Reviews (Edited by A. R. Brownlie)

GUIDE

A Guidebook to Microscopical Methods A. V. Grimstone and R. J. Skaer (Cambridge University Press, London 1972; 134$$., index, 90@)

The title of this book is misleading because the work is concerned solely with biological techniques, and particularly with those involving tissues. Fibres and botanical structures, for instance, are not mentioned. Once this limitation is recognized, the book can be warmly recommended to students, for whom it is primarily intended, and for more experienced workers engaged on biological research. The book comprises a number of short chapters written in a clear, concise style, and containing much sound practical advice. Some of this would have been assisted by the use of illustrations; there are only three, all line drawings. Some sections of the chapters are necessarily short; but in some cases (for example, Fluorescence Microscopy, three-quarters of a page, and Shadowing, nine lines) too short to be of much use.

The scope of the book can be judged from some of the principal chapter headings, namely, Methods of Observation, Separation of Tissues into Cells, Fixation and Fixatives, Freeze Drying, Sectioning, Staining, Mounting, Electron Microscope Methods, Auto-Radiography, Narcotisation, Nuclei and Chromosomes, Bacteria, Protozoa, Insects, Nervous System, Blood. These are dealt with specifically, and there are sections on Saline Media, Buffers, S.I. Units, and cleaning glassware. All this, plus nearly ten pages of references to the literature, and a good index, in 134 pages, all for 90p; very good value, despite the soft cover.

Julius Grant

THEORY

Modern Microscopy: Elementary Theory and Practice C. F. A. Culling (Butterworths, London 1974; 148@@., £1.50)

This is complementary to the book by Grimstone and Skaer, reviewed above, and has the same format and type of soft cover. The author is from Vancouver, and has taught microscopy for over twenty years. The book is intended principally for teachers and students of biology, medicine and zoology. Ex- perienced forensic microscopists, therefore, will find little that is new to them. However, forensic scientists, to whom microscopy is a useful adjunct as distinct from a speciality, will find the chapters on the newer methods (such as the Interference Contrast Microscope and the Interference Microscope and Fluorescent Anti-Body techniques) very helpful and clearly explained, even if they gain little from the introductory chapters, which are very elementary.

Here again, the absence of reference to non-biological applications is un- fortunate in an introduction to modern microscopy. Some outstanding examples of the uses of the modern forms of microscopy are to be found in the fields of examination of fibres, powders, botanical structures and crystals. This applies particularly to fluorescence microscopy. I n this connection, the author has the strange habit of using the term "Fluorescent" when "Fluorescence" is meant; for example, he refers to the fluorescent microscope, a habit particularly irritat-

ing to the reviewer, since the title of the book on Fluorescence Analysis, of which he is co-author, is a victim of this habit!

There are some good line illustrations explaining the points made, but the few half-tones are poor; and the electron microscope pictured is attributed to "Sieman." On the whole this is a useful book for the category of readers cited above, but it could have been rather better.

Julius Grant

PRACTICE

The Microbiological Safety of Food Edited by B. C. Hobbs and J. H. B. Christian (Academic Press, New York 1973; 487pp., £7.50)

This publication comprises the proceedings of the 8th Symposium in a Series on Food Microbiology and Hygiene organized by the International Association of Microbiological Societies, held at Reading, in September 1972.

A wide range of countries is covered by the authors of the papers read to the Symposium; and by those contributing to the discussions, which are also reproduced. The range of subjects is wide and includes the bacteriology of various commodities in relation to food poisoning, the epidemiology of food- borne infections in man and animals, special laboratory techniques, legal and non-legal specifications, and education. Naturally, food poisoning figures prominently in the papers read and there are six papers dealing specifically with salmonella. The magnitude of this problem can be appreciated from the fact that, in 1968 to 1970 there was an average of 6,000 incidents each year and, as these are only reported cases, it is believed that the true number is very much higher. Salmonellae were responsible for the largest proportion of incidents.

Some interesting laboratory techniques are described under that heading. Special mention may be made of the use of fluorescent antibodies for the detection of Clostridium botulinum. In this method fluorescent labelled antibodies are used to stain over-night cultures of various strains of the organisms, electro- immuno diffusion being the method for detecting the toxin.

The book is addressed to a wide range of workers, the pathologist, the statistician, the laboratory worker, the legal practitioner and the reporter. Of these the first is the type of member in our Society most likely to be interested in the book. As is to be expected, the Symposium was intended to provide a specialist's account of recent developments rather than a systematic treatment starting from fundamentals. This is particularly the case with laboratory techniques, which are all of a specialist nature, and a knowledge of elementary techniques is assumed. The section on legal and non-legal specifications is particularly interesting to those concerned with food, and much information is given regarding standards of food hygiene in countries other than Britain. From their very nature, as part of a Symposium, the contributions to this book are authoritative and those concerned with the micro-biological safety of food will find it a valuable addition to their reference library.

Julius Grant

TAKING STEPS IN BIOCHEMISTRY

A Guide Book to Biochemistry Yudkin and Offord (Cambridge University Press, London, 1971; Cloth £3.20: Paper £1.00)

If the reader has access to any standard biochemistry textbooks, let him reach for one now and survey the list of contents. The writer will be surprised if it doesn't read something like physico-chemical principles, amino acids, sugars,