504 JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS jects and this one continues with further information on the topics contained in Volumes 31 and 44. The volume consists of 23 reports, 11 of which are concerned with rapid and automated analytical methods and the other 12 with chroma- tographic methods. The reports are printed in the original language (5 English, 18 German) and each one has a summary in German, French and English. The papers are short and concise, dealing with recent developments of a specific aspect of a technique. The topics covered in the first part - Rapid and Automated Methods - include automated spectrophotometry with digital read-out, automatic uv spectrophotometry, electronic integra- tion of gas chromatographic data, choice of equipment for atomic absorp- tion, accurate automated melting and boiling point measurements, a new pulse burette, automatic titration equipment, sources of error in volumetric analysis - manual and • utomated, extension of X-ray fluorescence down to fluorine, X-ray spectroscopy in the picogram region, direct potentiometry of anions and cations. The second part - Chromatographic Methods - includes high purity separa- tions by circular gas chromatography, determination of traces of organic gases by gc/ms combination, gc estimation of acetylene, proplyene and propane im- purities in polymerisations with ethy- lene, peak height recording in process gas chromatography, application of gas chromatography to biomedical prob- lems, selection of solvent systems for tlc using gradient elutions, thin layer chromatography adsorbents, pre-pre- pared wear resistant tic plates, a com- parison of thin layer and column chromatography, preparative disc electrophoresis in polyacrylamide gel, and gel permeation chromatography. These monographs are suitable for the person whose interests are of a general nature who wants to keep abreast of recent developments, and they cover a good cross-section of advances in these techniques. They are not intended as a comprehensive treatise of each subject but they serve a useful purpose in enabling analysts and those teaching analysis to be aware of current trends. Mrs. D. M. GAmma*- THE STARCH INDUSTRY. J. W. Knight. Pp. xiii + 189 + Ill. (1969). Pergamon Press, Oxford. Hard cover: fl.75 (35s) flexi cover: oe1.25 (25s). Anyone whose main interests are in cosmetic science will not approach this book with great enthusiasm, but delving into its pages reveals some common interests. It is not too obvious precisely for what readership the volume is designed, but it is written in an easy style and contains a good deal of information on sundry raw materials and conversion products allied to the starches which might otherwise be hard to locate. It is gratifying to note the inclusion of good photomicrographs illustrating the typical microscopic appearance of various starches, includ- ing pictures in polarized light so often a quick look through the microscope will solve a baffling problem so much more easily than a more sophisticated instrumental technique of modern analysis ! It is easy, of course, to imagine that other people's fields of interest are simple and straightforward, but hardly ever true. In this context, we find that the starches are much more complex than might have been imagined. Many readers, for example, will be surprised

JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS 505 to see the analytical breakdown given for the glucose syrups. It is rather disappointing to find no mention of microbial contamination in relation to starch prooducts, not so much because there is any serious hazard of infection but rather because contamina- tion is difficult to eliminate in a thermo- labile material without special treatment. Another problem relevant to the cos- metic and pharmaceutical fields is the equilibrium moisture content and moisture "scavenging" property of starch in a blended powder formation this is perhaps a "minority" interest in terms of major uses of starch, but a discourse on the topic would have been welcome. The use of starch as a dis- integrating agent for compressed tablets is of considerable interest in pharma- ceuticals but does not feature in the book, although a critical review of this application might have been helpful. Evidently "The Starch Industry" must be seen as a rather general account of the industry, mainly from a chemist's point of view, with some useful data but relatively little depth of approach on topics of likely concern to our readers. N.J. VAN A• ADVANCES IN BIOLOGY OF SKIN, VOL. 8. THE PIGMENTARY SYSTEM Editors: W. Montagna and F. Hu. Pp. xxii + 659 + Ill. (1967). Pergamon Press, Oxford. :•9. There have been six International Conferences on the pigment cell since 1946. The latest volume to appear on the subject, namely the Proceedings of the 1966 Symposium on the Biology of Skin held at the University of Oregon, has 659 pages and dwarfs the other seven volumes in the "Advances in Biology of Skin" series. How much is new to justify such expenditure as print, half tone and readers' time? The volume includes contributions in a number of fields of pigment research. T. 13. Fitzpatric and his associates appropriately provide a first chapter which surveys the growth of melanin biology and summarizes its main con- clusions to date. Later in the book Aodkn Breathnach and Lucile Wyllie valuably do the same for the Langerhans cell. They cautiously conclude that the case for relating it to the melanocyte is weaker than it was a short time ago, but that the problem is still unresolved. •¾olff and Winkelmann, however, on the basis of a study of miscellaneous enzymatic activity, commit themselves firmly to the view that melanocytes and Langerhans cells represent two distinct, self maintaining and functionally inde- pendent cell systems. Machida and Perkins survey the distribution of melanotic melanocytes in 49 species of sub-human primates, ranging from tree shrew to gorilla. Montagna himself contributes a closer look at pigmented and non-pigmented dentrific cells in some selected species. His associates, colleagues and visitors to the Oregon Regional Primate Research Centre provide a number of other contributions. Giacometti and Allegra demonstrate that in wounded skin melanocytes migrate, proliferate and pick up 3H-thymidine. Mary Bell reports on the electron-microscopy of the Langerhans cell in pottos and galagos. The remaining chapters fall into several well-defined areas. Drochmans and Parakkal each contribute on ultra- structure melanogenesis occupies a number of papers including ones by Seiji, Adachi , and others. Views on the structure of melanin are presented by Howard S. Mason and challenged and