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The Chemicals of Life
Asimov, the scientist & professor of biochemistry, give nontechnical explanations of enzymes, hormones, proteinshormones and more.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
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About the author
Isaac Asimov
4,343 books27.9k followersWorks of prolific Russian-American writer Isaac Asimov include popular explanations of scientific principles,
The Foundation Trilogy
(1951-1953), and other volumes of fiction.
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
Isaac Asimov, a professor of biochemistry, wrote as a highly successful author, best known for his books.
Asimov, professor, generally considered of all time, edited more than five hundred books and ninety thousand letters and postcards. He published in nine of the ten major categories of the Dewey decimal classification but lacked only an entry in the category of philosophy (100).
People widely considered Asimov, a master of the genre alongside Robert Anson Heinlein and Arthur Charles Clarke as the "big three" during his lifetime. He later tied Galactic Empire and the Robot into the same universe as his most famous series to create a unified "future history" for his stories much like those that Heinlein pioneered and Cordwainer Smith and Poul Anderson previously produced. He penned "Nightfall," voted in 1964 as the best short story of all time; many persons still honor this title. He also produced well mysteries, fantasy, and a great quantity of nonfiction. Asimov used Paul French, the pen name, for the Lucky Starr, series of juvenile novels.
Most books of Asimov in a historical way go as far back to a time with possible question or concept at its simplest stage. He often provides and mentions well nationalities, birth, and death dates for persons and etymologies and pronunciation guides for technical terms. Guide to Science, the tripartite set Understanding Physics, and Chronology of Science and Discovery exemplify these books.
Asimov, a long-time member, reluctantly served as vice president of Mensa international and described some members of that organization as "brain-proud and aggressive about their IQs." He took more pleasure as president of the humanist association. The asteroid 5020 Asimov, the magazine Asimov's Science Fiction, an elementary school in Brooklyn in New York, and two different awards honor his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_As...
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November 30, 2025
A CLEAR OVERVIEW OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE HUMAN BODY, ETC.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was a chemist who is best-known for his voluminous writings (he wrote or contributed to about 500 books) on science, science fiction, and even topics such as the Bible.
He begins this 1954 book, “If we were to study the human body very closely, we would find it to contain a number of different chemical substances. In the first place, we would find water; a great amount of it. About three-fifths of the body is water. Quite ordinary water, too; the kind you can find in any reservoir. In the bones and teeth are minerals quite similar in nature to certain ordinary types of rock. In the blood there is a small quantity of sugar; not exactly the kind we buy in the store, but closely related to it. In the liver, there is a kind of starch which isn’t very different from potato starch or corn starch. And in many parts of the body, especially under the skin and about the kidneys, there is fat.
“It would seem impossible that life would be built up out of these commonplace substances. Actually, it IS impossible, since one all-important ingredient of the human body has been omitted from the list. In every part of the body, there is a type of substance called PROTEIN. Some parts of the body contain more than others. Blood and muscles are one-fifth protein; brain is one-twelfth protein; tooth enamel is less than one-hundredth protein. The point is that no living portion of the body is completely without protein. This holds true not only for human beings, but for all plants and animals. There is no living organism at all, of any kind, that does not contain protein. Even … simple forms of life, such as bacteria… contain protein. If we probe deeper still, to the very simplest objects we can call alive, the viruses, we still find protein…
“The smallest viruses seem to be composed only of chemicals that are absolutely necessary to life. They have no room for non-essentials… such viruses are composed of nothing more than a particularly complicated kind of protein called NUCLEOPROTEIN. Nucleoprotein consists of a type of substance called ‘nucleic acid’ in association with protein. It is nucleic acid that is now supposed to control the behavior and properties of cells. It does this, however, by means of the particular proteins it causes to be formed.” (Pg. 13-14)
He explains, “When proteins are exposed to acid, their molecules also break apart into a number of smaller molecules. These smaller molecules are known as ‘amino acids’ … there are about twenty different amino acids… They can be strung together to form proteins in every which way. And each time they are strung together in a slightly different order, they make a slightly different protein.” (Pg. 22)
