The Adrenal Cortex ed. by Henry D. Moon (review)

ing commentary on die organization and support ofresearch in this country. Ifthis book is read by nonscientists, diis section alone should provide much food for thought. How relatively easy it is to obtain support for a project with a defined beginning and a defined end; how hard it is to find the money to pay die man who sweeps die floor ofthe laboratory or to buy die postage stamps or to pay die electric light bill. In his accounts ofspecific problems in which die New England Institute is participating , Heller does indeed evoke some ofdie excitement which comes widi the chase. His discussion of work on die reticuloendothelial system, shark hunting, psychomimetic drugs, radiofrequency, electric eels, and botulinum toxin are good models with which to capture the imagination ofthe lay reader and to illustrate die rich and unexpected rewards which lie in the padi ofdie investigator receptive enough to look up and down some of the side streets which intersect the main highway ofresearch. The audior makes a strong plea for die cultivation ofbasic research, but the distinction between basic research and applied research is, in die opinion ofthis reviewer, somewhat blurred. One finishes the book with the feeling that basic research is applied research with a somewhat different time scale for practical application. We may have to wait a little bit longer for the hardware to come out ofit. This viewpoint seems to overlook one ofthe important motivations for basic research that has characterized western man. Curiosity about die environment in which he lives has been a distinguishing feature ofdie species since earliest times. The reciprocal relations between discoveries ofthe laws ofnature and the utilization ofthese laws either to elevate or to degrade mankind are strong elements in western culture, but it would be too bad ifdie creative urge should not be recognized as playing an equally important role in the discovery ofthe laws ofnature. It is in this underestimation ofthe importance of"science for art's sake" diat this odierwise excellent and engaging book loses some ofits impact. Lewis L. Engel, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School The Adrenal Cortex. Edited by Henry D. Moon. New York: Paul B. Hoeber, Inc., 1961. Pp. xi + 315. $10.50. This book should be interesting and useful to preclinical and clinical scientists who wish tolearn about the structure and function ofthe adrenal cortex and its relationship to disease . Each author is highly competent in his field. The editor has wisely included chapters on the fine structure of the adrenal cortex. All chapters are good, but the one by Roy Greep especially delighted the reviewer by the quality ofhis writing and by the accompanying illustrations on structure. Too little attention is given to the effects of the cortical steroids on metabolism, but an outline ofthese effects is well presented. DwightJ. Ingle University ofChicago 258 Book Reviews Perspectives in Biology and Medicine · Winter 1962 ...