Automation and Data Processing in the Clinical Lab

A review by a subject's discoverer and most active proponent usually offers a special flavor and perspective not found in associated reports by other authors no matter how expert. Rocha e Silva's book is no disappointment in this regard and offers a very readable, critical, and well balanced discussion of the important chemical, pharmacologic and physiologic aspects of bradykinin. In seven chapters, Rocha e Silva recounts the history of bradykinin, its isolation, assay, chemistry and structure-activity relationships, mechanisms of release, modes of action and antagonism. Chapters four, five and six are the best, in this reviewer's opinion, rendering clearly and concisely the extraordinary range of activities and actions exhibited by the kinin hormones. It should be noted, however, that some investigators do not share Rocha e Silva's certainty that the role of bradykinin is truly physiologic and not only pharmacologic. The chapter on chemistry and structure would have been enhanced by more than a passing mention of other peptides which exhibit kinin-like activity but not kinin-like structure. The structure of polistes kinin was not discussed although full characterization of this very potent bradykinin analogue appeared in the literature in 1968. Of considerable value is the book's extensive but carefully chosen bibliography containing over 600 publications on kinins and kinin-like activity. A criticism of the publisher must be made. Although well and attractively presented, the book is inordinately expensive for its size. The text, which comprises only 253 pages was set with type at least 10-15 per cent larger than average. In addition, many of the Figures are three to four times larger than clarity requires, thus wasting 44 full pages of text. The volume may have priced itself out of a market, being too expensive for the general reader but not detailed enough for use as a definitive monograph by the expert.