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The next paper, by Bernard L. Horecker, is on aldolase, an enzyme discovered by Meyerhof tliat splits hexose diphosphate reversibly into two molecules of trióse phosphate, and thus plays a crucial role in glycolysis. Knowledge of muscle aldolase , an enzyme made up of four subunits, each with a molecular weight of 40,000, has now attained great depth and detail. Horecker traces in detail our present knowledge of the primary structure of the enzyme, the nature of its active site, and its mechanism of action. Horecker admirably shows the continuity between Meyerhof's work and that of the present day. I must treat more briefly the other contributions to the symposium, all of which are excellent in form and substance. Feodor Lynen gives a fine survey of fatty acid synthesis in yeast and of the multienzyme complex system involved. Severo Ochoa treats the ribosomal factors involved in polypeptide chain initiation ; this admirable survey is now somewhat outdated by progress in this rapidly moving field. Fritz Lipmann portrays the biosynthesis of gramicidin S and tyrocidin . Kenneth C. Holmes, now at the Max Planck Institute in Heidelberg, gives a beautiful survey of the molecular structure of the actomyosin system in crossstriated muscle. Inevitably this does not include the more recent work from Hugh Huxley's laboratory on the role of tropomyosin and troponin, but the following paper by Annemarie Weber, on physiological regulation of die actomyosin system, does deal specifically with these proteins. Ruthild Winkler and Manfred Eigen deal with the dynamics and selectivity of alkali ion carriers. Wilhelm Hasselbach gives an excellent survey of the sarcoplasmic calcium pump, and the uptake and release of calcium in muscle, and David Nachmansohn concludes with consideration of proteins in excitable membranes associated with bioelectrogenesis . The papers are uniformly of high quality; the subject matter, as I have indicated above, ranges over a wide field. Thus the symposium is not clearly organized in terms of any consistent theme. Papers by the various authors, essentially equivalent to those presented here, can for the most part be readily found elsewhere in current literature. This is not true of Weber's essay on Meyerhof, which I have therefore discussed in more detail than the others. Most of the papers are in English, but those by H. H. Weber and by Lynen are in German; the figures in the latter, however, are labeled in English. The very high price will unfortunately be a formidable deterrent to most possible purchasers in the United States. John T. Edsall Biological Laboratories Harvard University Stalking the Wild Taboo. By Garrett Hardin. Los Altos, Calif.: William Kaufmann , Inc., 1973. Pp. 216. $8.95. The author is professor of human ecology, University of California at Santa Barbara . The book is an account of his experiences in expressing points of view that are taboo. Some of the chapters have been reprinted from other publications. The first 10 chapters deal with the subject of abortion. Professor Hardin has Perspectives in Biology and Medicine · Winter 1974 | 293 been a leader in opening up this subject for free discussion and rational debate. He has persuaded many individuals, including me, that abortion should be legalized . The second section of four chapters concerns religious dogma, especially the teachings of the Catholic church, that relates to human ecology. The third section of four chapters challenges the idea that it is of value to man to explore outer space and to make earthquake predictions. The final section includes five chapters on competition. The focus is on the evidence against the competitive exclusion principle, which holds that "complete competitors cannot coexist." This section closes with a critical review of die debate on ecology between Barry Commoner and Paul R. Ehrlich. Each chapter of the book is heuristic. In my opinion, Hardin is at his best when he examines the subject of abortion. Dwight J. Ingle University of Chicago Ask the Doctor. By Morris Fishbein. New York: David McKay Co., 1973. Pp. 216. $7.95. This book is written for laymen who have questions about their health. The questions are selected from among those which have come to Dr. Fishbein, medical adviser. They concern pain, growth, the skin and hair, care of the child...

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