. lIill, Ph.D., iili(1 P. 0. lIowitt, 1'11..1). Porc\rortl by Prof. JZ. c'. Jjotltls. 1'1). s i 1- 21!). Lotitloll : Hut- oliiilsoii S: Co. (1'i1l~lisl~ers), Ltd., 193ti. 12s. Gd.

Since 1 Xi!, \rlieii iittcinpts t.o scpiir~itc froni t l i c a ~JililCrCilS tin ticbive principle for t,rcntnient. of diiil~otcs niellititx oitlniin:ited i n the succcssfiil espcrinients of lhlitittg iincl Jjcst. iintl t h i r co-\~orker~, :I vtist qitiintity of diit;i tlcaling with the clicniistry of itisdin i i i i t l with its pliysiologiciil boltiivioiir litis ~ I C C I I I I I I I ~ ~ I ~ ~ ~ in the litcriitttre. Dr. Hill i i l l t l Dr. Ilowitt liiivt! now iifl'ordoil it t,iniely and niost itscfiil scrvicc to scit!ntilic workers it1 this field l)y siitlililair- izing in this t i i ~ t i ~ ~ ~ i i ~ ) I i tlic pipers dciilitig with insulin, e s c q h n g only thosc: t~onccrncd wit11 it.s c l i t tied q)plieiitioii,

~lictllit~irs, iind t,liis is followcd by accounts of the prcliinini~ry iittenipts to isolaitc tlic pincrciitk IiohotIc, of the prc1)itriitioli iintl puriliciition of it isi i l i i i by tlic most, recently clcvisctl tccl~niqiie, end of its pliysiciil iirltl clicniiciil properties. The pliysio- logiciil propcrt.ies i i n t l nioilt: of iictioti of insulin :ire ticst tlciilt irit.11, iintl t here follo\\.s inforiniitioii 011 the stiilitliirtliecitiotl of itisiiliii 1)rcp:iriit ions iititl on possible substitiit cs for insulin. Tlic clictnistry of ciirlio- hytlriitc nictiilu~lisn~ in rcliition to insulin rcccivcs iitlcquiitc trciitnicnt. Eiicli of t .11~ nine scct,ions into whicli the book is ilivirlctl includes ti niost coniprc- hcnsivc bibliogriiphy citing tlic rcfcronccs nicntioncd in tlic test. l 'liotoitiicrogr~~~~l~s tlcpioting specinietls of crystiillinc insiiliu i u i d scctioiis of 11s paiiicrciis foriu an iirltiit~iontil fciititrc of thc book. Tlic gcueriil iirriitigc1iiclit of the sul)jcct-niaittcr is good, the typogriipliy is cleiir, iind cross-rcfcrcnces t.o tlic very tiunicroiis cit,iitioiis nrc grciit,ly fiicilitiit.ctl by t h iiut,lior intlos tint1 subject intlcs wliicli coniplctc tlic nlnllogrilpll.

'l'lt~ book O ~ I I S \\it11 i i t l iiccoiitlt of tliubetcs

\v. I I . u. I!