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“). In the same section, M. E. Weksler (Cornell) describes attempts to replace or reduce animals used in ageing research, and P. M. Adams (University of Texas) touches briefly on a variety of suggestions for improved standards and greater responsibility among scientists using animals, including recom- mendations for incorporating ethical education into graduate and medical school curricula.

In the second section, on institutional responsi- bilities, H. J. Baker et al. (University of Alabama) suggest mechanisms whereby research bodies can ensure that animals are treated humanely by their staff, and they note the valuable role of the American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) in providing external evaluation of animal care in research institutions in the USA. This is followed by an account by K. J. ijbrink (Uppsala University) of Swedish animal welfare legislation, perhaps the most sensitive and progressive in the world. especially after the changes in 1979 that established regional ethical committees to review individual experimental protocols. In the final paper in the section. J. G. Fox (MIT) discusses the role of institutional animal care committees.

The first paper in the next section is a rather unfocused discussion (by C. E. Eyzaguirre, University of Utah) of various aspects of animal use and welfare (including another potted history of animal experimentation, notes on legislation in various countries and brief descriptions of sundry experimental procedures) with only an occasional nod at the ostensible subject of the section and of his paper: funding agency responsibilities. The next contribution (from D. J. Ramsay and J. S. Spinelli, University of California) again discusses animal care committees. and includes a description of the way in which they participate in the control exerted by the NIH over grant applicants. The final contribution in this section (by K. Kraner, NIH) provides another very short, and by now redundant, description of the practices of the NIH and AAALAC.

In the fourth section, on editorial responsibilities, F. B. Golley (University of Georgia) examines publishing as a means of controlling ethical behaviour in science and quickly concludes that it is not an effective one. He then turns his attention to the “internal controls”, the moral rules operating within individuals, in the broad context of “the quality of symbiotic life on earth”. This is the only point in this collection where the narrow scientific perspective widens enough to afford a view of the ethical imperatives behind the rules and regulations. G. J. Thomas (University of Rochester) also expresses the opinion that editorial control can only be of minimal use, while R. M. Berne (University of Virginia) outlines the obvious stages at which journals can screen out studies that have used animals improperly, though he acknowledges that even the closest scrutiny is not always successful.

In the final section of the book, H. 0. Halvorson (Brandeis) pontificates on the means by which scientists can participate in shaping public policy (in the USA) and puts forward recommendations for improved monitoring and control of animal welfare, most of which have already been made in previous papers. The final summary of the conference’s

recommendations again repeats the sensible, if obvious, suggestions made throughout. Most of these are expressions of the scientific community’s natural desire to be its own watchdog. Although tighter animal welfare legislation is looming on the horizon in the USA, it was clearly not a welcome feature of the landscape for most of the participants at this conference. Nevertheless, if put into practice, these recommendations would go some way towards ensuring that the humane use of animals receives greater attention from the scientific community.

While brevity is normally to be commended, most of the contributions are really too short (2-6 small pages) to provide anything but a shallow gloss on the chosen topic. Given the apparent limits on length, it is unfortunate that there is so much repetition and that many authors meander aimlessly through a variety of issues instead of focusing on one. Further- more, the conference was preoccupied almost entirely with the situation in the USA. The practices of the NIH, AAALAC and USDA will be instructive, but not wholly relevant, to scientists in other countries. Despite this, it is reassuring to see this evidence of the readiness of scientists in the USA to examine their practices for safeguarding the well-being and conscientious use of animals in their care. The organization that sponsored the conference, the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare, is to be commended for its efforts to promote animal welfare through the education of the scientific community. The present publication has its faults, but is neverthe- less a step in the right direction.

Macrophage-Mediated Antibody-Dependent Cellular Cytotoxicity. Edited by H. S. Koren. Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 1984. pp. xvii + 361. Sw.fr. 150.00.

Macrophage-mediated antibody-dependent cyto- toxicity (ADCC) refers to the ability of the macrophage to either lyse, phagocytose or kill antibody-coated target cells. Research in this area has developed over the past decade and the present book charts the progress made in our understanding of this process.

The book contains contributions on the various lines of research that have been pursued in this field, divided into four main subject areas. The first deals with the macrophage populations and cell lines involved in ADCC reactions. The second section covers the importance of antibody class and the receptor sites on the macrophage membrane in ADCC reactions. The book then goes on to consider how this activity can be enhanced, together with the possible cytotoxic mechanisms involved in ADCC, such as the formation of reactive oxygen inter- mediates and free radicals. The final section, perhaps the most interesting one, is on the role of ADCC in defence against viruses, bacteria and parasites and its potential in tumour defence and regression.

Each of the sections is preceded by a summary and discussion of the contributions in that section, giving the reader an insight into how data obtained from various assay systems interrelate. The book as a whole gives a comprehensive view of ADCC reac- tions and their possible role in disease processes.