- Email: [email protected]
Die menschliche lunge
BOOK REVIEW
71
Symptoms, natural history, treatment and prevention of such disorders as the common cold, influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema, tuberculosis, cancer of the lung, asthma and occupational lung disease are described with well chosen facts and in a simple manner - ideally suited to the layman or patient and, in particular, to nurses, social workers and others working with patients. This book can be highly recommended for this purpose. Klinische Patbophysiologie der Atmung A. A. BUHLMANN and P. H. ROSSIER,1970. Springer-Verlag Berlin. Pp. 219. U.S. $1%70dollars. In this compact monograph the two Swiss authors have successfully widened the scope of their earlier work on the subject (1956) by relating up-to-date knowledge of respiratory function to clinical abnormalities of the lungs and the circulatory system. One chapter is also devoted to extra-thoracic diseases. The authors aimed not only at those primarily interested in the physiology and pathology of respiration but also at the chest physician. It is, however, doubtful whether clinicians who have only a general knowledge of the intricacies of pulmonary function will derive as much benefit from this well-produced book as those who have specialised in the subject or intend to do so in their future career. This point is emphasised when an attempt is made to study the fifty excellent tables at the end of the volume. The references are comprehensive. Die Menscbliche Lunge H. VONHAYEK,2nd edition, 1970. Springer-Verlag Berlin. Pp. 380. U.S. $27.20 dollars. In this, the second edition of his book, Professor van Hayek includes new material which has been accumulating since the first edition appeared fifteen years earlier. It deals comprehensively with the anatomy and histology of the respiratory system, its circulation and function. This book will be of value to those clinicians who want to acquire a specialised knowledge of the structure of the normal lung as a basis for a better understanding of respiratory pathology. Experimental and Clinical Evaluation of the Tuberculostatics Capreomycin, Isoxyl, Myambutol, Rifampicin (Antibiotica et Chemotherapia, Vol. 16) Edited by E. FREERKSEN, E. H. ORLOWSKI,H. J. THUMIM,1970. S. Karger, Basel. Pp. 536. s14.50 This is the record of a colloquium held at the Borstel Research Institute in May 1968. The experimental evidence is in general well presented. But the volume, unfortunately, illustrates the great gulf that still exists between the scientific standards of laboratory experiments on new drugs and their trial in man. In the section on capreomycin there are two clinical reports: from neither is it possible to assess the effect of the drug. There are 10 reports of the use of thiocarlide (‘Isoxyl’) in man. Three are concerned with monotherapy; but in 2 of them the design of the investigations or their presentation are inadequate to draw valid conclusions. The 2 controlled trials demonstrated, as has already been published, the inferiority of the drug to streptomycin or PAS in association with isoniazid. There are 8 clinical reports on ethambutol; but none includes a controlled trial. Rifampicin has 5 reports but also no controlled trials. Perhaps the most interesting clinical report is that on the use of quantitative bacteriological studies of the sputum to evaluate the effect of new drugs. This produces evidence that thiocarlide was better than bed rest alone in reducing the bacterial content but less effective than PAS. Thiocarlide appears to have little or no place in treatment regimens. The pharmaceutical firms spend much effort and money producing new antituberculosis drugs ; they deserve better support from clinical investigators. PRINTED BY GEORGE OUTRAM & CO. LTD.,
36 TAY
STREET,
PERTH,
SCC,TLAND
71
Symptoms, natural history, treatment and prevention of such disorders as the common cold, influenza, pneumonia, bronchitis and emphysema, tuberculosis, cancer of the lung, asthma and occupational lung disease are described with well chosen facts and in a simple manner - ideally suited to the layman or patient and, in particular, to nurses, social workers and others working with patients. This book can be highly recommended for this purpose. Klinische Patbophysiologie der Atmung A. A. BUHLMANN and P. H. ROSSIER,1970. Springer-Verlag Berlin. Pp. 219. U.S. $1%70dollars. In this compact monograph the two Swiss authors have successfully widened the scope of their earlier work on the subject (1956) by relating up-to-date knowledge of respiratory function to clinical abnormalities of the lungs and the circulatory system. One chapter is also devoted to extra-thoracic diseases. The authors aimed not only at those primarily interested in the physiology and pathology of respiration but also at the chest physician. It is, however, doubtful whether clinicians who have only a general knowledge of the intricacies of pulmonary function will derive as much benefit from this well-produced book as those who have specialised in the subject or intend to do so in their future career. This point is emphasised when an attempt is made to study the fifty excellent tables at the end of the volume. The references are comprehensive. Die Menscbliche Lunge H. VONHAYEK,2nd edition, 1970. Springer-Verlag Berlin. Pp. 380. U.S. $27.20 dollars. In this, the second edition of his book, Professor van Hayek includes new material which has been accumulating since the first edition appeared fifteen years earlier. It deals comprehensively with the anatomy and histology of the respiratory system, its circulation and function. This book will be of value to those clinicians who want to acquire a specialised knowledge of the structure of the normal lung as a basis for a better understanding of respiratory pathology. Experimental and Clinical Evaluation of the Tuberculostatics Capreomycin, Isoxyl, Myambutol, Rifampicin (Antibiotica et Chemotherapia, Vol. 16) Edited by E. FREERKSEN, E. H. ORLOWSKI,H. J. THUMIM,1970. S. Karger, Basel. Pp. 536. s14.50 This is the record of a colloquium held at the Borstel Research Institute in May 1968. The experimental evidence is in general well presented. But the volume, unfortunately, illustrates the great gulf that still exists between the scientific standards of laboratory experiments on new drugs and their trial in man. In the section on capreomycin there are two clinical reports: from neither is it possible to assess the effect of the drug. There are 10 reports of the use of thiocarlide (‘Isoxyl’) in man. Three are concerned with monotherapy; but in 2 of them the design of the investigations or their presentation are inadequate to draw valid conclusions. The 2 controlled trials demonstrated, as has already been published, the inferiority of the drug to streptomycin or PAS in association with isoniazid. There are 8 clinical reports on ethambutol; but none includes a controlled trial. Rifampicin has 5 reports but also no controlled trials. Perhaps the most interesting clinical report is that on the use of quantitative bacteriological studies of the sputum to evaluate the effect of new drugs. This produces evidence that thiocarlide was better than bed rest alone in reducing the bacterial content but less effective than PAS. Thiocarlide appears to have little or no place in treatment regimens. The pharmaceutical firms spend much effort and money producing new antituberculosis drugs ; they deserve better support from clinical investigators. PRINTED BY GEORGE OUTRAM & CO. LTD.,
36 TAY
STREET,
PERTH,
SCC,TLAND