Synopsis
Intended for medical students, this study aid illustrates the structure of biologically important molecules, the reactions involved in the conversion of those compounds, the functional compartments within the cell, molecular genetics, and the biochemistry of individual tissues and organs. Published in German as Taschenatlas der Biochemie, 3rd ed. in 2003, the second English edition adds 20 color illustrations. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Anatoly Bezkorovainy
This book is an overview of biochemistry using pictorial representations. It is a translation from German and is unique in its pocket size. The purpose is to summarize and integrate both the chemical and biological aspects of biochemistry focusing on human biochemistry. Another purpose is to present this information quickly and efficiently. This book is not intended for first-time learners. A special effort was made to provide colorful illustrations, so that the text is on one page and the pertinent illustration is on the opposite page. A rather complex system of color codes is used. This book, intended a review book, is written for ""students of human medicine,"" especially students preparing for examinations. A unique system, indicated by filled, half-filled and open circles indicates whether a specific section is ""basic knowledge,"" ""standard knowledge,"" or ""in-depth knowledge."" These judgment calls have their limitations, but the stature of the authors lends credence to them. The quality of illustrations is very high and may be the principal attraction inherent in the book. Both the index and table of contents are adequate, and this being a text/review, references are absent. An unusual feature is a collection of complex metabolic maps, where enzymes are identified by their E.C. numbers. A dictionary of enzymes with their E.C. classifications is also provided. This is a novel review book for the U.S. market, as its main features are its small size, its extensive use of illustrations, and its complex color coding system. It covers the area of biochemistry rather thoroughly, perhaps too much so (e.g., nitrogen fixation and development of the fruit fly). The book may bedifficult to use for the very busy medical student, and I doubt that it will replace any of the existing review books now on the market (and some of them are very good). Nevertheless, the book is convenient for those who wish to review biochemistry on a bus or train, or for perusal by professors, to whom it may be a moderately challenging task to decipher and appreciate the various coding systems used by the authors. They obviously had a lot of fun writing this text.