250 BOOK REVIEWS The next three chapters are devoted to the hormones of the anterior lobe of the hypophysis. Chapter VI, by E. E. Hays and S. L. Steelman, is on the chemistry of these hormones and reflects the relatively greater amount of work which has been devoted to the corticotropins. The excellent chapters by E. B. A&wood on “Growth Hormone and Corticotropin,” and by A.‘T. Cowie and S. J. Folley on “Gonadotropins and Prolactin” involve a certain amount of repetition of some chemical data but are primarily devoted to the mechanism of action of these hor- mones. F. W. Landgrebe, B. Ketterer, and H. Waring, in their discussion of “Hor- mones of the Posterior Pituitary” build on their previous chapter in Vol. II, but without creating a sense of supplementation. The recent work on the structure of oxytocin and vasopressin is included. The work on the intermediate lobe hor- mone is also in this chapter; unfortunately, the manuscript was submitted before the excellent chemical and human physiological studies of Lerner had appeared. Thyroid physiology is well covered in a chapter by R. W. Rawson, J. E. Rall, and M. Sonnenberg. This includes the physiology of the thyrotropic hormone aa well. Chapters XI-XIV are devoted to the steroid hormones. Hirschmann has made a remarkably clear condensation of the significant organic chemistry of the ster- oids as it is applicable to the steroid hormones. Dorfman reviews the biochemical reactions involved in steroid hormone synthesis and metabolism. The discussion of the synthesis of the steroid nucleus is rather brief, but the status of our knowl- edge of the further reactions in hormone synthesis and metabolism is well covered. Pincus, in a short chapter, discusses recent advances in the assay of the ovarian and testis hormones, and tabulates their physiological effects in synoptic form. Noble, in Chap. XIV, gives an exhaustive resume of the tremendous volume of work on the physiology of the adrenal cortex which has appeared in the last six years, citing 1263 references. Unfortunately, in many instances it strays into the area of the last chapter of the book, that on “Clinical Endocrinology” by K. E. Paschkis and A. E. Rakoff. The latter chapter points up in a very concise way the uses which have been found for the hormones in human medicine. The authors have very properly avoided any attempt to write for the practicing physician, and have presented their material as a survey for the guidance of the nonclinical scientist. Very few typographical errors occur in the text. The indexing leaves something to be desired in completeness and accuracy, however; this is difficult to avoid where much of the value of a book lies in promptness of publication. The volume will prove of great value to scientists working in endocrinology, or who discover that t.heir problems impinge on the field. LEO T. SAMUELS, Salt Lake City, Utah Dielectric Behavior and Structure, Dielectric Constant and Loss, Dipole Moment and Molecular Structure. First edit.ion. By CHARLES PHELPS SMYTH, Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey. McGraw- Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1955. x f 441 pp. Price $9.06. In this book t,he ent,ire field of dielectric behavior and structure has been sur-