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Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society
Environmental Physiology 2. International Review of Physiology, 15 by David RobertshawReview by: Eleanor R. AdairAmerican Scientist, Vol. 66, No. 6 (November-December 1978), pp. 755-756Published by: Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27849005 .
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the other hand, Daubenmire assumes everyone knows words like caespitose. There are also some inconsistencies, e.g. in the glossary the author defines a vi cariaci as a species or subspecies that has a close relative in another geographic area, with a barrier separating their ranges, but in the text he says vicariism can also in volve the same geographic area and occurs
whenever populations attain any degree of taxonomic differentiation.
Despite these minor criticisms, Dau
benmire has written a very valuable book that contains a wealth of information and definitely deserves a place alongside
Walter's Vegetation of the Earth. Dau benmire is especially well known for his habitat-type concept, which is widely used in the Pacific Northwest, and the present volume contains a useful sum
mary of his system of vegetational classi fication. It concludes with sections on the tropics and marine vegetation.?Graeme P. Berlyn, School of Forestry and Envi ronmental Studies, Yale University
Swine Feeding and Nutrition. Tony J. Cunha. Animal Feeding and Nutrition: A Series of Monographs. 352 pp. Aca demic Press, 1977. $20.
This volume is the first in a series of monographs on animal feeding and nut
rition, and, while completely revised, is on the same subjects as a 1957 book by Cunha.
In true handbook fashion, after dis cussing in a general way practices and problems of raising swine, with some predictions for the future, Cunha exam
ines the various classes of nutrients and the requirements for these nutrients at various stages in the pig's life cycle, in
cluding the effects of stress because of management procedures, different levels of disease conditions, and variations In feed composition. Each nutrient, mineral
element, vitamin, amino acid, fatty acid, etc., is given consideration, and, if known, functions are detailed. Energy sources,
water and water composition, and feed additives are treated in detail. The section on nutrients and their roles concludes with a discussion of the relative value of feed ingredients and their potential sub stitution value.
The final chapers are devoted to prac tical recommendations for the feeding of swine from birth through market or, al ternately, through the breeding cycle, with evaluations of different management practices. This latter aspect of the swine production enterprise is reinforced by the appendix, which lists specific recom
mendations for management, including some of the common problems the swine producer may face.
Cunha states in his preface that this book is designed for a very wide audience, including feed manufacturers and dealers,
beginners in swine production as well as established swine raisers, county agents, teachers, students, veterinarians, farm
advisors, and consultants?and he cer
tainly has come close to attaining this goal. If at times the language seems ele
mentary and repetitive, no doubt this was by design so that the text can serve the multiple purposes of such a diverse au dience.
The book is a worthy successor to the 1957 volume by the same name and will be a valuable addition for all who have a di rect or indirect interest in swine produc tion.?George K. Davis, Nutrition Lab
oratory, Institute of Food and Agricul tural Science, University of Florida
Environmental Physiology 2. David Robertshaw, ed. International Review of Physiology, 15. 264 pp. University Park Press, 1977. $24.50.
Environmental physiology, sometimes dubbed the "study of the impossible," encompasses study of the adaptations and strategies that allow life forms to survive in an almost limitless variety of worldly
habitats. Because much research has fo cused on the adaptive responses of
mammals and birds (i.e. homeotherms), environmental physiology has comprised, to a large extent, the study of temperature
regulation. The present volume is the second in a series of biennial in-depth reviews for students and teachers of
physiology. Its expressed purpose is to sift and organize the current literature so as
to provide the reader with a refreshing modernization of a portion of physiolog ical knowledge, not just an annotated list of references.
In this purpose the book succeeds only partially. Robertshaw, the editor, would have done well to send his own chapter, "The Role of the Adrenal Medulla in Thermor?gulation," to his six fellow au
thors as a model. Alternatively, heavier use of the editor's pencil might have eliminated such consequences of multiple authorship as unevenness of style, vari able depth of coverage and timeliness, and duplication of material. Often the unev enness intrudes, and as a consequence, the collection emerges as less instructive than it might have been.
