''Textbook of Biochemistry'', first published in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

, is scientific

textbook A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textboo ...

authored by

Alexander Thomas Cameron Alexander Thomas Cameron (1882 – 25 September 1947) was a British-born Canadian biochemist. He was best known as Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Manitoba, and as the author of numerous popular biochemistry textbooks, includi ...

. The textbook became a standard of its field, and, by 1948, had gone through six editions, in addition to one

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...

and two

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: ** Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Ca ...

editions.White, F.D. & Collip J.B. (1948) "Obituary Notice: Alexander Thomas Cameron, 1882-1947," ''Biochemical Journal'', 43(1): 1–2

Publication

''Textbook of Biochemistry'' consists entirely of lecture manuscripts given by the author, Alexander Thomas Cameron, over several years.Johnson, Treat B. (1929) "Recent Books: Textbook of Biochemistry", ''Journal of Chemical Education'', 6(1), p 182 Cameron had lectured at the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Swale Vincent Prof Thomas Swale Vincent MD FRSE LLD (24 May 1868 – 31 December 1933) was a British physiologist who spent most of his working life in Canada. Early years Thomas Swale Vincent was born in Birmingham on 24 May 1868, the son of Joseph V ...

, Professor of Physiology at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

Structure

''Textbook of Biochemistry'' is divided into the following chapters: * Introduction Introduction to the concept of biochemistry, and a review of

catalytic reaction Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...

s and pH. * Food-Stuffs, Their Derivatives and Related Substances. Ideas regarding

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...

lipids Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids includ ...

, and

proteins Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respondi ...

. * The Chemistry of Digestion, the Circulation, and the Excreto. The importance of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

l and

chemical activity In chemical thermodynamics, activity (symbol ) is a measure of the "effective concentration" of a species in a mixture, in the sense that the species' chemical potential depends on the activity of a real solution in the same way that it would depen ...

in organisms. * Intermediate Metabolism The chemistry of tissues, intracellular synthesis, products of

metabolism Metabolism (, from el, μεταβολή ''metabolē'', "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run c ...

, and

vitamins A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...

. * The Chemistry of Reproduction; The Chemical Controlling Agencies of the Organism. The agents governing metabolic processes. * Quantitative Metabolism. * Addenda. A review of the present status of immunological biochemistry, and applications of biochemistry in industry.

Reception

Treat B. Johnson, writing for the ''

Journal of Chemical Education The ''Journal of Chemical Education'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal available in both print and electronic versions. It is published by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society and was established in 1924 ...

,'' acknowledged the difficulty of concisely covering the rapidly growing field of biochemistry, but concluded that Cameron has "done quite well." He described ''Textbook of Biochemistry'' as "not a book that follows the ordinary logical procedure usually associated with such texts," and complements Cameron on a "dogmatic treatment which is really stimulating." ''

The British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origina ...

'' also gave a favourable review, writing that "the busy medical student will find this book a concise account of the facts with which he is expected to become familiar.""Reviews: A Textbook of Biochemistry," ''The British Medical Journal'', Vol. 1, No. 3514 (May 12, 1928), p. 805. However, it also observed that the book contains several statements that are "definitely not in agreement with the facts as at present known." The reviewer contradicts, for example, the book's assertions that

urinal A urinal (, ) is a sanitary plumbing fixture for urination only. Urinals are often provided in public toilets for male users in Western countries (less so in Muslim countries). They are usually used in a standing position. Urinals can be wit ...

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogeno ...

is formed in the

kidneys The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

from

urea Urea, also known as carbamide, is an organic compound with chemical formula . This amide has two amino groups (–) joined by a carbonyl functional group (–C(=O)–). It is thus the simplest amide of carbamic acid. Urea serves an important ...

, and that

pepsin Pepsin is an endopeptidase that breaks down proteins into smaller peptides. It is produced in the gastric chief cells of the stomach lining and is one of the main digestive enzymes in the digestive systems of humans and many other animals, ...

does not attack the CO-NH links in

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respon ...

s. ''Textbook of Biochemistry'', being the first concise and authoritative work in its field, became a standard text. By 1948, it had gone through six editions, in addition to one

and two

editions.

References

External links

Full text of ''A Textbook of Biochemistry'' (1st edition)
at Internet Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Textbook of Biochemistry Biochemistry textbooks Chemistry books 1928 non-fiction books 1928 in biology