Human Diseases Caused by Viruses

While this book is based on a virology conference that took place in November 1976, it is neither out-of-date nor highly technical, as the proceedings of such conferences often are. It is rather a valuable compendium for non-virologists, especially clinicians, who wish to review or update their knowledge. The book begins with a short history of virology and a fascinating article on the taxonomy of viruses. Of the following chapters, which deal mainly with clinically oriented material, my favorites were those on encephalitis and unconventional viruses. In the latter, D. Carleton Gajdusek presents the history of slow-virus research, laboratory and pathologic characteristics of the diseases, experimental results on the nature and transmissibility of the agents, and implications for other diseases. James P. Luby's article on encephalitis is organized around questions a clinician caring for patients with possible viral encephalitis should be asking; it is concise and enjoyable reading. The chapter on hepatitis is too short-more information on the Hbc and Hb, antigens would have been nice-but it is clearly written. The chapter on herpes viruses is good, but the discussion of Epstein-Barr viruses is almost entirely limited to the work of one laboratory and is much more technical than the rest of the book. The same might also be said of the chapters on papovaviruses and oncornaviruses, but on balance I think their level of technical sophistication is appropriate. I especially liked the dispassionate discussion of the evidence for and against viral etiologies of cancer. A section on diagnostic virology concentrates mainly on preparation of specimens and what one should and should not expect from a virology laboratory. There are also chapters on virus-cell interactions, hemorrhagic fevers, immunization, influenza, and antiviral chemotherapy; the latter two are somewhat dated. Other features are an excellent glossary and excerpts from some of the question-and-answer sessions that followed each lecture. This little book contains 13 chapters, each devoted to one aspect of amino acid analysis. It is not a laboratory manual as much as a critical guide to methods. It discusses theoretical aspects of methodology, ranging from pitfalls in sample preparation to problems of amino acid degradation during analysis. Many technical details are provided, and meticulous attention to detail is emphasized. While there is little historical detail, sufficient historical information is given to provide a perspective to the methods discussed. There is a careful discussion of buffer