The Respiratory Function of the Blood

After the War, when Barcroft undertook to bring out a second edition of his classic, The Respiratory Functions of the Blood, the subject had expanded so much, that it seemed advisable to treat its various aspects separately in a series of small volumes. The first of these, Lessons from High Altitudes, appeared in I925; the second, Haemoglobin, has just been published. It stands as the most complete discussion of the chemical and physiological characteristics of haemoglobin that has yet been assembled within a single cover and for this reason alone would rank as a contribution of the greatest importance. A note of romance in the first volume, dealing with expeditions to the Andes and other adventures, was not unexpected. In the second, Barcroft has shown that even the details of painstaking chemical analysis may be grand adventures both in the making and in the telling; and that the presentation of such material in a vitally personal narrative style need be neither unscientific nor wasteful of time and space. Although there is much in the volume which will be comprehensible only to those familiar with the higher chemical aspects of the subject, the important features of the wonders of haemoglobin, thanks to Barcroft's literary style, can be appreciated by those whose knowledge of chemistry and physiology is far from expert. Certain relevant investigations, notably those of Van Slyke and his associates, have been given less emphasis than they deserve. Some of these omissions will undoubtedly be corrected in subsequent volumes of the series. For the rest, Barcroft disarms criticism by admitting that the book is not a comprehensive treatise, but chiefly "a log" of the adventures of himself and his associates in the exploration of haemoglobin.