The temptation is strong to compare this volume with its predecessor, partic ularly those chapters that have been updated. Different authors have taken different approaches in this regard. Mitchell's update of the physical basis of thermor?gulation is masterful, whereas Lahiri's discussion of high-altitude ad aptation, regrettably, repeats much text
(and many references) verbatim from the earlier version. Taylor's pages present a
theory of how environmental and exercise heat loads may be dissipated differently; unfortunately, it fails to convince because
GALILEO
AT
WORK His Scientific Biography STILLMAN DRAKE
In this unique portrait of Galileo, Drake
emphasizes the perduring importance of
his achievements in physics and astron
omy, in contrast to other twentieth
century biographers who have viewed Galileo as, either an inept or profound
philosopher.
$25.00
SCIENCE IN THE MIDDLE AGES
Edited by DAVID C. LINDBERG
This is the first book to examine in depth all major aspects of the medieval scientific
enterprise. Sixteen leading scholars pro vide the fullest possible accounts of devel
opments in various disciplines in a style that makes this the ideal introduction to
the world of medieval science for student or layman. With 42 photographs and line
drawings.
$40.00
University of Chicago Press . Chicago 60637 ?
1978 November-December 755
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of vague or incomplete supporting data.
Some new topics are introduced in this volume. A particularly noteworthy and
informative discussion of thermor?gula tion during sleep and hibernation, by Heller and Glotzbach, explores ground often bypassed by students of environ mental physiology. A chapter describing primate thermor?gulation, by Elizondo, and a summary of the effects of cold ex
posure, by Thompson, complete the list of topics covered. I hope that future vol umes will also include introductory sum maries of other burgeoning research areas.
The genesis and survival value of fever, neuropharmacology of thermor?gulation,
ontogeny of adaptation to environmental
factors, and mechanisms of coping with air and water pollutants are a few such
topics that come to mind.?Eleanor R.
Adair, Psychology, John B. Pierce Foundation Laboratory and Yale Uni
versity
Biokinetics and Biodynamics of Human Differentiation: Principles and Applications. E. Blechschmidt and R. F. Gasser. Bannerstone, American
Lectures in Anatomy. 285 pp. Charles C Thomas, 1978. $24.50.
This book describes human embryolo gical development as an uninterrupted and functionally interrelated series of
movements of metabolites, cell collec
tions, and enlarging organs. These
movements, and the effect they have on one another, are regarded by the authors as the factors which determine the dif ferentiation and growth of the who?e embryo and of each of its parts. It is these changes in size and shape that the authors refer to as the "biokinetics and biody namics of differentiation." The book emphasizes, therefore, a nonchemical but
kinetic and dynamic approach for the study of man's embryogenesis. Profes
sionals and graduate students will find it informative and interesting; undergrad uates will have a difficult time with it. The text appears often to be a literal transla
tion from the German.?Miguel A.
Sch?n, Anatomy, Johns Hopkins Uni versity School of Medicine
Human Anatomy. Doris Burda Wilson
and Wilfred J. Wilson. 470 pp. Oxford University Press, 1978. $15.50.
Human Function and Structure. Dor
othy S. Luciano, Arthur J. Vander, James H. Sherman. 752 pp. McGraw
Hill, 1978. $18. The selection of a text on anatomy, or
anatomy and physiology, for an under
graduate class of paramedical students is rapidly becoming a formidable task. The number of available texts has grown so
large that one cannot help but wonder about the wisdom of augmenting this al
most suprasaturated field. Every author, of course, must be convinced that he is
presenting the material in a unique and more logical, assimilable fashion. Unfor
tunately, all instructors do not share the same likes and dislikes. Both of these new books fulfill the intent of the authors to present the material succinctly and clearly. Whether the coverage is complete enough for a specific group will have to be decided by instructors on an individual basis.
