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BOOK REVIEWS
949
usually represented a conspicuous individual clarification. As long as science continues,
the younger generation will doubtless be forced to discover that things are not as clear
and simple as they had appeared to the last Nobel Laureate. Perhaps the progress of science
does represent an alternation between peaks of clarity and vales of obscurity. This does not
mean that the peaks, or those who achieve them, are unimportant.
Doubtless Dr. Stevenson felt that the laureates' assembled descriptions of their own
work presented a challenging opportunity to communicate something of the sweep and scope
of modern medical science to those whose knowledge in the field was either broadly small or
highly restricted and specialized. It is a little staggering to contemplate the bulk of altruistic scholarly toil which has gone into this small volume. The selections and translations
(most of the latter "prepared for their present use") are excellent. The photographs of
the laureates are a pleasant thing to have around. Dr. Stevenson's editorial modesty appears
a trifle excessive. With the aid of the index of physicians, the reviewer was able to find
a Dr. L. G. Stevenson listed in Baltimore, a medical graduate from London, Ontario, whose
recent publications have been in the field of medical history. If these data do apply to the
editor of this volume, it would surely have not been egocentric for him to have told us so
in his preface!
The reviewer therefore feels regretful and apologetic over his personal reaction that the
attempt at communication doesn't quite come off. In the nature of things, such communication is difficult, and perhaps impossible. One would hope that readers with no previous
knowledge of medical science would obtain from Dr. Stevenson's volume an aching desire
to know more rather than a complacent feeling that they understood everything. For prospective earnest inquirers Dr. Stevenson has provided short and well-chosen bibliographies.
To those who know a little about any of the subjects or individuals discussed, the condensations will, however, appear arbitrary and over-simplified.
Thus the reviewer looked (quite unreasonably no doubt) for some indication in the biographic sketch of Dr. Erlanger of that modest scholarly cordiality which had made "Smoky
Joe" so deeply beloved by generations of students and faculty at Washington University,
and which gave so much personal satisfaction to so many when he was awarded a Nobel
prize. Grounds for discontent with some of the "Consequences in Theory and Practice"
are perhaps less capricious. Thus the sentence in the discussion of Golgi's work which deals
with gliomas and intracranial sarcomas gives an unwarranted suggestion of the relative
importance of the latter and of their extracranial metastases. While the reviewer is one of
the ornery recalcitrants on the subject of dicoumarol treatment in myocardial infarction,
he was a little surprised to see no mention of this in the discussion of the "consequences"
of Dam's work on vitamin K. Other instances would no doubt occur to others with specialized interests. It is easy to criticize such things, but difficult for the critic (or anyone else)
to do any better.
Bakersfield, California
ROBERT W. HUNTINGTON, J R .
The Psychological Variables in Human Cancer. A Symposium. Ed. by JOSEPH A. GENGERELLI,
Professor of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, AND FRANK J. KIRKNER. 135 pp., 10 figs., 17 tables, 1 plate. $3.00. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1954.
This volume represents a collection of talks given during a symposium at the Veterans
Administration Hospital in Long Beach, California, in the fall of 1953. The title was extremely well chosen, and the contents confirm the fact that this is an extremely difficult
field from which to obtain any firm conclusions.
For years the relationship between the psychologic behavior of patients and the course
of neoplastic diseases has been suggested. This volume strengthens this suggestion. The
problem, as pointed out in the book, stems from the difficulty in obtaining truly objective
data under controlled conditions, both with respect to the psychologic and medical fields.
Despite attempts to quantitate the data by the use of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Wechsler-Bellevue, and the Rorschach tests, which were
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performed in accordance with proper s t a n d a r d s , the objective d a t a obtained were n o t
conclusive. T h e criteria for distinguishing between fast-growing and slow-growing t u m o r s ,
based primarily on survival time, could be questioned. Determination of t h e value of
chymotrypsin and rennin-inhibitor levels in the serum require more definition before t h e y
can be used as a reliable a n d objective measure of effective t h e r a p y as s t a t e d .
