Prostatectomy

PROBABLY this book presents the contribution of modern biochemistry to some branches of medicine better than any other recent text-book. After a good discussion of the chemical structure of living matter, in which proteins are well described and carbohydrates, lipoids, and the various special constituents of different tissues adequately considered, the authors discuss aspects of the control and inter-relationship of these components. Enzymes and hormones are presented from a biochemical viewpoint, and the discussion of hormones does not overlap that usually given in physiology and medicine. Much of conventional biochemistry is described in the section on metabolism, which makes up more than one-third of the book. The authors discuss growth, but are concer-ned very largely with the chemistry of nucleoproteins. Some aspects of cancer and reproduction and heredity are presented and, under the heading of pathology, vitamins and their deficiencies and some aspects of infection are briefly discussed. Especially in these chapters the authors have had to introduce some explanatory details not relevant to biochemistry. They sometimes seem uncertain what they can omit, and the purely biochemical discussion of some of the subjects is often tantalisingly brief and of limited value. In general, however, while many novel aspects and subjects not usually described in biochemical text-books are included, the presentation of the traditional material of biochemistry is balanced and adequate. The book is not easy reading and, since reference to its comprehensive and modern bibliography may be necessary to supplement the necessarily brief discussion given of some of the topics, it introduces more topics than any, but the exceptionally gifted medical student can profitably attempt to study in the time available in miiost British schools. The part (188 pages) dealing wvith "biochemical anatomy" or structural chemistry has logically enough been placed first, but this approach is somewhat less interesting than the more usual one, where the practical importance of a knowledge of biochemical structure can be progressively related to biochemical function. It is doubtful if the medical student who studies biochemistry before reading patlhology and medicine will appreciate all the subjects discussed. The book is too technical for the physician who has neglected biochemistry. It will probably make most appeal to well-trained students who are prepared to maintain a good knowledge of biochemistry throughout theilcoulrse, and to those who have been trained in biochemistry and who wish to bring their knowledge up to date.