He notes, “Enzymes are globular proteins. That means their amino-acid chains are woven into complicated patterns that are held together in very delicate fashion… this is of immediate importance to all of us. A living creature depends entirely upon the workings of the various enzymes in his body. If anything interferes with these workings, he can no longer live. Conditions that inactivate enzymes, therefore, will eventually kill human beings.” (Pg. 36)
He states, “Except for the viruses, all living creatures are composed of cells. Very simple organisms such as yeast and bacteria consist of only one cell apiece. A large organism, such as a human being, contains billions upon trillions of cells. A single drop of blood, for instance, contains about forty billion cells.” (Pg. 38)
He recounts, “In the process of cell division, the chromatin collects into little rods of varying sizes. The rods are called ‘chromosomes.’ In the nuclei of human cells there are forty-six such chromosomes, existing in pairs. There are twenty-three PAIRS of chromosomes, in other words. Each kind of creature has its own fixed number of chromosomes… A crayfish… has over two hundred chromosomes.” (Pg. 45-46)
He points out, “When a gene duplication goes wrong in a germ cell, the result is a MUTATION. A mutated offspring is one which is quite different from either parent in one way or another. Most mutations are for the worse. Occasionally, though, useful ones may occur. A larger, keener, brain may develop, perhaps, or a more flexible hand with a longer thumb. It is as a result of the occasional mutations that EVOLUTION takes place. It was a series of mutations that changed the primitive ape-men to the human beings we now are.” (Pg. 49)
He notes, “In fact, food molecules, particularly protein, can be downright deadly. If a strange protein… gets into too close contact with us, we may become ‘sensitized’ to it. After that, just breathing the protein or touching it can cause us to itch, break out in hives, or sneeze…This is what is known as ‘allergy.’ … Despite all this, what the body does need and must have are the small building blocks out of which food is built… In order to get them it must take the large molecules of fats, carbohydrates and proteins and break them into smaller pieces.” (Pg. 56)
He asks, “Why is it, then, that all foods aren’t equally ‘good for you’?... In the first place, some components of foods can’t be digested at all… Secondly, the different food substances are of varying importance to the diet. Suppose the food you ate contained very little fat… your body … would take the carbohydrate you eat and turn it into fat… If both fats and carbohydrates are low, the body is not at a loss. It can manufacture both out of proteins of the diet. Where the body DOES get stuck is in the case of a shortage of proteins. It cannot manufacture proteins out of fats and carbohydrates… It is impossible to live on a diet of starch, butter and sugar. You can get all the energy you need, but you can’t build tissue.” (Pg. 62-63)
He explains, “The chief executive of the body is a little organ … called the Pituitary Gland… [It] produces a large number of different hormones… All the pituitary hormones are proteins… One very interesting pituitary hormone is the GROWTH HORMONE… it controls the growth of the body… When a child is born with a pituitary that manufactures too much growth hormone… [he] grows and grows until he is eight or nine feet tall. The circus ‘giants’ are the result of such condition.” (Pg. 115-116)
He summarizes, “Hormones are compounds that supervise the overall workings of the various enzymes. They are formed in special glands. The most important such gland is the pituitary gland, which forms a series of hormones that supervise all the other hormones. The thyroid gland produces a hormone which … governs the rate at which the body produces energy. This rate can be measured and is called the basal metabolic rate. The pancreas produces insulin, which regulates the manner in which starch and sugar are burned in the body to produce energy. People whose pancreases cannot produce enough insulin suffer from diabetes. They can be helped by being given injections of insulin obtained from the pancreases of cattle. All these hormones are proteins.” (Pg. 122)
Asimov’s clear explanations of these various topics make this a very useful and interesting book.
Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) was a chemist who is best-known for his voluminous writings (he wrote or contributed to about 500 books) on science, science fiction, and even topics such as the Bible.
He begins this 1954 book, “If we were to study the human body very closely, we would find it to contain a number of different chemical substances. In the first place, we would find water; a great amount of it. About three-fifths of the body is water. Quite ordinary water, too; the kind you can find in any reservoir. In the bones and teeth are minerals quite similar in nature to certain ordinary types of rock. In the blood there is a small quantity of sugar; not exactly the kind we buy in the store, but closely related to it. In the liver, there is a kind of starch which isn’t very different from potato starch or corn starch. And in many parts of the body, especially under the skin and about the kidneys, there is fat.
