- Email: [email protected]
Neuroendocrinology and Psychiatric Disorder
570
BOOK REVIEWS
in setting new standards for the study of other food additives. ZacharyJ. Meyer, R.D. Metabolic and Diabetes Consulting Services Rochester Methodist Hospital
Euthanasia (Medicolegal Library, Vol 2), edited by Amnon Carmi, 185 pp, with illus, $32.10, New York, Springer-Verlag, 1984 Compiling a series of essays that seek to become "vital for lawyers and physicians, for sociologists and psycholo gists and for the public-at-large" in elucidating "the new scientific, economic, cultural and legal issues in medical practice" is truly an ambitious undertaking. The difficulty of such a task is illustrated by the shortcomings of this volume entitled Euthanasia, the second in a proposed series on medicolegal issues from the Springer-Verlag Publishing Company. To achieve credibility, such a volume should present a clear and balanced account of the moral, legal, and ethical principles at loggerheads in the ongoing debate over euthanasia. The predominant tone of this volume is actually pro-euthanasia, and many of the essays are simply a polemic in support of euthanasia from a legal, philosophic, or historical standpoint. To appeal to such a diverse audience, a collection of essays should avoid use of the arcane language of any one professional group. The longest essay in this volume is a report of an exhaus tive search of ancient Jewish law for legal precedents in support of euthanasia—of interest to lawyers, perhaps, but not germane to physicians and others who must establish rules of professional conduct based on modern day standards and who can place little importance on ancient precedent. To clarify rather than obfuscate the issues at hand, such a volume should avoid the use of vague terms and seman tic double-talk. Defining euthanasia as "good death," which is the derivation but not the modern definition of the word, and including such terms as "passive eu thanasia" do nothing to enlighten this controversial subject. Some of the essays digress from the purpose subsumed by the volume's title. These contributions include a dis cussion of the use of therapy groups to diminish the psychologic stress on medical personnel who care for adult patients with leukemia, a study of the psychologic
Mayo Clin Proc, August 1985, Vol 60
response of patients to terminal illness, and an overview of the decision-making process in surgical procedures for geriatric patients. The volume's bright spot is a frank and heartfelt dis cussion, by a family practitioner in Northern Ireland, of the difficulties and paradoxes encountered in applying ethical principles to the care of the hapless victims of that country's civil war. The medical community today has a considerable need for an essay series that would assist physicians and others in resolving the numerous ethical dilemmas en countered in daily practice. Unfortunately, at least on the basis of this single volume, this series gives little promise of filling this vacuum. Physicians who wish to broaden their perspective on the issue of euthanasia would be better served by reading the report of the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medi cine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research (which was chaired by Morris B. Abram) entitled "Deciding To Forego Life Sustaining Treatment." That publication is available from the United States Government Printing Office. M. Kevin O'Connor, M.D. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology
Neuroendocrinology and Psychiatric Disorder, edited by Gregory M. Brown, Stephen H. Koslow, and Sey mour Reichlin, 430 pp, with illus, $62, New York, Raven Press, 1984 During the past 10 years, psychiatric research has experi enced an enormous influx of neuroendocrinologic tech niques and theories. This book summarizes the findings of neuroendocrinologic research in such disparate areas as schizophrenia, stress, affective disorders, and an orexia nervosa. A thorough overview of the state of the art in many psychiatric-neuroendocrinologic research pro grams is presented as an exciting preview rather than a series of definitive discoveries. The chapters are, in fact, the proceedings of a symposium on psychoneuroendocrinology that took place at McMaster University, and discussions from the conference have been edited and included in the book. In the section on schizophrenia, the neuroendo crinologic approaches to this complex illness are aptly reviewed; the material by Davis and associates is espe cially good. Little new information is presented, and most of the studies simply reveal the relative integrity of neuro-
Mayo Clin Proc, August 1985, Vol 60
BOOK REVIEWS
571
endocrine systems, insofar as they have been examined, BOOKS RECEIVED in this illness. Angiographic Anatomy of the Anterior Inferior CerThe portion on stress is short but offers excellent defi nitions of terms and good correlations between animal ebeliar Artery (Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and and human studies. In the complicated, well-written Cell Biology, Vol 92), by Jan J. Heimans, Jaap Valk, and chapter by Ganoy on neurotransmitters and stress, he Anthony H. M. Lohman, 92 pp, with illus, $23, New clearly demonstrates the absence of any uniform neuro- York, Springer-Verlag, 1985 Small Cell Lung Cancer (Recent Results in Cancer endocrinologic "stress response." The section on affective disorders reviews many trends Research, Vol 97), edited by Siegfried Seeber, 166 pp, in research. The increasing recognition of a complex with illus, $38, New York, Springer-Verlag, 1985 Sudden Cardiac Death (Cardiovascular Clinics series), interplay among neuroendocrine systems and of possible edited by Mark E. Josephson, 328 pp, with illus, $50, major