Editorial: Book Reviews in Perspectives

PERSPECTIVES IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE Volume 19 · Number 2 · Winter 1976 EDITORIAL: BOOK REVIEWS IN PERSPECTIVES Of the innumerable books published today at the interface of science and medicine, only a few can be considered for review in Perspectives. In discovering the essence of a book and the aim and spirit of the author, the reviewer usually reveals something of himself. This meticulous and scholarly evaluation is calculated to encourage both readers and buyers. Internationally acknowledged authorities as well as experts who are yet to establish their reputations are invited to review forPBM. x Provocative views are not eschewed, and no restrictions are placed on reviewers who are expected to ascertain the true value and meaning of a book and to examine its unique interrelationship with "creatures, things, and actions ." William Hazlitt has said: "There are only three pleasures in life pure and lasting, and all are derived from inanimate things—books, pictures, and the face of nature." The most precious possession of a biologist or a practicing physician, therefore, ought to be his personal library. The problem lies in selecting only the most worthy of newly published books. To coordinate, organize, regulate, and advise today on an unprecedentedly burgeoning body of scientific data and professional publications, Perspectives will continue to seek out the most appropriate and devoted reviewers. No book will be savaged, merely savored for the delight of the sophisticated palates of our readers.—J. W. M. 'This issue contains critiques by Raymond Fink, Ronald Singer, John C. Eccles, J. W. Mostert, E. Chargaff, D. W. Benson, J. D. Burrington, and D. J. Ingle. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine · Winter 1976 | 155 ...