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,

366 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS most of which are of a review nature. Nobody interested in skin can even remotely hope to read all the pertinent material which appears in the techni- cal literature perforce we must depend on high-caliber predigested versions in the form of reviews which may cover either broad or very nar- row areas. As is customary with reviews, some are more •vorthy of mention than others. This reader considers Nicolaides' review of lipids in the epidermis and Weber's of carbohydrate metabolism the most outstanding. The latter should be of particular interest to cosmetic chem- ists and dermatologists alike in view of the recent postulates that uridyl diphosphate sugars are the precursors of hyaluronic acid and that enzymes may affect the synthesis of chondro- itin sulfate. Few today question that faulty carbohydrate metabolism (i.e., the formation of ground sub- stance) is somehow related to hyper- keratoses due to increased •nitotic activity (psoriasis) and hyperkera- roses due to retention. With a few exceptions, the proof- reading of this volume is excellent. Each chapter is thoroughly docu- mented by extensive up-to-date bib- liographies.- M. M. Rmo•R--War- ner-Lambert Research Institute. MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES by J. S. Brimacombe and J. M. Webber, Elsevier Publishing Co., Amsterdam. 1964. 181pages, indexed. PriceS10. This small book represents Volume VI in the Biochimica et Biophysica Acta Library and is a comprehensive account of the chemistry of muco- polysaccharides. Although the vol- ume is concerned primarily with the organic chemistry and the elucidation of structures of the various acid mucopolysaccharides, the reader will find, in addition, much information on on the occurrence, properties and function of hyaluronic acid, chon- droitin sulfates, heparin, and kerato- sulfates. In addition, the related subjects of chitin and of blood group substances are adequately covered. Mucopolysaccharides are major constituents of the ground substance of animals and men. They have been widely studied, and it is no surprise that their nomenclature has been in a state of confusion siuce the term "mucopolysaccharides" was first coined by Meyer in 1938. Until recently, the study of these com- pounds has been the domain of the physiologist and of the biochemist. However, today clinicians, cosmetic chemists, and pharmacologists have become concerned with the influence that the mucopolysaccharides may have on disease and health of the cutaneous tissues. Thus, mucopoly- saccharides are believed to be in- volved in both hair growth and the etiology of psoriasis. There has even been a suggestion that mucopoly- saccharides may influence nutrition of cutaneous and subcutaneous tis- sues, a subject of vital interest to the cosmetic chemist. With this in mind, this reviewer agrees with Stacey's statement in the Foreword, "The book will be of value to all those who are interested in the rapidly expanding field of nitrogen-contain-