roles of melatonin in affective disorders com Philadelphia, F. A. Davis Company, 1985 plicates long-held hypotheses and heralds the possibility Medicine in the Tropics, 2nd ed, edited by Alan W. of major findings still to come. A careful reading of these Woodruff, 657 pp, with illus, $62, New York, Churchill chapters indicates that although neuroendocrine models Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White Plains, New of affective disorders have been heuristic, they are in York), 1984 need of constant revision. Shock and Related Problems (Clinical Surgery Inter The last 11 chapters in the book discuss anorexia national, Vol 9), edited by G. Tom Shires, 210 pp, with nervosa. Included are excellent reviews of endocrine illus, $39, New York, Churchill Livingstone (distributed findings in anorexia nervosa and an outstanding con by Longman, White Plains, New York), 1984 tribution by S. F. Leibowitz on brain monoamine pro Chronic Renal Disease: Causes, Complications, and jections and receptor systems and their possible relation Treatment, edited by Nancy Boucot Cummings and ships to eating behavior, food preferences, and body Saulo Klahr, 607 pp, with illus, $75, New York, Plenum weight. Medical Books, 1985 The contributors and editors have produced a useful, The Hereditary Ataxias and Related Disorders (Clini up-to-date book with an excellent index. This text dem cal Neurology and Neurosurgery Monographs, Vol 6), by onstrates how comprehensively the function of the brain A. E. Harding, 266 pp, with illus, $56, New York, is being integrated into psychiatry. Concurrently, it dis Churchill Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White closes the inadequacy of current, well-known models in Plains, New York), 1984 biologic psychiatry. On the negative side, some of the Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Treatment in the chapters display a naivete about the comparability of Elderly (Medicine in Old Age series), edited by Kevin animal models and human beings. Clinical expertise is O'Malley, 226 pp, with illus, $35, New York, Churchill de-emphasized, particularly in the chapters on anorexia Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White Plains, New nervosa: anorexia models based on absence of hunger, for example, are highly suspect. Finally, perhaps in a York), 1984 General Practice Medicine, 2nd ed, edited by James reaction to the fruitless search for pathologic changes in the brain in schizophrenia in the mid-1970s, the exciting H. Barber, 389 pp, with illus, $35, New York, Churchill ultrastructural neuroanatomic correlates of neuro- Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White Plains, New endocrinology receive minimal attention. These rela York), 1984 Rovinsky and Guttmacher's Medical, Surgical, and tionships could provide enormously important direction to psychiatric research in the near future and thus deserve Gynecologic Complications of Pregnancy, 3rd ed, ed ited by Sheldon H. Cherry, Richard L. Berkowitz, and emphasis. Nathan G. Kase, 876 pp, with illus, $98, Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1985 Lloyd A. Wells, Ph.D., M.D. Trauma: Conventional Radiological Study in Spine Section of Child and Adolescent Injury (Radiology of the Spine series), by Jean-Claude Psychiatry Dosch, 95 pp, with illus, $48.50, New York, SpringerVerlag, 1985 Critical Care of the Cancer Patient, edited by William S. Howland and Graziano C. Carlon, 370 pp, with illus, $39.95, Chicago, Year Book Medical Publishers, 1985
BOOK REVIEWS
in setting new standards for the study of other food additives. ZacharyJ. Meyer, R.D. Metabolic and Diabetes Consulting Services Rochester Methodist Hospital
Euthanasia (Medicolegal Library, Vol 2), edited by Amnon Carmi, 185 pp, with illus, $32.10, New York, Springer-Verlag, 1984 Compiling a series of essays that seek to become "vital for lawyers and physicians, for sociologists and psycholo gists and for the public-at-large" in elucidating "the new scientific, economic, cultural and legal issues in medical practice" is truly an ambitious undertaking. The difficulty of such a task is illustrated by the shortcomings of this volume entitled Euthanasia, the second in a proposed series on medicolegal issues from the Springer-Verlag Publishing Company. To achieve credibility, such a volume should present a clear and balanced account of the moral, legal, and ethical principles at loggerheads in the ongoing debate over euthanasia. The predominant tone of this volume is actually pro-euthanasia, and many of the essays are simply a polemic in support of euthanasia from a legal, philosophic, or historical standpoint. To appeal to such a diverse audience, a collection of essays should avoid use of the arcane language of any one professional group. The longest essay in this volume is a report of an exhaus tive search of ancient Jewish law for legal precedents in support of euthanasia—of interest to lawyers, perhaps, but not germane to physicians and others who must establish rules of professional conduct based on modern day standards and who can place little importance on ancient precedent. To clarify rather than obfuscate the issues at hand, such a volume should avoid the use of vague terms and seman tic double-talk. Defining euthanasia as "good death," which is the derivation but not the modern definition of the word, and including such terms as "passive eu thanasia" do nothing to enlighten this controversial subject. Some of the essays digress from the purpose subsumed by the volume's title. These contributions include a dis cussion of the use of therapy groups to diminish the psychologic stress on medical personnel who care for adult patients with leukemia, a study of the psychologic
Mayo Clin Proc, August 1985, Vol 60