“It would seem impossible that life would be built up out of these commonplace substances. Actually, it IS impossible, since one all-important ingredient of the human body has been omitted from the list. In every part of the body, there is a type of substance called PROTEIN. Some parts of the body contain more than others. Blood and muscles are one-fifth protein; brain is one-twelfth protein; tooth enamel is less than one-hundredth protein. The point is that no living portion of the body is completely without protein. This holds true not only for human beings, but for all plants and animals. There is no living organism at all, of any kind, that does not contain protein. Even … simple forms of life, such as bacteria… contain protein. If we probe deeper still, to the very simplest objects we can call alive, the viruses, we still find protein…
“The smallest viruses seem to be composed only of chemicals that are absolutely necessary to life. They have no room for non-essentials… such viruses are composed of nothing more than a particularly complicated kind of protein called NUCLEOPROTEIN. Nucleoprotein consists of a type of substance called ‘nucleic acid’ in association with protein. It is nucleic acid that is now supposed to control the behavior and properties of cells. It does this, however, by means of the particular proteins it causes to be formed.” (Pg. 13-14)
He explains, “When proteins are exposed to acid, their molecules also break apart into a number of smaller molecules. These smaller molecules are known as ‘amino acids’ … there are about twenty different amino acids… They can be strung together to form proteins in every which way. And each time they are strung together in a slightly different order, they make a slightly different protein.” (Pg. 22)
He notes, “Enzymes are globular proteins. That means their amino-acid chains are woven into complicated patterns that are held together in very delicate fashion… this is of immediate importance to all of us. A living creature depends entirely upon the workings of the various enzymes in his body. If anything interferes with these workings, he can no longer live. Conditions that inactivate enzymes, therefore, will eventually kill human beings.” (Pg. 36)
He states, “Except for the viruses, all living creatures are composed of cells. Very simple organisms such as yeast and bacteria consist of only one cell apiece. A large organism, such as a human being, contains billions upon trillions of cells. A single drop of blood, for instance, contains about forty billion cells.” (Pg. 38)
He recounts, “In the process of cell division, the chromatin collects into little rods of varying sizes. The rods are called ‘chromosomes.’ In the nuclei of human cells there are forty-six such chromosomes, existing in pairs. There are twenty-three PAIRS of chromosomes, in other words. Each kind of creature has its own fixed number of chromosomes… A crayfish… has over two hundred chromosomes.” (Pg. 45-46)
He points out, “When a gene duplication goes wrong in a germ cell, the result is a MUTATION. A mutated offspring is one which is quite different from either parent in one way or another. Most mutations are for the worse. Occasionally, though, useful ones may occur. A larger, keener, brain may develop, perhaps, or a more flexible hand with a longer thumb. It is as a result of the occasional mutations that EVOLUTION takes place. It was a series of mutations that changed the primitive ape-men to the human beings we now are.” (Pg. 49)
He notes, “In fact, food molecules, particularly protein, can be downright deadly. If a strange protein… gets into too close contact with us, we may become ‘sensitized’ to it. After that, just breathing the protein or touching it can cause us to itch, break out in hives, or sneeze…This is what is known as ‘allergy.’ … Despite all this, what the body does need and must have are the small building blocks out of which food is built… In order to get them it must take the large molecules of fats, carbohydrates and proteins and break them into smaller pieces.” (Pg. 56)
He asks, “Why is it, then, that all foods aren’t equally ‘good for you’?... In the first place, some components of foods can’t be digested at all… Secondly, the different food substances are of varying importance to the diet. Suppose the food you ate contained very little fat… your body … would take the carbohydrate you eat and turn it into fat… If both fats and carbohydrates are low, the body is not at a loss. It can manufacture both out of proteins of the diet. Where the body DOES get stuck is in the case of a shortage of proteins. It cannot manufacture proteins out of fats and carbohydrates… It is impossible to live on a diet of starch, butter and sugar. You can get all the energy you need, but you can’t build tissue.” (Pg. 62-63)
He explains, “The chief executive of the body is a little organ … called the Pituitary Gland… [It] produces a large number of different hormones… All the pituitary hormones are proteins… One very interesting pituitary hormone is the GROWTH HORMONE… it controls the growth of the body… When a child is born with a pituitary that manufactures too much growth hormone… [he] grows and grows until he is eight or nine feet tall. The circus ‘giants’ are the result of such condition.” (Pg. 115-116)
He summarizes, “Hormones are compounds that supervise the overall workings of the various enzymes. They are formed in special glands. The most important such gland is the pituitary gland, which forms a series of hormones that supervise all the other hormones. The thyroid gland produces a hormone which … governs the rate at which the body produces energy. This rate can be measured and is called the basal metabolic rate. The pancreas produces insulin, which regulates the manner in which starch and sugar are burned in the body to produce energy. People whose pancreases cannot produce enough insulin suffer from diabetes. They can be helped by being given injections of insulin obtained from the pancreases of cattle. All these hormones are proteins.” (Pg. 122)
Asimov’s clear explanations of these various topics make this a very useful and interesting book.
December 24, 2023
This book was written in the early 50s. As such much of the information is out of date. Most glaring is that nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) structures had recently been discovered by Watson and Crick. The way they work had not been worked out. Also, Asimov refers to them as "nucleic proteins". They are not proteins. Most of the rest of the information about proteins in general, enzyme proteins in particular, vitamins, and hormones is correct, but quite incomplete. In the last 70 or so years, many of the mechanism of action and molecular structures of these biomolecule have been worked out.
This is not a text to read as a source of up to date details about biology. What is good about the book is the Asimov style. This is his first non-fiction popular science book. I am planning to try to read all his non-fiction books in chronological order. Asimov is a master at explaining complex processes in simple language. He excels at the use of good science analogies that are clear and strongly related to the science. He has influences the way I teach and write about science. For example he talks about energy of chemical reactions using the analogy of an auto going up and down a hill with brakes and slippery surfaces help explain such phenomena as catalyst. In another passage, he compare a sequence of enzymes in the mitochondria to an assembly line in a factory putting a car together is sequence in the same way enzymes must follow a precise order reacting with biomolecules.
It is best read by one who already knows the content who can enjoy his accessible prose which gives an overview of the function of several biological chamicals.
This is not a text to read as a source of up to date details about biology. What is good about the book is the Asimov style. This is his first non-fiction popular science book. I am planning to try to read all his non-fiction books in chronological order. Asimov is a master at explaining complex processes in simple language. He excels at the use of good science analogies that are clear and strongly related to the science. He has influences the way I teach and write about science. For example he talks about energy of chemical reactions using the analogy of an auto going up and down a hill with brakes and slippery surfaces help explain such phenomena as catalyst. In another passage, he compare a sequence of enzymes in the mitochondria to an assembly line in a factory putting a car together is sequence in the same way enzymes must follow a precise order reacting with biomolecules.
It is best read by one who already knows the content who can enjoy his accessible prose which gives an overview of the function of several biological chamicals.
February 27, 2017
Certainly dated but a pleasant read and a good brush up for those familiar with basic human chemistry.
April 1, 2015
Written in 1954, some of the material and current facts in this book are dated. However, Asimov is such a good expository writer that in most cases it does not matter. He covers the basics of proteins, vitamins and enzymes in such a lucid style that it is still possible to learn a great deal of the basics from this book. Since it is designed to explain the fundamentals of the complex chemicals of life and most of the advances since the writing are in the working out of the details, there are very few places where his statements are incorrect.
Asimov starts with the structure of proteins, how they are built, their complex structure and how they act as catalysts throughout the human body. This is followed by explanations of vitamins, how they work, their structure and what happens when the body experiences a shortage. The final sections deal with hormones, where they are produced and how they interact to control the metabolism of the body.
Fifty years after it was written, I can still recommend this book as a primer on the fundamental chemistry of the mammalian body. While many things have changed since then, the quality of the writing trumps nearly all of the obsolescence.
This review also appears on Amazon
Asimov starts with the structure of proteins, how they are built, their complex structure and how they act as catalysts throughout the human body. This is followed by explanations of vitamins, how they work, their structure and what happens when the body experiences a shortage. The final sections deal with hormones, where they are produced and how they interact to control the metabolism of the body.
Fifty years after it was written, I can still recommend this book as a primer on the fundamental chemistry of the mammalian body. While many things have changed since then, the quality of the writing trumps nearly all of the obsolescence.
This review also appears on Amazon
January 18, 2009
[Weird—I thought I'd already written a review for this book. Oh, well.:]
Isaac Asimov provides here a clear and very basic introduction to macromolecules and enzymology. Published shortly after Watson and Crick's famous Nature paper, The Chemicals of Life does not delve at all into what is now the central domain of molecular biology, however. This book is mainly of historical interest, although anyone teaching an introductory biochemistry class might consult it for ideas on how to present certain topics.
Isaac Asimov provides here a clear and very basic introduction to macromolecules and enzymology. Published shortly after Watson and Crick's famous Nature paper, The Chemicals of Life does not delve at all into what is now the central domain of molecular biology, however. This book is mainly of historical interest, although anyone teaching an introductory biochemistry class might consult it for ideas on how to present certain topics.
August 15, 2012
Excellent and easy read (perhaps a fourth-grade reading level) introducing the molecular chemistry of the body. A few things are out of date ("the 103 known elements...", "scientists have no idea what cholesterol is for...", etc.) and there are a few no-longer-P.C. relations in the book (i.e. a scientist is uniformly referred to as "he", emotion-inducing chemicals turn cheeks pink, "orientals" have yellow skin because they eat more beta-carotene (??), etc.), but the basics are largely there, and the writing is informative and thorough.
September 11, 2008
Editing the mess that is GoodReads' Isaac Asimov database I stumbled upon this title, the cover of which suddenly reminded me that I'd bought it at the Maine South H.S. Bookstore back when taking A.P. Chemistry there.
As ever, Asimov is quite good at explaining the physical sciences to non-scientists.
As ever, Asimov is quite good at explaining the physical sciences to non-scientists.
October 8, 2014
Good short intro to proteins, enzymes, hormones, cholesterol, vitamins. Like all these Asimov nonfiction books I filled a bunch of holes in my knowledge that I didn't know I had. This one is a really early work which makes it interesting... Scientists didn't know what cholesterol was for at this point so Wikipedia was my friend.
Want to read
June 14, 2016Kind of
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 23, 2013
Outdated, but still presented well, good job Asimov
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews