- Email: [email protected]
Cardiovascular surgery 1963. (American Heart Association Monograph No. 7.)
Book Reviews
211
COUNSELING WITH SENIOR CITIZENS. J. PAUL BROWN. Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1964. 144 pp. Price $2.95. THIS BOOK, a volume in the Successful Pustorul Counseling series, lays forth the problems of retired persons and ways to meet these problems. The author is Minister of Pastoral Care, First Methodist Church, Houston. Texas. a church of 7000 members. He states his thesis on p. 16. ‘The role of religion in thee aging process is three-fold: (1) to acknowledge the spiritual contributions of retirees; (2) to make church membership meaningful for senior citizens; and (3) to guide retirees towards personal adjustment’. To support his thesis he draws on his personal experience, ranging from how to start, and conduct, a Golden Age Club to the question put to him by an older man: ‘Preacher, does a man ever understand his wife?’ (p. 84). There are chapters on relating the church program to the aged, marital and sex problems of the aged, homes for the aged, and emotional factors in the aging process. The author’s theological approach is liberal, there being little relationship drawn between the Gospel and the aged, and toward the end the book becomes little more than a reference book of agencies and programs for older persons. Yet it is plain that the author has had a great deal of experience in this area, and his bibliography is quite extensive and up-to-date. He would have made more of a contribution if he had expanded the concept of treating senior citizens as persons rather than types. ROBERTGALBRAITHLARIMER
SHOCK. Edited by S. G. HERSHEY. Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1964. Price $11.50.
308 pp.
Indexed.
'SHOCK' is
a reprint of Vol. 2, No. 2 of the International Anesthesiology Clinics, a book series of four hard-cover issues per year for $22. In 16 articles, 28 authors review current Guyton and Growell relate ‘irreversibility’ concepts of shock pathogenesis and therapy. to myocardial failure, and Zweifach emphasizes the role of the reticula-endothelial system in shock resistance. Shires et al. demonstrate depletion of available extracellular extravascular fluid in hemorrhagic shock, which can be corrected by crystalloidal supplements to colloidal volume replacement. Lillehei et af. focus on the role of the small intestine in shock, and The importance of microcirculatory failure the use of adrenal corticosteroids in therapy. (Hershey), hepatic factors (Selkurt), endogenous vasoactive materials (Levy and Blattberg), metabolic changes (Levenson, Nagler and Einheber), autolytic enzymes (Janoff), and endotoxin (Frank) are reviewed. Therapeutic aims with anesthetics (Baez and Orkin), vasodilators (Nickerson) vasopressors and adrenal corticosteroids (Udhoji, Weil and Sambhi) are reviewed, and the management of traumatic shock (Mazzia and Rappaport) is outlined. Although the reviews are current, concise, and relatively complete, cardiac shock, intravascular erythrocyte aggregation (sludge), and therapy with buffers, plasma substitutes, and Objections to corticosteroid therapy and applicability hyperbaric oxygenation are neglected. of the ‘irreversibility’ concept to clinical shock are not discussed. It is difficult to reconcile the contradictory findings of eminent investigators performing similar studies. The conflicting conclusions testify to the complexity of shock, unsuitability of animal models, and difficulty of clinical studies. Perhaps the only therapeutic regimen universally accepted is ‘Constant bedside attendance by a task force of senior, well-oriented and well-informed physicians who give up all other responsibilities and duties, and devote their thoughts and efforts entirely to the problems of the one, single patient in shock’. (Frank.) In summary, ‘Shock’ is a current review of the diverse concepts of the pathogenesis and treatment of animal and clinical hemorrhagic, traumatic, septic, and endotoxin shock. The conflicting results and conclusions may be frustrating to those unfamiliar with the low level of reproducibility of shock studies. W. L. THOMPSON
CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY 1963. (American Heart Association Monograph NO. 7.) Edited by F. A. SIMEONE. The American Heart Association, Inc., New York, 1964. 180 pp. Not indexed. Price $3.00. THIS publication is a supplement to Circulafion, Vol. 29, April 1964, and is a collection of The subjects papers by outstanding men in the field of cardiovascular surgery and physiology. of the papers include prosthetic valve replacement, artificial hearts, homotransplantation of cardiac valves, the use of hyperbaric oxygenation in infants with congenital heart disease, coronary artery surgery, pacemakers, peripheral vascular surgery, and others. Two articles,
212
Book Reviews
though interesting and timely, seem out of place: ‘Effect of hyperbaric oxygenation on bacteremic shock’, and ‘Effect of mannitol on renal blood flow and cardiac output in hemorrhagic shock’. The articles are abundantly and well illustrated. In general this volume gives a good over-all view of what is currently being done in cardiovascular surgerv. It should be of particular interest and help to those- physicians engaged in the constantly changing field of cardiovascular surgery. ROBERTA. GAERTNER
PATTERNS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES. I. HOME LOAN CLOSETS. FRANK REYNOLDS. Ann Arbor Publishers, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1963. 7 pp. Price $0.25. THIS rather slim pamphlet briefly considers some, but by no means all, aspects of Home Loan Closets. Under the headings of ‘Sponsorship’, ‘Types of Equipment’, and ‘Property Control brief considerations are raised regarding this increasingly important topic. As the author quite properly points out, the needs in this area are markedly on the increase. This has been related to the geriatric explosion and the increasing incidence of chronic illness. Dr. Reynolds notes that the most frequently used items of equipment in a survey he conducted were: wheelchairs, hospital beds, crutches, walkers, and side-rails. He briefly notes the need for maintenance of records, sterilization and repair and the desirability of unified community Loan Closets. Some sample forms suitable for acknowledging gifts and maintaining records have been appended. It is apparent that Dr. Reynolds has studied the subject in somewhat greater depth than is revealed in the present little publication. He could, perhaps, have stressed the increasing need for increasingly expensive equipment-such as Bird respirators-which have posed vexing problems both for patients and health facilities interested in continuity of care. For some chronically ill individuals, rental fees for necessary equipment total up to impressive sums, and often the patient must do without or scrimp on them upon leaving the hospital. It is clear that Home Loan Closets came into behg in a haphazard way and that far more attention should be paid to patients’ needs for equipment in a home setting. It is to be hoped that Dr. Reynolds can expand his brief consideration of this important topic in any future revision of this publication. I. S. ROSSMAN
COUNSELING THE DYING. MARGAREZTAK. BOWERS, EDGAR N. JACKSON, JAMES A. KNIGHT, and LAWRENCELESHAN. Thos. Nelson & Sons, New York, 1964. 183 pp. Not indexed. $4.50. THIS new book is disappointing.
Perhaps it is because one’s hopes are raised too high by the knowledge that a combination of psychiatric, medical, psychological, and pastoral talent, with Perhaps it is also because the considerable practical experience, had produced the text. problems of the dying are so important-and so neglected. One should not, however, deduce from these opening remarks that Counseling the Dying has no merit. The authors have a lot of important things to say about our attitudes towards the terminally ill. They give, for example, an extended analysis of the ‘masks’ worn by doctors and clergymen in their contacts with the dying. The book testifies, on page after page, to the authors’ deep concern with the problem. But one is left with a sense of the problem rather than what to do about it. I am sure that the authors have been helpful to many dying patients, but their accumulated wisdom is not transmitted to the reader. Fart of the trouble is the occasional tendency to lapse into gobbledygook language (‘it-it’, ‘I-thou’, ‘I-I’ relationships : ‘shoulds’; ‘All men are rudimentary philosophers, because the concerns of life that affect meaning and value appear to have an innate and socially verified quality’). But only part. It may be sutIicient for the book to Perhaps it is unfair to indict the book as a failure. As the authors state : have raised some questions. ‘Many of the questions raised at the beginning of this chapter can only be partially answered, as for they call for a greater wisdom than we possess. But the importance of communication contrasted to isolation, the value of a supporting community as contrasted with the loneliness A continued exploration of these that fear builds around a patient need to be considered. problems and a candid dialogue among the members of the healing team need to continue.
211
COUNSELING WITH SENIOR CITIZENS. J. PAUL BROWN. Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1964. 144 pp. Price $2.95. THIS BOOK, a volume in the Successful Pustorul Counseling series, lays forth the problems of retired persons and ways to meet these problems. The author is Minister of Pastoral Care, First Methodist Church, Houston. Texas. a church of 7000 members. He states his thesis on p. 16. ‘The role of religion in thee aging process is three-fold: (1) to acknowledge the spiritual contributions of retirees; (2) to make church membership meaningful for senior citizens; and (3) to guide retirees towards personal adjustment’. To support his thesis he draws on his personal experience, ranging from how to start, and conduct, a Golden Age Club to the question put to him by an older man: ‘Preacher, does a man ever understand his wife?’ (p. 84). There are chapters on relating the church program to the aged, marital and sex problems of the aged, homes for the aged, and emotional factors in the aging process. The author’s theological approach is liberal, there being little relationship drawn between the Gospel and the aged, and toward the end the book becomes little more than a reference book of agencies and programs for older persons. Yet it is plain that the author has had a great deal of experience in this area, and his bibliography is quite extensive and up-to-date. He would have made more of a contribution if he had expanded the concept of treating senior citizens as persons rather than types. ROBERTGALBRAITHLARIMER
SHOCK. Edited by S. G. HERSHEY. Little, Brown and Co., Boston, 1964. Price $11.50.
308 pp.
Indexed.
'SHOCK' is
a reprint of Vol. 2, No. 2 of the International Anesthesiology Clinics, a book series of four hard-cover issues per year for $22. In 16 articles, 28 authors review current Guyton and Growell relate ‘irreversibility’ concepts of shock pathogenesis and therapy. to myocardial failure, and Zweifach emphasizes the role of the reticula-endothelial system in shock resistance. Shires et al. demonstrate depletion of available extracellular extravascular fluid in hemorrhagic shock, which can be corrected by crystalloidal supplements to colloidal volume replacement. Lillehei et af. focus on the role of the small intestine in shock, and The importance of microcirculatory failure the use of adrenal corticosteroids in therapy. (Hershey), hepatic factors (Selkurt), endogenous vasoactive materials (Levy and Blattberg), metabolic changes (Levenson, Nagler and Einheber), autolytic enzymes (Janoff), and endotoxin (Frank) are reviewed. Therapeutic aims with anesthetics (Baez and Orkin), vasodilators (Nickerson) vasopressors and adrenal corticosteroids (Udhoji, Weil and Sambhi) are reviewed, and the management of traumatic shock (Mazzia and Rappaport) is outlined. Although the reviews are current, concise, and relatively complete, cardiac shock, intravascular erythrocyte aggregation (sludge), and therapy with buffers, plasma substitutes, and Objections to corticosteroid therapy and applicability hyperbaric oxygenation are neglected. of the ‘irreversibility’ concept to clinical shock are not discussed. It is difficult to reconcile the contradictory findings of eminent investigators performing similar studies. The conflicting conclusions testify to the complexity of shock, unsuitability of animal models, and difficulty of clinical studies. Perhaps the only therapeutic regimen universally accepted is ‘Constant bedside attendance by a task force of senior, well-oriented and well-informed physicians who give up all other responsibilities and duties, and devote their thoughts and efforts entirely to the problems of the one, single patient in shock’. (Frank.) In summary, ‘Shock’ is a current review of the diverse concepts of the pathogenesis and treatment of animal and clinical hemorrhagic, traumatic, septic, and endotoxin shock. The conflicting results and conclusions may be frustrating to those unfamiliar with the low level of reproducibility of shock studies. W. L. THOMPSON
CARDIOVASCULAR SURGERY 1963. (American Heart Association Monograph NO. 7.) Edited by F. A. SIMEONE. The American Heart Association, Inc., New York, 1964. 180 pp. Not indexed. Price $3.00. THIS publication is a supplement to Circulafion, Vol. 29, April 1964, and is a collection of The subjects papers by outstanding men in the field of cardiovascular surgery and physiology. of the papers include prosthetic valve replacement, artificial hearts, homotransplantation of cardiac valves, the use of hyperbaric oxygenation in infants with congenital heart disease, coronary artery surgery, pacemakers, peripheral vascular surgery, and others. Two articles,
