Progress in research depends upon development of technique. No
matter how important the cerebral element may be in the planning of
experiments, a tentative hypothesis cannot be converted into an
accepted fact unless there is adequate consciousness of the scope and
limitation of existing techniques; moreover, the results may be meaningless
or even positively misleading if the technical ‘know how’ is inadequate.

During the past ten or fifteen years, biochemical methods have
become specialized and sophisticated to such a degree that it is now
difficult for the beginner, whether undergraduate, graduate or specialist
in another field, to grasp all the minor but important details which
divide the successful from the unsuccessful experiment. In order to
cope with this problem, we have initiated a new series of Laboratory
Manuals on technique. Each manual is written by an expert and is
designed as a laboratory handbook to be used at the bench.