: i _ ~ _
BOOKREVIEW
distinguish ~he living from the non-
living, are we not just searching for the
thing in nature that should correspond
to a word in our vocabulary? Are we not
hunting the Jabberwock?'
Aknow~lgemnt
I am grateful to D. B. Kell and J. A.
Witkows~J for helpful comments.
References
i Welch. G. R. (1989) BioEssays1L 187-190
2 Gnaiger, E. et aL (1994) What is Controlling
Life?, ;nnsbruck University Press
3 Moore, W, (1989) SchrSdinger:Life and
Thought, Cambridge University Press
4 Yoxen, E. J. (1979) Hist. Sci. 17, 17-52
5 Witkowski, J. A. (1986) Trends8iochem. Sci.
11, 266-268
6 Perutz, M. F. (1987) Nature326, 555-558
7 TimoE.=eff-Ressovsky,N. W., Zimmer, K. G. and
Delbn3ck, M. {1935) Nachrichten aus tier
B,ologie der Gese#schaflder Wissenschaften
G6ttingen 1, 189-245
.... L
The teenage weakling and
other stories
Biochemistry for the Medical
Sciences: An Integrated Case
Approach
edited by S. J. Higgins, A. J. T~tmer and
E. J. Wood, Longman, i 9 9 4 . 1 4 , 9 9
(xiii + 20:t pages) ISBN 0 5 8 2 1 0 1 2 9 8
This is a self-study book that should
attract the interest of students in the
health sciences, it might help them
develop problem-solving skills and
curiosity, and allow them to avoid the
traditional barriers between basic science some being more usefu! than others, but
disciplines and between basic versus
clinical departments.
it is now quite clear that the emphasis
in medical education has charged. Gone
axe the 'day-long' lectures and the passive elements with respect to the questions.
style of education. The responsibility for
education is now translerred, to a large
degree, from the faculty to the student,
Further, there is a great need for
introducing clinical relevance and
motivation for students to seek
information, in this light, this text seems
very timely. The medical school faculty
must search for or create new ways to
present the basic sciences, ways that
capture the potential enthusiasm of the
student while avoiding over-burdening
the student initially. Concepts and
thinking patterns, rather than fact
overload, are on everyone's minds.
Nevertheless, there are few texts available that each case is very 'thin'; it does not
to achieve these aims.
Biochemistry for the Medical Sciences is
a large step in the right direction. It is well relatively unrelated, case synopses. I do
written, clearly presented, concise and
48
8 Symonds, N. (1986) O. Rev. Biol. 61,
221-226
9 Watson, J. (1993) Science261,
1812-1813
10 Mayr, E. (1982) The Growth of BS.ological
Thought, Harvard University Press
11 Haraway,D. J. (1976) Crystals, Fabrics, and
ReMs: Metaphors of Organicismin Twentieth-
Century DevelopmentalBiology,Yale University
Press
12 Witkowski, J. A. (1987) Medical History 31.
247-268
13 Welch, G. R. (1992) Prog. Biophys. Mot. Biol.
57, 71-128
14 Peters, R. A. (1930) Trans. FaradaySoc. 26,
797--822
,t5 Smeach, S. C. and Gold, H. J. (1975) J. Theor.
Biol. 51, 59-96
16 Lotka, A. J. (1925) Elementsof Physical Biology,
Williams & Wilkins
17 De Donder, T. and Van Rysselberghe, R (1936)
ThermodynamicTheoryof Affinity, Stanford
University Press
18 Caplan, S. R. and Essig, A. (1983)
Bioenergetics and Linear Nonequilibrium
Thermodynamics,Harvard University
Press
has an appropriate number of clear
illustrations to make the points that the
authors have in mind. Other strengths
include its breadth, clinical relevance,
and the mostly up-to-date, clear
explanations. Students in the health
sciences should certainly lind it highly
instructive and interesting. I do not think
students or faculties should be, or will be,
'put off' by the selection of cases, some of
which describe rare diseases.
Before discussing my interpretation of
the weaknesses, a brief comment about
the layout. The cases are presented
succinctly. An introduction to the
pi :)blem is provided in usually less than
one page. This is followed by a concise
outline of the problem, including all the
relevant data. Questions are then asked,
most are pertinent. The authors choose
(wisely in my opinion) not to p=ovide
specific answers, but provide a
commentary that addresses all the key
To stimulate the student, further
(unanswered) questions are provided.
Many of these require detailed
information, but are, nevertheless,
important questions, in the final section,
the authors attempt to encourage
integration, both horizontally between
the basic sciences and vertically to more
clinical areas; this is the only area that is
not sufficiently developed to the high
level of the remainder of the book. Finally,
excellent introductory references are
provided.
The strengths of this book are also its
weaknesses. It covers so wide an area
cover any subject in depth, and reads
like a collection of interesting, but
not find this to be a major detraction
TIBS 2 0 - JANUARY 1 9 9 5
19 Westerhoff, H. V. and Van Dam, K. (1987)
Thermodynamicsand Control of Biological Free-
Energy Transduction, Elsevier
20 Broda, E. (1983) LudwigBoltzmann:
Man-Physicist-Philosopher,
Ox BOWPress
21 Davidson, M. (1983) UncommonSense:
The Life and Thoughtof Ludwig yon Bertalanffy,
]'archer
22 Welch, G. R. 'Goethe's Gestalt, Bi/dung, and
Urph&nomenin Biology: A Twentieth-Century
Physicalist View,' in GoetheScienziato(Grieco,
A., ed.), Einaudi (in press)
23 Poland, J. (1994) Physicalism:
The PhilosophicalFoundations,
Oxford University Press
24 Pageis, H. R. (1985) Perfect Symmetry,
Simon & Schuster
25 Curie, P. (1908) Oeuvresde Pierre Curie,
Gauthier-Villars
G. RICKEY WELCH
Department of Biological Sciences, University
of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA 70148,
USA.
because, if the book were much, much
longer, it wo_,dd look like a traditional text
and lose its appeal. It is a distinct
advantage to be able to put the book
down for a period of time and pick it up
later to read any of the cases that one
may find interesting at that time.
There are, however, some points I
would have wanted stressed in a book
that should 'make students think'. For
example, quantitation is underdeveloped.
in case one, the teenage weakling, it is
necessary to know that tlux through
pho~vholructokinase-1 has to be 18-fold
higher to regenerate the same amount of
ATP anaerobically versus aerobically. If
the student appreciated this, it would
help explain why the patient doesn't have
symptoms at rest or during aerobic
exercise. Moreover, in areas where I have
more detailed knowledge, i was less
happy about some of the discussion (for
example, case ten, acid excretors), but
this again is not a major criticism.
As one who has a great interest in
teaching basic sciences to medical
students, and one who has attempted to
achieve a somewhat similar aim l, overall 1
am very enthusiastic about this book. !
would recommend it highly to teaching
faculties to help ~elect and develop case
material, i v,ould make students aware of
this book and encourage them to read it.
Reference
1 Halperin, M. L. and Rolleston, F. S. (1993)
Clinical Detective Stories: A Problem.Based
Approach to Clinical Cases in Energyand
Acid-Base Metabolism, Portland Press
MITCHELL L. HALPERIN
is the co-author of Clinical Detective Stories and is
at St Michael's Hospital, 38 5huter Street, Toronto,
Ontario, Canada M5B 1A6.