81 



chemically bound, nor without the mineral constituents like 

 magnesium, calcium, and iron which are known to enter into 

 chemical union with essential parts of the protoplasmic organi- 

 zation. Seifriz himself cites such contradictory facts as the use 

 of hydrogen sulphide, sulphur, and iron as energy sources in 

 certain bacteria. And what of the experiments in the nutrition 

 of rats in which the animals were raised on purified proteins, 

 carbohydrates, and fats, plus a nutrient solution which reads 

 like an elaborate water culture for green plants? The restricted 

 usage for the word food seems to be one of those inherited ver- 

 balisms which persists although it will scarcely stand a critical 

 analysis. 



General Plant Physiology* 

 R. C. Benedict 



"All living things feed. Matter is taken up from without 

 and altered chemically, and from these chemical changes energy 

 is released for growth and movement." 



In a companion review to that of Seifriz's "Plant physi- 

 ology" it is apposite to start with the quotation above as 

 illustrative in part of the nutritional point of view of Barton 

 Wright's new volume. However, the question of a proper defini- 

 tion of the word "food," so far as plants are concerned is not 

 otherwise specifically advanced; the word food does not occur 

 in the index nor, so far as noted, in the text. The title, "General 

 plant physiology" is significant, not only for this volume but 

 also for modern plant physiology as well. The "general physi- 

 ological" point of view is evident in the four texts in plant 

 physiology which appeared during 1938, either as entirely new 

 books, like the Seifriz and the Barton Wright, or as the much 

 amplified and modified new editions of Miller and Maximov. 



This new English text, like another English plant physiology 

 of the year before (Meirion Thomas, 1937), may be highly rated 

 as a reference \vork for graduate students, for teachers, and for 

 some advanced undergraduate students in botany. In three 

 parts, "I. The general physiology of the cell," "II. Metabo- 

 lism," and "III. Growth, reproduction and irritability," it is 

 comprehensive but concentrated to a degree which sets it ofif 



* Barton Wright, E. C. General plant physiology. Blakiston. 1938. $4.50. 



