Biochemistry of Antimicrobial Action. 2nd Edition

This volume is consistent with previous issues in providing annual monographs covering a wide range of topics in medicinal chemistry. Volume 10 follows a similar pattern in consisting of six major sections each edited by competent section editors: I, CNS Agents by M. Gordon; II, Pharmacodynamic Agents, by F.H. Clarke; III, Chemotherapeutic Agents by G. H. Warren; IV, Metabolic Diseases, Endocrine Functions by W.T. Moreland; V, Topics in Biology, by T.Y. Shen; and VI, Topics in Chemistry by R.E. Counsell. Out of 33 chapters included in this volume, 18 did not appear in volume 9. Thus, volume 10 contains chapters on several medical areas of current interest to medicinal chemists such as plasma membrane pathophysiology, current concepts in periodontal disease, radioimmunoassays, prodrug approach in drug design and the molecular aspects of membrane function. These and other newly added chapters should make this volume useful to medicinal chemists in many disciplines. Although this series of reports does not intend to provide comprehensive literature coverage for the expert in a particular field, there is enough material and references in each chapter to enable the research worker to gain significant information in his field. Only two section editors (Sections I and V) have opted to include editorial overviews of the subject matter in their section. Such overviews for each section are certainly needed for presenting to the reader highlights of major developments and possible speculations for new ideas. Nevertheless, the chapters on the whole are well documented and provide a large source of references. As might be anticipated in a volume with such a wide range of topics and contributors, there is, to some extent, variation in depth of coverage. Overall this volume should serve as an excellent source of current knowledge and reference material in the field, and is recommended to everyone who is involved in any phase of medicinal chemistry research. KRISHNA C. AGRAWAL Department of Pharmacology Yale University School of Medicine