Quantitative laws in biological chemistry / by Svante Arrhenius.

  • Arrhenius, Svante, 1859-1927.
Date:
1915
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Quantitative laws in biological chemistry / by Svante Arrhenius. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    namely that of Friedemann in the Handbuch der Hygiene (3rd vol. 1st part, p. 777, 1913). “The one- sided (aussc/i lies slick) interest which has been directed to this problem ” (the neutralization of antigens and antibodies) “ is not justified by its biological importance/’ Yet I am convinced that biological chemistry cannot develop into a real science without the aid of the exact methods offered by physical chemistry. The aversion shown by bio- chemists, who have in most cases a medical education, to exact methods is very easily understood. They are not acquainted with such elementary notions as “experimental errors,” “probable errors,” and so forth, which are necessary for drawing valid con- clusions from experiments. The physical chemists have found that the biochemical theories, which are still accepted in medical circles, are founded on an absolutely unreliable basis and must be replaced by other notions agreeing with the fundamental laws of general chemistry. I was very glad to find on my last visit to England that interest in an exact treatment of bio- chemistry is rapidly growing, and therefore I received with great satisfaction the proposal of Messrs. G. Bell & Sons to publish a book founded on the Tyndall lectures given by me in the Royal Institu- tion in May 1914. They contain a short resume of my own work in this field, supplemented by the in- vestigations of others on neighbouring ground. The reader who wishes to consult the literature of the subject will find references in :