212
Book Reviews
though interesting and timely, seem out of place: ‘Effect of hyperbaric oxygenation on bacteremic shock’, and ‘Effect of mannitol on renal blood flow and cardiac output in hemorrhagic shock’. The articles are abundantly and well illustrated. In general this volume gives a good over-all view of what is currently being done in cardiovascular surgerv. It should be of particular interest and help to those- physicians engaged in the constantly changing field of cardiovascular surgery. ROBERTA. GAERTNER
PATTERNS IN COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES. I. HOME LOAN CLOSETS. FRANK REYNOLDS. Ann Arbor Publishers, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1963. 7 pp. Price $0.25. THIS rather slim pamphlet briefly considers some, but by no means all, aspects of Home Loan Closets. Under the headings of ‘Sponsorship’, ‘Types of Equipment’, and ‘Property Control brief considerations are raised regarding this increasingly important topic. As the author quite properly points out, the needs in this area are markedly on the increase. This has been related to the geriatric explosion and the increasing incidence of chronic illness. Dr. Reynolds notes that the most frequently used items of equipment in a survey he conducted were: wheelchairs, hospital beds, crutches, walkers, and side-rails. He briefly notes the need for maintenance of records, sterilization and repair and the desirability of unified community Loan Closets. Some sample forms suitable for acknowledging gifts and maintaining records have been appended. It is apparent that Dr. Reynolds has studied the subject in somewhat greater depth than is revealed in the present little publication. He could, perhaps, have stressed the increasing need for increasingly expensive equipment-such as Bird respirators-which have posed vexing problems both for patients and health facilities interested in continuity of care. For some chronically ill individuals, rental fees for necessary equipment total up to impressive sums, and often the patient must do without or scrimp on them upon leaving the hospital. It is clear that Home Loan Closets came into behg in a haphazard way and that far more attention should be paid to patients’ needs for equipment in a home setting. It is to be hoped that Dr. Reynolds can expand his brief consideration of this important topic in any future revision of this publication. I. S. ROSSMAN
COUNSELING THE DYING. MARGAREZTAK. BOWERS, EDGAR N. JACKSON, JAMES A. KNIGHT, and LAWRENCELESHAN. Thos. Nelson & Sons, New York, 1964. 183 pp. Not indexed. $4.50. THIS new book is disappointing.
Perhaps it is because one’s hopes are raised too high by the knowledge that a combination of psychiatric, medical, psychological, and pastoral talent, with Perhaps it is also because the considerable practical experience, had produced the text. problems of the dying are so important-and so neglected. One should not, however, deduce from these opening remarks that Counseling the Dying has no merit. The authors have a lot of important things to say about our attitudes towards the terminally ill. They give, for example, an extended analysis of the ‘masks’ worn by doctors and clergymen in their contacts with the dying. The book testifies, on page after page, to the authors’ deep concern with the problem. But one is left with a sense of the problem rather than what to do about it. I am sure that the authors have been helpful to many dying patients, but their accumulated wisdom is not transmitted to the reader. Fart of the trouble is the occasional tendency to lapse into gobbledygook language (‘it-it’, ‘I-thou’, ‘I-I’ relationships : ‘shoulds’; ‘All men are rudimentary philosophers, because the concerns of life that affect meaning and value appear to have an innate and socially verified quality’). But only part. It may be sutIicient for the book to Perhaps it is unfair to indict the book as a failure. As the authors state : have raised some questions. ‘Many of the questions raised at the beginning of this chapter can only be partially answered, as for they call for a greater wisdom than we possess. But the importance of communication contrasted to isolation, the value of a supporting community as contrasted with the loneliness A continued exploration of these that fear builds around a patient need to be considered. problems and a candid dialogue among the members of the healing team need to continue.