364 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS International Federation of Societies of Cosmetic Chemists The Fourth Congress of the I. F. S.C. C. will take place in Paris in June, 1966. The "Soci6t6 Francaise de Cosmetologie" has created a scientific Committee consisting of: Dr. Ir. Velon Ir. Jean Morelle Dr. Coilin This Committee wishes to receive conference papers before January 31, 1966. Each paper can be typed in the original language of the speaker. The French Committee will take care of the translation in English, French and German. General Secretary Dr. P. A.M. E. van Velzen Scheveningseweg 62 The Hague, The Netherlands

Book Reviews T}IE EPIDERMIS, edited by William Montagna and Walter C. Lobitz, Jr., Academic Press, New York. 1.064. 649 pages, illustrated and indexed. Price $15. This volume, the proceedings of a symposium held at Lake Arrowhead, Calif., is dedicated to Stephen Roth- man. Dr. Rothman has left an indelible mark on the history of dermatology, and this volume is a fitting memorial to him. This reviewer has always had serious reservations about the publi- cation of monographs of this type, i.e., books which consist of contribu- tions by many experts with various specialties. However, this volume contains so much of interest that it deserves careful attention by all who study or treat skin. Each of the 32 chapters in "The Epidermis" has been contributed by outstanding experts in their respective fields, and it is difficult (if not impossible) to review every chapter in detail. Briefly, this volume is intended to serve as an introduction and back- ground to present knowledge of epidermal keratinization and of the structure of the elaborated tissue and 365 its composition and functioning. Some of the chapters are strictly of a review nature others present pro- vocative new ideas and still others are research papers with novel ex- perimental documentation. In the opinion of this reviewer, the outstanding chapters include those by Rothman, Mercer, Rogers, and Kligman. Rothman's historical notes should serve as a lesson to us all that good scientific work is not ex- clusively recent scientific work. Mercer's chapter is noteworthy be- cause, for the first time, an attempt is made to introduce the operon to the science of cell differentiation in the epidermis. Rogers' chapter on the structure and biochemistry of the hair follicle deserves special mention because of the magnificent photo- micrographs and the presentation of new results of amino acid analyses. Finally, Kligman's discussion of the stratum corneum as a continuous sheet is very readable and thought- provoking and should be of interest to all cosmetic chemists. The enumeration of these four chapters in no way detracts from the value of the remaining chapters,