Thermodynamics and Biology
Though in many details obsolate, this little out - of - print book achieves its primary objective: to sketch a general, wide thermodynamical frame in which it proves that the second law of thermodynamics is not violated by the preceding chemical processes of life, the very origin of life and, evolution by natural selection. Even, it accomplishes much more. The book shows that physico - chemical constraints are basic for understanding
of all the three above stages of the life process. Carrying on Henderson's concept of 'Fitness of the Environment' (on chemical evolution, origin and evolution of life), and generally, ortogenesis, it is shown that all the three stages are constrained by the
previous external / internal steps, in a way "channelling" them(C.H.Waddington's "bufferred" and "canalized" evolution). It is proved, in an overall way, that these physico - chemical constraints can be attributed to the thermodynamic local grow of complexity (information content), assigning a one - way (irreversible) character to all the three stages.
I can recommend the book to anybody interested in wider problems of the origin and evolution of life. Moreover, I think the book has also the advantage of discussing particular problems (e. g. the importance of an aqueous environment) which are generally abandoned by recent works, erroneously regarding them as well - known and self - evident.
