many ofHeisenberg's statements on this subject on faith. The final chapters deal with the structure ofmatter, language and reality, and the role ofphysics in human thinking. It is, I think, the general temper and atmosphere ofthis book which will be ofmost interest to the non-professional reader. It seems to me that Heisenberg is temperamentally sympathetic with the traditional philosophical approach and wants to keep as much ofit as he can. He says again and again that all the results ofquantum theory must eventually find expression in the language of daily life and that, consequently, quantum theory cannot be fundamentally inimical to the great historical problems which have for so long deeply concerned human beings, whose solution continues to be a legitimate object of human endeavor. That he accepts much of the traditional attitude is shown by almost monotonous use ofthe word "reality." It seems to me that this attitude does not properly accommodate what I believe to be the truly revolutionary implications of quantum theory. Admittedly, all the results of quantum theory which find their immediate application in the so-called microscopic world must eventually be expressed in the language ofthe ordinary macroscopic world because we who do the talking are ourselves macroscopic creatures. But this is not the same as saying, as Heisenberg does, that the results ofquantum theory must be expressed ultimately in the language ofordinary life. It seems to me that the most far-reaching lesson ofquantum theory is that it requires a presumption amounting almost to certainty that the language ofdaily life is inadequate to deal not only with the recently discovered facts in the "microscopic" world but also with the full complexity ofthe issues ofdaily life. It seems to me that one ofthe most important problems for the future is to devise a new macroscopic-scale language ofdaily life which will be adequate to deal with its problems , philosophical and otherwise. It seems to me that something much more drastic and fundamental is needed than the "complementarity" ofthe Copenhagen school. P. W. Bridgman Harvard University Shock andCirculatory Homeostasis: Transactions oftheFifth Conference. Edited by Harold D. Green, M.D., D.Sc. New York: Josiah Macy, Jr., Foundation, 1957. Pp. 337; 78 figs.; 53 tables. $4.75. The three days ofpresentations and discussions on shock at the fifth Macy Conference, in 1955, are completely recorded in this book. Dr. Ephraim Shorr, whose untimely death early in 1956 deprived the field ofone ofits outstanding leaders, chaired the meeting. Perhaps a word about the scope and nature ofthese conferences will be ofinterest to those not familiar with them. The Macy Foundation has over eighteen ye^rs organized about twenty conference groups, each meeting yearly to discuss an important medical problem. The number ofparticipants in each group is limited to twenty-five, from various disciplines of medicine and biology. To quote Dr. Frank Fremont-Smith, the medical directorofthefoundation, the goal ofthe conference program is "thepromotion ofcommunication , the exchange ofideas, and the stimulation ofcreativity among the partici248 Book Reviews Perspectives in Biology and Medicine · Winter 1939 pants." Those presenting the results oftheir research give only a brief, informal report in order to permit time for free discussion. Briefly, the theme ofthis particular conference concerned the factors involved in irreversibility of"shock" whether caused by hemorrhage, by application oftourniquets to the limbs, by trauma produced by a rotating drum, or by injection ofbacteria or toxins. The term "irreversibility" refers to the fact that, during the circulatory failure which results , a point may be reached when no known treatment—including transfusion, antibiotics , vasoconstrictor drugs, and other procedures—will effect recovery. Two related approaches to the experimental study ofthis problem are discussed. The first involves the factors contributing to the deterioration of the circulation, including decreased hepatic blood flow; the effect of bacterial infection; the lack ofimmunity in shock, including poor phagocytosis and lack ofproperdin (a recently discovered immunity factor in the serum); and the effect ofhumoral agents, including "V.E.M." (vasoexcitor material) and "V.D.M." (vasodepressor material, consisting o£ferritin, an iron protein produced in the damaged liver). The second line of investigation concerns the use of agents or procedures prior to the induction ofshock which serve to prevent...