The Wilsons have attempted to attract by incorporating medical implications in the body of the text and by including a very brief section on development and clinical anatomy at the end of several chapters?these are actually too brief to contain much useful information. The basic organization of their book is good but not unusual. The illustrations, bor
rowed largely from well-known and ac
knowledged sources, are quite adequately
reproduced. The new illustrations range from adequate to poor, and several are
rather crudely prepared. I found the use of color in those on the muscular system rather garish and of little value. Errors in the text as well as in the labeling are
minor and can be explained as "a matter
of interpretation or meaning." Explana tion of the unique appearance of a "lateral longitudinal ligament" of the vertebral column or the course of the chorda tym pani, inferior alveolar, and lingual nerves
on the lateral side of the lateral pterygoid muscle will be more difficult.
Luciano and her coauthors present a
different type of book. Theirs is a concise physiology text, which is quite well done, with some anatomy. The coverage of
anatomy is strong in the initial chapters but loses strength progressively and rap idly in the second two-thirds of the book. I like their organization and style of
writing. The chapter on the nervous sys tem is especially well done, and the text throughout has been carefully prepared and edited. The illustrations are quite adequate and good. One of their figures (fig. 7-14) will never seriously compete
with Rembrandt's "Anatomy of Dr. Ni
colaas Tulp" for everlasting fame, but is
nonetheless an anatomical curio in that
the pronated left hand appears to be in an
impossible relationship to the forearm. The extensive bibliography and excellent glossary, which includes a listing of pre fixes, suffixes and combining forms, should be most welcome to the users of this book.?Harry H. Wilcox, Anatomy,
University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences
The Specific Treatment of Virus Dis eases. D. J. Bauer. 194 pp. University Park Press, 1977. $19.50.
This useful review of* an increasingly active area was written by a pioneering
worker in the field. Literature after the middle of 1976 was not included, and thus some important later observations are
absent?for instance, the recent demon
strations of the systemic efficacy of ade nine arabinoside and leukocyte interferon in various DNA virus infections. The real strength of the book lies in its careful documentation of the pharmacology of the agents described as well as the in vitro observations that form the basis for in vivo applications of these agents.
The book is aimed not only at the medical student but also at the practicing physician and the infectious-disease ex
pert. Despite some oversimplification and some outdated information, the book is quite useful and, I believe, achieves the author's goals. I look forward to further editions, which should show increased clinical applications for antiviral agents. Present successes in this area should en
courage work on agents that are more ra
tionally developed in the future.? Thomas C. Merigan, Infectious Diseases,
Stanford University School of Medi cine
Medical Genetic Studies of the Amish: Selected Papers. Victor A. McKusick, ed. 525 pp. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1978. $27.50.
The old-order Amish constitute a de fined and closed population living in separate isolates in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. The particular structure of
Amish society, along with random genetic drift (especially founder effect) and con
sanguinity, has increased the "visibility" of recessive genetic conditions among them. Thus, the Amish represent an ideal group in which to discover "new" re
cessively inherited disorders, to study the range of expression and natural history of
known genetic disorders, both rare and common, and to learn something about
human population genetics. McKusick and his colleagues have been
studying the Amish for the past 15 years, and this volume brings together over 50 of the original papers deriving from these investigations. Annotations and recent
references have been added to bring the reports up to date and to highlight some of the more important findings, so that even those who have followed this work through the years will find re-reading it
worthwhile.
The papers are organized into six gen eral areas?Amish demography, popula tion genetics, studies of known and new
Mendelian disorders, immunogenetics, chromosomal variations and aberrations, common disorders?and provide ample evidence of the usefulness of homoge neous groups such as the Amish for ex
panding our knowledge of the recessive genes carried in human populations. McKusick and his collaborators have made important contributions to our
756 American Scientist, Volume 66
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