Clinical Tropical Medicine

may give an indication of the wide appeal which this book should have. These headings are: Significance of Permeability Studies; Methods of Studying Membrane Permeability; Equilibrium Conditions of Cells; Some Equations used in Permeability Studies; The Nature of the Process of Diffusion; The Structure of the Plasma Membrane; The Interpretation of Permeability Measurements; Permeability to Non-Electrolytes; Permeability to Gases; Permeability to Water; Permeability to Proteins and to Large Lipoid Molecules; Permeability of Erythrocytes to Ions; Permeability to Ions of Cells other than the Erythrocyte; Permeability to Weak Electrolytes and Dyes; Impedance and Potential Measurements and Permeability; The Effect of Narcotic Substances on Permeability; The Effect of Temperature on Permeability; Haemolysis; Membrane Permeability in Relation to Secretion; The Kidney; Theories of Cell Permeability. The viewpoint of the authors emphasizes the quantitative approach to problems in cell permeability. Such an approach, representing one of the first in the field, is of aid in replacing the purely qualitative expressions of the type "changes of permeability" and "surface action" by a detailed analysis of underlying mechanisms. This results in a better scientific understanding of an important property of living cell membranes. This book is of value to student and teacher alike and fills a definite need in the field of cell physiology.