2

Br. vet . 7. (1989) . 145, 295

BOOK REVIEWS Book Rr~ tr.w EntrOR : J . IN 1 . Rt rrr k

Concise Veterinary Dictionary General editor R . S . Hine ; Consultant editors C . M . Brown, D . A . Hogg & D . F . Kelly Oxford, UK : Oxford University Press . 1988 . 890 pp . £ 17 .50 Except by comparison with the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English, the term concise seems inappropriate for this new veterinary dictionary, since it contains some ?000 terms on 890 pages, averaging 8 terms a page (measuring 120X200 mm) . The definitions provided are the most lucid and informative that the reviewer has seen . The work of coordinating input from 44 contributors and six specialists has fallen to Prof. Brown of Michigan, Dr . Hogg of Glasgow and Prof. Kelly of Liverpool. Unlike the major medical dictionaries, there is no inversion of compound terms, so that paralytic myoglobinuria appears as such, and not as myoglobinuria, paralytic' . This is recommended procedure for thesaurus construction, but it works only if there is a link or cross-reference from the noun concerned (broader term) . Although the dictionary contains many such crossreferences, some important ones are missing, such as from dermatitis to canine staphylococcal dermatitis, from elbow to capped elbow, from myoglobinuria to paralytic myoglobinuria . Two other veterinary dictionaries in English have been published this year . Bailhere's Comprehesive Veterinary Dictionary by D . C . Blood and V . P . Studdert contains over 52 000 entries (many of which are terms seldom used) but has shorter definitions . Black's Veterinary Dictionary (16th Edition, edited by G . P . West) covers the same ground as the `Oxford', but is not of the same scientific quality, and is more of a pocket encyclopaedia . R . M,\( K

Journal of Veterinary Parasitology . Vol . 1, Nos . 1/2 Edited by B . B . Bhatia Bihar, India : Indian Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology . 1987 . 99 pp. US$10 .00 (Scientists and students) ; US$100 .00 (Institutions) per vol . Because of the wide range and variety of parasitic diseases of animals it is often difficult to obtain reliable information on specific diseases in many parts of the world . "Phis new journal, to be published biannually, sets out to remedy this situation in the Indian subcontinent and as such is very welcome . The style of this first issue is very satisfactory, consisting of three review papers on sarcocystosis, toxoplasmosis and zoonoses, followed by research papers and short communications ; these cover a range of topics from theileriosis to canine heartworm disease . Finally, there is a novel section on abstracts of recent Phi) theses . One wishes this journal well-it certainly has a useful role to play in the dissemination of information on veterinary parasitology as experienced in the East . G . X1 . L kQt nvk i

Equine Radiographic Procedures Anne Mendenhall and H . D . ( .antwcIl Beckenham, Kent : Lea & Febiger/QuestMcridien Ltd . 1988 . pp . 11 . X26 .4(paper) . The authors of Equine Radiographic Procedures aim to describe how good quality radiographic views of the horse can be achieved bearing in mind the difficulties posed by a large, and at times potentially dangerous, animal . It makes no attempt to describe how to interpret the radiographs thus obtained . The first section of the hook