Biological Significance of Nucleic Acid

Abstract

IN 1914 Walter Jones began the preface to his monograph on nucleic acids with the words, “The nucleic acids constitute what is possibly the best understood field of Physiological Chemistry …” That was then a tenable point of view; but twenty years later it would have been absurd. There are fashions in everything, including biochemistry, and nucleic acids went largely out of fashion or were swamped by the growth of our knowledge of proteins, oxidation mechanisms and the other processes that characterized the development of biochemistry in the 1930's. The boom–slump–boom cycle is, however, not confined to economics, and a nucleic acid boom is now upon us. Much new knowledge of the intrinsic properties and biological behaviour of the nucleic acids has been gained during the past few years; but there seems to have been a disproportionate flood of review articles, conferences and symposia. Stocktaking is valuable, but what is now needed in cytochemistry is more stock rather than more surveying. Nucleic Acid (Society for Experimental Biology Symposia No. 1: Published for the Company of Biologists on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.) Pp. vii + 290 + 18 plates. (Cambridge: At the University Press, 1947.) 35s. net.