Biochemical Individuality

out the proper measure of historical fame to all participants, the narrative may turn into a simple catalogue of names and dates. Both of these elements exist in The Historical Background of Chemistry. As Professor Leicester approaches the modern scene, he has space only to march his characters rapidly across the stage and off into the wings. Theory and theorists come in a somewhat bewildering sequence. The work is saved by the fact that Professor Leicester does stop and linger over crucial steps so that while discussions of details may be superficial, the total perspective remains clear and the main lines of chemical development are lucidly developed. Professor Leicester's ability in threading through the maze of the history of nineteenth and twentieth century chemistry serves to underline his relative weakness in ancient science. Here he has relied upon the somewhat unreliable Abel Rey and J. Burnet and tends to go astray. In spite of the recent work of 0. Neugebauer, for example, he repeats the old legend of Babylonian astrology and Eastern mysticism. One final and pedantic note should be added. Professor Leicester gives his references as a chemist, citing only author and the journal in which articles have appeared but the titles of these articles no where are cited. This, and the fact that there is no bibliography, makes it difficult to use this book for bibliographical purposes. Since Professor Leicester is fully aware of the most recent literature in the history of chemistry and since he also refers constantly to the original papers of the chemists he mentions, he might have been less reticent and passed this information on in full to the reader. The Historical Background of Chemistry is a valuable and useful study. It should serve equally well as a guide to the chemist and to the historian. One of man's most important and impressive characteristics is his individuality. The fact that such individuality is characteristic of all organisms has long been recognized by biologists and constitutes the basis of current evolutionary theory. Implicit in such a concept is the acknowledgement of variance. In an attempt to emphasize the significance and meaning of normal variance, Dr. Williams has written in a clear and lucid style an interesting and thought-provoking little book. Not only can it be recommended to those in the field of medicine and psychiatry, but also to students in all phases of biological science, …