While one would not doubt the experiences related a t the symposium, i t should b e
realized t h a t a repetition of similar studies in other settings would n o t necessarily produce
the same results. This indicates a strong need for continuing replication of similar types of
experiments before this problem will be resolved unequivocallj'. This volume will be of
value only to those specifically interested in the relationship of psychologic factors a n d
human cancer. I t m a y , indeed, prove misleading to others.
Duarte,
California
HOWARD R. BIERMAN
Outlines of Enzyme Chemistry. B y J. B . N E I L A N D S AND P A U L K . STUMPF. 315 p p . , 24 figs.,
24 tables. $6.50. New York: John Wiley & Sons, I n c . , 1955.
This book represents a valiant a t t e m p t to encompass t h e tremendously broad field of
enzymology within a relatively brief account. T h e a u t h o r s ' distinguished contributions
have been almost exclusively in t h e field of oxidative metabolism. T h e enormous difficulties
which any small and highly specialized group of authors would face in approaching a task
of this magnitude remind t h e reader of t h e old advice: " D r i n k deep or t a s t e not t h e Pierian
spring."
T h e book is divided into 4 p a r t s , t h e first 2 of which are "General P r i n c i p l e s " and "Phj'sical C h e m i s t r y . " P a r t 3 is called "Types of Coenzymes and E n z y m e s , " and p a r t 4 is labelled
"Metabolic P a t t e r n s . " T h e first t w o p a r t s occupy fully half of t h e book, a n d constitute a
discussion of a series of unrelated physicochemical phenomena (the definition of electrostriction on page 14 is incorrect), and methods of preparation and characterization of
enzymes. P a r t 3 discusses various enzyme systems. A number of egregious half-truths, halferrors occur in this section, such as t h e s t a t e m e n t on page 191 t h a t " T h e D - f o r m of synthetic
peptides is completely i n e r t . " Only in p a r t 4 do the authors, contemplating their own field
of competence, write with mastery and assurance. I t is the reviewer's conclusion t h a t t h e
authors have a t t e m p t e d far too much, and t h a t t h e designation " o u t l i n e " in the title of a
book does n o t excuse superficial t r e a t m e n t .
Bethesda,
Maryland
JESSE P. GREENSTEIN
Metabolic Interrelations. Transactions of t h e Fifth Conference. E d . b y EDWARD C. R E I F E N STEIN, J R . , Director, Biological and Therapeutic Research, Schering Corporation, Bloomfield, New Jersey. 386 p p . , 126 figs., 42 tables. $5.00. New York: Josiah Macy, J r . Foundation, 1954.
This book represents a scientist's dream-land: a faithful record of formal discussions by
recognized laboratory and clinical investigators interrupted by pertinent informal questions, speculations and whimsical comments by members of t h e group. T h e material in this
volume arises from t h e Fifth Conference on Metabolic Interrelations sponsored by t h e
Josiah Macy, J r . , Foundation which was held early in 1953. T h e general topic of this conference was the physiologic chemistry of calcium and the topics discussed included t h e
n a t u r e of t h e calcium compounds in blood, effects of vitamin D and hormones on utilization
of calcium, electron micrography of bone, nutritional biochemistry of calcium, requirements for calcium and phosphorus in bone growth, chelating agents and calcium metabolism
•—in all, 24 brief discussions in highly specific aspects of calcium metabolism.
T h e references are conveniently arranged as footnotes and there is an extensive subject
index.
T h e conferences were set up not only t o "exchange ideas, experiences, d a t a , and metho d s , " b u t also to promote "meaningful communication between scientific disciplines."
These sessions much have been a delightful experience for the p a r t i c i p a n t s ; the record is
too brief and diffuse t o be of immediate help t o t h e busy laboratory worker.
Detroit
A R T H U R H . SMITH