268 Book Reviews

physiology textbooks are concerned with the normal 21-year-old ideal person. Twenty percent of the population are elderly and have the physiology and biochemistry described in this book. Although the average life expectancy has been increased by only a few years, there are some people capabie of living a healthy life up to the age of 90-f- and the problem is what is special about these people and can this be extended to more of the population?

Radioimmunoassay in Basic and Clinical Pharmacology-- Edited by C. PATRONO and B. A. PASKAR. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, Volume 82. 61 I pp, 1987. Springer, Berlin. $295. DM 580.

Four BiBkm Years: An Assay on the EvoMion of Genes and Orga&ms--Ey WILLIAM F. LQOMES. 286 pp. 1988. Sinauer Associates, Massachusetts. $39.95 (hardback), $22.95 (paperback).

The common patterns of protein and enzyme structure, metabolism, and genetics from bacteria to Man and the deviations and variations in these patterns indicate the possible times at which these divergences occurred. The present book traces these patterns from the origin of life to the present day. Topics discussed include the prebiologieal environment, primitive genomes, ancient enzymes, new genes, DNA repair, motility and ch~otaxis, mating types and sex. extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of mam- mals, genetic isolation, evolution of structures and punt-

tated and gradual evolution. It studies new slants and provides interesting reading for biochemists and biologists.

Thirty years have elapsed since Berson and Yalow etuci- dated the basic principles of RIA. Since then, the technique has proved to be of great value in measuring very low concentrations of endogenous m~iators~ This volume has chapters on: RIA historical aspects and general consid- erations basic principles of antigen-antibody interaction; production of antisera by conventional techniques; prod- uction of monoclonal antibodies for RIA; radioiodi~tion and other labelling tecimiques; strategies for developing specific and sensitive hapten RIA; how to improve the sensitivity of RIA; statistical aspects of RIA; validation criteria for RIA; RIA of opioid peptides; pituitary and hypothalamic hormones; non-pituitary peptide hormones: gastrointestinal polypeptides; atrial peptide; adrenal and gonadal steroids; thyroid hormones; cat~holam~nes; pros- tagiandins and other cyclooxygenase products of arach- idonate metabolism; Ieukotrienes; cyclic nucfeotides; plate- let proteins; heparin, heparan sutphates and other sulphated polymers; somatom~ins~insuIin-like growth factors; and drugs and neurotransmitters. This book will be of great interest and value to all workers using RIA.

Advances in Microbial Physiology, Volume 2P-Edited by A. II. RDSE and D. W. TEMPEST. 365 pp. 1988 Academic

Control of Head Movement-Edited by B. W. PETER~QN and

Press, London. f43. F. J. RICHMOND. 322 pp. 1988. Oxford University Press, New York. $47.95.

This volume contains five reviews. They are on: (1) Hydro- gen metabolism in ~~~z~~~~~~nerget~cs, regulation, en- zymology and genetics; (2) the physiology and biochemistry of pili (bacterial filaments); (3) carboxysomes and ribulose bjpbosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; (4) archaebacteria- the comparative enzymology of their central metabolic pathways; (5) physiology of Iipoteichoic acids in bacteria. There is also a detailed author index and a subject index.

Anti-Tuberculosis Drugs-Edited by K. BARTMANN. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, Volume 84. 566 pp. 1988. Springer, Berlin. $325.

Head movement enables the eyes, ears and nose to be focused on specific sources of attention, help control body posture, and enable a varied environment to be presented as a more stable system. This multi-authored volume deals with the joints and muscle of the neck; biom~hanical modeling of the human head and neck; cervical mo- toneurons; receptors of head and neck; central neural projections; hearing and visual reflexes; tonic neck reflex circuitry; vestibular and reticular projections; cerebellar pathways; control of head movement during visual orien- tation; head movement models; and clinical disorders of head movement.

This multi-autho~d volume has chapters on: (I) Historical intr~uction and chemical characteristics of anti- tuberculosis (AT) drugs; (2) experimental evaluation of efhcacy; (3) experimental evaluation of chemoprophylaxis and preventive treatment in animals; (4) experimental and clinical activity of AT drugs against Myxobacteria other than tubercle ba&ili except M. &roe; (5) experimental pharmacology and toxicology of AT drugs; (6) mode of action, biotransformation and pharmacokinetics of AT drugs in animals and man. The drugs can be divided into three groups: those that primarily attack nucleic acid or protein synthesis; those that attack the biosynthesis of the microbial cell wall; and those that attack sites in the soluble fraction of microorganisms. The drugs dealt with are: capreomycin, cycloserine, cthambutol, ethionamide, iso- niazid, kanamycin, morphaxinamide, oxytetracylcine, para-amino salicyclic acid, prot~onam~de, pyrazinamide, rifampicin, streptomycin, terizidone, tetracycline, thicarlide, thiosemicarbatone and viomycin. The recent increase in incidence of tu~~ulosis has emphasized the need for effective treatment and this volume provides the rational basis for such tr~tment, especially the use of combinations of drugs. This volume maintains the high standard expected of this series.

Wroductioo to Tkeoretkzai ~~~~~~-Ry HENRY C. TUCKWELL. Voiume I, Linear Cabte Theory and Dendritic Structure (291 pp.). Vohnne 2, N~ti~ar and St~~tic Theories (263 pp.). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. $49.50 (each volume).

These two volumes provide a rigorous mathemati&aI treat- ment of basic neurophysiological problems such as mem- brane potentials Goldman equation, active transport, linear cable theory for nerve cylinders and dendritic trees. Green function methods to solve steady-state and time-dependent problems and Rail’s model neuron. Volume 2 continues with cable theory and synaptic reversal potentials, Hodgkin-Huxley, Fi~hug~Nagnmo and Frankenhaeuser- Huxley equations, stochastic processes, Wiener and G~ste~n-Uhle~~k approximaiions, Markov models and statistical analysis of spike trains. The treatment will be very helpful, especially to math~ati~Ily orientated readers. It would have been even more useful if programmed floppy discs could have been induded with the volumes to run some of the equations in graphical form, with the reader inserting the required values. Perhaps this will come in a later edition