Chemical Microbiology

An attempt to condense the important knowledge in a broad field into a small volume is fraught with danger. It is particularly hazardous when the field at issue is one which straddles two established disciplines such as biochemistry and microbiology. A. H. Rose is aware of the problems inherent in his task, and it is probably due in no small part to this awareness that he brings it off so well. His book is descriptive enough to allow the biochemist to understand something of the organisms with which he works, and it never fails to indicate to the biologist the chemical basis of natural phenomena where that basis is known. However, no book of three hundred pages can give the descriptive biologist or the chemical enzymologist the range of information of an H. A. Barker or a C. B. van Neil. Therefore, the information presented must be carefully chosen for its seminal function; it must lead the interested reader to further researches in the literature. The early chapters of this book, particularly the excellent treatments on molecular architecture and on the role of environmental factors in growth, are admirably open-ended. The chapter on energy-yielding metabolism is less successful. The strong emphasis on general pathways of heterotrophic carbohydrate metabolism leads to neglect of the autotrophic energy-yielding reactions peculiar to microorganisms. A great deal of knowledge about autotrophs has become available in recent years, and almost none of it is presented here. It is particularly surprising to see only three pages devoted to photosynthesis, and one would have liked to see a much more complete treatment of mechanisms of oxidation in chemolithotrophs. The latter part of the book, dealing with anabolism and cell biology, is to be commended. It is up-to-date, stimulating, and well-presented. One measure of the efforts of the author to keep abreast of a rapidly-changing literature is the fact that almost none of the small amount of dated material in the book is dated by more than six months. A final commendation is due Dr. Rose for his frequent discussion of experimental technique. For the active investigator a brief discussion of technique is invaluable in determining the relevance of an experiment to his interest. Such discussions abound here. Rose said in his introduction to the first edition that he feared that his book would have no particular place since it was such a short coverage of a large subject. Those fears were groundless; the book should be useful for everyone from the advanced undergraduate to the established investigator. PAUL T. MAGEE