Download Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations

BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS
326
Textbook of Biochemistry with Clinical Correlations
T. M. DEVLIN (Editor)
John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, 1982,pp. 1265, f26.50
It is clear that the dawn of the ‘Age of Relevance’ is about to
bring forth a spate of books aiming to merge basic and clinical
biochemistry for the medical student, and the prize for the best
will not be easily won. Relevance lies as much in the selection
and manner of presentation of basic biochemistry as in the
introduction of clinical material, and on this point few
concessions are made in this book. The basic material forms the
core, with the clinical material for the most part segregated into
blocks of text in grey windows. Some authors have made more
effort than others to tailor the basic material to the clinical
context, but, by and large, wealth of biochemical detail
predominates in the core material.
A dilemma facing the writers of textbooks consists in whether
to write a work of reference, which most textbooks to some
extent aim to be, or whether to write a text that provides a
readable source of learning for the student. Most authors
attempt a compromise between these two entirely conflicting
requirements, and the student must make the best of it. In any
book that is over lo00 pages, it is clear that the option has been
exercised towards the reference work. The 1265 pages of the
book contain an enormous amount of information, and virtually
every enzyme system that could have any general application to
human biochemistry is covered in extensive detail, e.g. 5 pages
on the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex, including reference to
the bacterial enzyme. Thus, although the book has some good
overview sections, the problem is that many students will fail to
see the wood because of the trees. On grounds of size alone, I
doubt whether this will become a first choice for the average
British medical student, who, anticipating the expansion of the
anatomy and physiology notes towards the end of the course,
will seek a less formidable textbook. The cost is also, at present,
prohibitive.
One can find the usual crop of small points. One example is
on page 170, where, in Fig. 4.16, the distinction drawn between
active site and substrate-binding site would be better drawn
between catalytic site and substrate-binding site, and, although
this is rectified in the text on p. 171, diagrams are in some ways
more important than text. Thus on p. 223, two angles that
manifestly to the eye are different are both labelled 123O, and on
measurement it transpires that one is 11 l o and the other 132O,
perhaps because the artist found difficulty in fitting the fatty
acids, in which they occur, into the allotted space.
In many ways, of course, this is an excellent book and
contains a great deal of information, covering topics that are not
normally included in textbooks of ‘pure’ biochemistry, such as
the plasma lipoproteins, the composition of bile and others too
numerous to list. As teachers we shall all be very glad as these
compendia to knowledge reach our bookshelves, and certainly
they will have their place in the library for reference by students
and clinicians on specific points. Books that present biochemistry in a clinical context are badly needed, as it is clear
that none of the books on ‘pure’ biochemistry, even the most
popular, is at all suitable for medical students. Thus, if Devlin
and his colleagues may not have entirely succeeded, they have
certainly done a good job in leading the way to the first major
book of its kind (in English), and any successful competitor will
have to do better than this. A sobering thought indeed for those
who might consider attempting it!
A. D. SMITH
Biochemistry Illustrated: Being an Illustrated Summary of the Subject for Medical and Other
Students
PETER N. CAMPBELL and ANTHONY D. SMITH
Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 1982,pp. 225. f7.50
This book is constructed around illustrations accompanied by
outline notes. The level at which it is aimed, though varying with
the subject matter, is about that of a pre-clinical biochemistry
course or Part I of a biochemistry degree.
It is always refreshing to see a new approach to material
which can sometimes appear rather tedious when presented in
traditional format. The visual approach used here works well in
concept, largely because the book is very well laid out and most
of the illustrations are very clear. It is not entirely novel, since a
similar, slightly more imaginative approach has been used with
some success by Edelman and Chapman in their more
elementary book, entitled, Basic Biochemistry.
My initial reaction, then, was one of enthusiasm, but this
quickly gave way to disappointment as mistake after mistake
became evident. Most of these are small, careless errors in the
presentation of structures, some of which could be quite
confusing to students and which mar an otherwise substantially
sound book.
In the presentation of amino acid structures, a mistake made
in the ionization state of histidine is rather important, since this
amino acid is used to illustrate titration two pages later. An
illustration of non-covalent bonds in proteins shows an
un-ionized aspartate side chain alongside an ionized glutamate
in the same diagram. Other structures wrongly represented
include both phosphate and ornithine in the urea cycle, FAD,
cholesterol and ATP (twice, once showing ionized hydroxyl
groups on the ribose!). I could extend the list.
With regard to the overall content, coverage is rather varied
in depth from subject to subject. Prostaglandins, for example,
are well covered for a book at this level and leukotrienes even
get a mention. The Michaelis-Menten equation, however, does
not and is only indirectly referred to, in inverted form, beneath a
picture of a double-reciprocal plot. On the positive side, I was
very pleased to see much medically relevant information
presented in a clear and interesting manner at appropriate
points.
As a sole textbook for a course this would not be suitable,
since the brevity of the text leaves many concepts inadequately
explained, and I was frequently left with the impression that it
would be a very clear book to someone who already understood
its content. However, in a second edition with errors corrected, it
would be valuable principally for revision or ancillary reading
for students and as a source of illustrations for lecturers.
W. RICHARD CHEGWIDDEN
1983