Worlds within Worlds by Thomas C. EmmelReview by: Sheril K. CharbaThe American Biology Teacher, Vol. 40, No. 7 (Oct., 1978), p. 449Published by: University of California Press on behalf of the National Association of BiologyTeachersStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4446350 .

Accessed: 28/06/2014 18:15

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

University of California Press and National Association of Biology Teachers are collaborating with JSTOR todigitize, preserve and extend access to The American Biology Teacher.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.220.202.49 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 18:15:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

evolutionary theory blut nr use by tion :studentsand teachers of biology..

By COLIN PATTERSON. Summarizing the latest ideas of how life originated and diversified onearth, this concise, generously illustrated book offers an account of modern evolutionary theory and how it has developed since Darwin.

The author begins by outlining simple Mendelian and molecular genetics, and then discusses natural selection in theory and practice, alternative modes of evolutionary change, and the ways in which new species arise. He also considers the evidence for evolution at higher levels, especially the evidence from modern molecular biology and biochemistry.

Illustrated with 36 black-and-white photographs, a full-color frontispiece, and 35 two-color line illustrations.

$4.95 paperback; $10.95 cloth

CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS Ithaca, New York 14850

dents in investigatory projects, and it does contain many useful ideas and references that college teachers would find of interest.

Gordon G. Snyder Schoolcraft College

Livonia, Michigan

WORLDS WITHIN WORLDS by Thomas C. Emmel. 1977. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. (737 Third Avenue, New York 10017). (Accom- panied by a Laboratory Manual, by Jill Jordan and Donald Goodman, and Study Guide, by Marjorie Goldstein and Madeline Liff Simon) Textbook, 612 p., $13.95; Laboratory Manual, 296 p., $95; Study Guide, 234 p., $5.95.

This general biology textbook is a well- written, coherent, and up-to-date intro- duction aimed at the beginning under- graduate student to the nature and func- tioning of living systems. The author has chosen a unique approach by beginning the book with an analysis of the entire biosphere as an integral unit and then proceeding chapter-by-chapter to exam- ine the nature of the biosphere in finer detail through life at the community level, biology at the population level, the biol- ogy of individual organisms, and finally biology at the molecular level. This "re- verse" approach succeeds in giving the

student with little or no background in biological sciences a point of reference for further analysis and arouses curiosity about the functioning of the living wQrld. However, each chapter is relatively self- contained and is written so that the in- structor can approach the study in an order other than that presented.

The author, particularly in the early chapters, writes with enthusiasm and transmits this feeling to the reader. The chapter on environmental degradation and pollution is especially excellent and timely.

General biological concepts are stressed throughout the book rather than a heavy emphasis on terminology. The author generously illustrates various biological principles with many interesting examples from the living world. The book lacks some depth and detail; but overall, it is a superior book that would be good for use in any intro- ductory biology course, particularly one for non-biological science majors.

The accompanying laboratory manual is well-organized and well-written, and the order in which the topics are pre- sented parallels the order found in the textbook. The experiments and laboratory activities described are rel- atively uncomplicated and generally do not require a lot of preparation or equip- ment. Each exercise contains many thought-provoking questions for students to answer while they actually perform the

exercise. As in the textbook, fundamental concepts of biology are stressed rather than terminology and detail; therefore the laboratory manual is particularly well- suited for'the student who may not have any further contact with the study of biology.

The study guide would be very benefi- cial to most students. It parallels the textbook chapter-by-chapter, succinctly listing the major objectives of the chapter and the important terms introduced. Various exercise drills are presented fol- lowed by a multiple choice self-test and answers. Each lesson is completed by five or so comprehensive thought ques- tions that are the most valuable feature of the study guide.

Sheril K. Charba Florida Technological University

Orlando

Health

ETHICS IN MEDICINE: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES AND CONTEMPO- RARY CONCERNS

Stanley Joel Reiser, Arthur J. Dick, and William J. Curran, eds. 1977. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press (28 Carlton Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142). 679p. $19.95.

This comprehensive anthology of readings in medical ethics represents a

BOOK REVIEWS 449

This content downloaded from 91.220.202.49 on Sat, 28 Jun 2014 18:15:22 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions