The fire of life: An introduction to animal energetics (Kleiber, Max)

Abstract

This book is not what I expected when I first saw the title. In part it is a teaching textbook, even with examples for the zealous student to test his own progress. In part it is a synthesis of historical findings, so that in perspective they make sense. In a very short part at the end it becomes almost the impassioned plea for wisdom in mankind that the title somehow seems to require. It is in 6 parts, 19 chapters, and has 28 appendices which occupy 58 out of the total of 401 pages of text. To dispose of the appendices first: the first ten and the twenty-fifth are statistical, the last named " The twelve commandments of biostatistics " which should be framed and hung in front of a number of people who think a paper is not complete without some "statistical analysis ". The rest, up to 27, are physiological or physical. Number 11 deals with radioactivity of 40K in the human body, number 12 with Warburg's formula for thickness of tissue slices in microrespiration trials, and others with catabolism of fat and carbohydrate, energy equivalents, calorimetry, metabolic body size as W0.75 and the osmotic work of the human kidney. The last appendix gives practice problems and answers. An extraordinarily useful assembly of facts and formulae for anyone doing sums in energy metabolism. The true text of the book is a clear exposition of the laws governing energy metabolism. The parts deal, in sequence, with the evolution of bioenergetics, total starvation, the physical aspect of metabolism, the metabolism of the starving animal, food as fuel and food and population. The last two parts are, without doubt, the most interesting. To the physiologist probably Chapter 15 on the Calorigenic Effect of Food, with two sub-headings: " Energy requirement a major source of confusion ", and " The trend toward clear statements of observed results " will be of special use; and to those concerned in applying science to animal production Chapter 18, on the Energetic Efficiency of Animal Production. Both physiologist and animal husbandman should have the book at hand. There is no other that puts so much useful information into so small and convenient a bulk. Throughout the book applications of the principles to the energy metabolism of man are introduced; Part 6 is concerned with the possible future of food supplies for man. It has an introduction which begins: " Regarding life as a combustion process enables us to speculate on a possible limitation of human population by lack of fuel for the fire of life ". The speculation is based on estimates of solar energy. Kleiber accepts the estimate that four fifths of the world's population do not get enough to eat, but does not doubt that we can produce enough food for the present population and could produce several times that amount. But, " There is more profit in the manufacture of atom bombs and the construction of foreign bases for missiles than in the feeding of hungry people. That is why people starve today." A part truth which raises the question, was there ever an age in which a substantial part of the human population did not go hungry? -I. Leitch