522 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS doing this work an injustice. This is not a second edition but primarily a collection of essays on important aspects of protein chemistry which had not previously appeared in the first edition. The editor must be congratulated on having excluded from this "second edition" most material which had been presented in the first edition. The book is made up of six chap- ters, all of them written by experts in their respective fields. The first of these, by Light and E. L. Smith, is concerned with the analysis of amino acids in peptides and pro- teins. This chapter, together with the addendum by Tristram and R. H. Smith, is a brief introduction to problems and new techniques of amino acid analysis. Chapter II by Hoffmann and Katsoyannis discusses the labora- tory synthesis of peptides of bio- logical chemistry. This chapter is the first comprehensive review of this important subject and should be a primary source of information for all who are interested in this field. In contrast, Chapter III is con- cerned with the synthesis of pro- teins in biological organisms. This chapter, by Fenton, is a most im- portant addition to the volume be- cause it summarizes up-to-date knowledge of the problem of the pathways of protein synthesis in living systems and how they are in- fluenced by nucleic acids. Chapter IV, which discusses the determination of the primary struc- ture of proteins, should really have preceded Chapter II because with- out knowledge of the amino acid sequence the synthesis or duplica- tion of biologically active poly- peptides in the laboratory is, of course, impossible. This field of investigation has attracted a large number of investigators during the last decade, and this review by Canfield and Anfinsen discusses the methods of cleavage of proteins and details the amino sequences of a number of proteins. Chapters V and VI are concerned with intramolecular bonds in pro- teins. Chapter V discusses "The Role of Sulfur in Proteins." This title is somewhat misleading be- cause this chapter by Cecil discusses only the role of sulGr in soluble pro- teins and makes no mention of the contribution to the sulIhr chemistry of fibrous proteins made by the Australian group. The primary em- phasis in this chapter is on analytical methods and chemistry of the SH or SS function in protein molecules. The final chapter is concerned with noncovalent bonds in proteins. This mathematically oriented con- tribution by Sheraga is one that most chemists and biochemists will have great difficulty in following. The contribution of hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds and hydrophobic bonds to protein structure is discussed from a statistical-mechanical point of view. The major portion of this chapter presupposes a working knowledge of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The impor- tant effect of noncovalent bonds on the structure, denaturation and modification of proteins cannot be over-emphasized. Extensive up-to-date references follow each chapter, and the volume includes an author index and a very comprehensive subject index.--M. M. RJEG•R, Warner-Lambert.

•. Soc. Cosmetic Chemists, 15• 523-539 (1964) THIRD CONGRESS OF THE I.F.S.C.C. MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF SOCIETIES OF CHEMISTS COSMETIC In September of 1959, eight autonomous, national Societies of Cosmetic Chemists from different parts of the world succeeded in overcoming language and distance barriers to form the International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists. The need for such an organization became increasingly apparent as scientists in many countries became actively involved in the study of the basic concepts of cosmetic product develop- ment and consequently began to wonder what other scientists were ac- complishing in the field of cosmetic research. Of course, a portion of this new and accumulating basic knowledge was disseminated to some degree through technical journals, but somehow this always lacks the stimulation that is created from personal contacts and discussions. The Federation which was founded by eight Societies now boasts of eleven member Societies from the following countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the United States. It is also gratifying to report that the Mexican Society and the Australian Society will soon become active members of the I.F.S.C.C. A Society of Cosmetic Chemists of Czechoslovakia is also in the making, and we may soon be hearing from them. The First Scientific Congress of the I.F.S.C.C. was held in Munich, Germany, one year after the founding of this organization. This is indeed evidence that scientists from all countries are eager to meet and discuss their scientific advancement on a scientist-to-scientist basis. This Congress proved to be both successful and stimulating and gave impetus for the Second Congress, which took place in London in 1962. Here, for the first time, the scientists became conscious of the fact that they had more in common to discuss than science--one of the main issues being the impending cosmetic legislation in many nations of the world. Common problems have a way of bringing people closer together, and now in 1964 we find ourselves holding our Third Scientific Congress at Columbia University in New York City. This is the largest gathering of cosmetic scientists ever to meet under one roof for the purpose of taking part in a 523