Abstract The first edition of this book, published in 1932, contained 768 pages, the present edition contains 428 more pages of the same size, closely printed. There are no illustrations. The chapter headings are nearly the same, but one entirely new chapter has been added, and the author states that the book has been entirely re-written. This indicates the great volume of new work that has been done since 1932. "Food Poisoning" is not included; it is being dealt with in a companion volume published first in 1933 and now being revised. The volume summarizes all the work done on the subjects mentioned and is a remarkable achievement, as the scope is very wide. All foods are dealt with, but those most comprehensively discussed are milk (fresh and preserved), cream and butter, cheese, fruit, vegetables, bread, sugar, fish, shellfish, meat and meat products, eggs and canned foods generally. Three other chapters deal respectively with bacteria, yeasts and moulds, and the bacteriology of water and sewage. These are useful chapters as they deal with these subjects more particularly from the point of view of their relationship to food infection and food control, and contain much useful information. Investigations on the microbiology of foods are now very numerous and the greater part have been carried out in U.S.A. ; American references are therefore in the majority, at the same time the author has fairly included the work done in England and to some extent on the European continent. As a source of reference to work done in this field the volume is invaluable and is very complete. Some important work is not included, but these omissions are not numerous. For example WILSON & BLAIR'S bismuth sulphite medium is not mentioned, although many media are described, no reference is made to procedures to detect the use of stale fish in canned food products subsequently sterilized, while the bacteriology of dehydration is very inadequately presented, only 10.5 pages being devoted to the subject. British standards for oysters are not mentioned. Some omissions are inevitable when the scope is so wide, and every worker in this field owes a great debt to Professor Tanner for the able way in which he has dealt with the different subjects, and for the fair summaries he gives of the innumerable researches spread over so many sources, some not readily accessible. While critical in parts, the author has rather contented himself With giving the results achieved, and the book would have been still more valuable if more critical summaries had been given of the present position. Possibly this has been avoided because for many subjects finality has by no means been reached, either as to the best methods or as to the significance of the various findings. The one new chapter is on "Microbiological Methods of Assaying Foods for Vitamins" and is by F. W. TANNER, Jr., Ph.D. This is a long chapter of 78 pages and appears to be very complete and up to date. It is very useful to have the various methods collected together with suitable, references, for the subject has developed very rapidly in recent years. This book is not of much interest to the medical bacteriologist but to the food technician it will be quite invaluable. In Great Britain there has been a lag in realization, by the food industry, of the value of laboratory work as an aid to sound food production. This is now being reduced and the number of workers in this field in Great Britain has markedly increased in recent years. Such workers will find this volume a great storehouse of facts to aid them in their work and to make the control of our foods more and more based on scientific methods. W. G. Savage.
以下为对购买帮助不大的评价