response of patients to terminal illness, and an overview of the decision-making process in surgical procedures for geriatric patients. The volume's bright spot is a frank and heartfelt dis cussion, by a family practitioner in Northern Ireland, of the difficulties and paradoxes encountered in applying ethical principles to the care of the hapless victims of that country's civil war. The medical community today has a considerable need for an essay series that would assist physicians and others in resolving the numerous ethical dilemmas en countered in daily practice. Unfortunately, at least on the basis of this single volume, this series gives little promise of filling this vacuum. Physicians who wish to broaden their perspective on the issue of euthanasia would be better served by reading the report of the President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medi cine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research (which was chaired by Morris B. Abram) entitled "Deciding To Forego Life Sustaining Treatment." That publication is available from the United States Government Printing Office. M. Kevin O'Connor, M.D. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology
Neuroendocrinology and Psychiatric Disorder, edited by Gregory M. Brown, Stephen H. Koslow, and Sey mour Reichlin, 430 pp, with illus, $62, New York, Raven Press, 1984 During the past 10 years, psychiatric research has experi enced an enormous influx of neuroendocrinologic tech niques and theories. This book summarizes the findings of neuroendocrinologic research in such disparate areas as schizophrenia, stress, affective disorders, and an orexia nervosa. A thorough overview of the state of the art in many psychiatric-neuroendocrinologic research pro grams is presented as an exciting preview rather than a series of definitive discoveries. The chapters are, in fact, the proceedings of a symposium on psychoneuroendocrinology that took place at McMaster University, and discussions from the conference have been edited and included in the book. In the section on schizophrenia, the neuroendo crinologic approaches to this complex illness are aptly reviewed; the material by Davis and associates is espe cially good. Little new information is presented, and most of the studies simply reveal the relative integrity of neuro-
Mayo Clin Proc, August 1985, Vol 60
BOOK REVIEWS
571
endocrine systems, insofar as they have been examined, BOOKS RECEIVED in this illness. Angiographic Anatomy of the Anterior Inferior CerThe portion on stress is short but offers excellent defi nitions of terms and good correlations between animal ebeliar Artery (Advances in Anatomy, Embryology and and human studies. In the complicated, well-written Cell Biology, Vol 92), by Jan J. Heimans, Jaap Valk, and chapter by Ganoy on neurotransmitters and stress, he Anthony H. M. Lohman, 92 pp, with illus, $23, New clearly demonstrates the absence of any uniform neuro- York, Springer-Verlag, 1985 Small Cell Lung Cancer (Recent Results in Cancer endocrinologic "stress response." The section on affective disorders reviews many trends Research, Vol 97), edited by Siegfried Seeber, 166 pp, in research. The increasing recognition of a complex with illus, $38, New York, Springer-Verlag, 1985 Sudden Cardiac Death (Cardiovascular Clinics series), interplay among neuroendocrine systems and of possible edited by Mark E. Josephson, 328 pp, with illus, $50, major roles of melatonin in affective disorders com Philadelphia, F. A. Davis Company, 1985 plicates long-held hypotheses and heralds the possibility Medicine in the Tropics, 2nd ed, edited by Alan W. of major findings still to come. A careful reading of these Woodruff, 657 pp, with illus, $62, New York, Churchill chapters indicates that although neuroendocrine models Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White Plains, New of affective disorders have been heuristic, they are in York), 1984 need of constant revision. Shock and Related Problems (Clinical Surgery Inter The last 11 chapters in the book discuss anorexia national, Vol 9), edited by G. Tom Shires, 210 pp, with nervosa. Included are excellent reviews of endocrine illus, $39, New York, Churchill Livingstone (distributed findings in anorexia nervosa and an outstanding con by Longman, White Plains, New York), 1984 tribution by S. F. Leibowitz on brain monoamine pro Chronic Renal Disease: Causes, Complications, and jections and receptor systems and their possible relation Treatment, edited by Nancy Boucot Cummings and ships to eating behavior, food preferences, and body Saulo Klahr, 607 pp, with illus, $75, New York, Plenum weight. Medical Books, 1985 The contributors and editors have produced a useful, The Hereditary Ataxias and Related Disorders (Clini up-to-date book with an excellent index. This text dem cal Neurology and Neurosurgery Monographs, Vol 6), by onstrates how comprehensively the function of the brain A. E. Harding, 266 pp, with illus, $56, New York, is being integrated into psychiatry. Concurrently, it dis Churchill Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White closes the inadequacy of current, well-known models in Plains, New York), 1984 biologic psychiatry. On the negative side, some of the Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Treatment in the chapters display a naivete about the comparability of Elderly (Medicine in Old Age series), edited by Kevin animal models and human beings. Clinical expertise is O'Malley, 226 pp, with illus, $35, New York, Churchill de-emphasized, particularly in the chapters on anorexia Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White Plains, New nervosa: anorexia models based on absence of hunger, for example, are highly suspect. Finally, perhaps in a York), 1984 General Practice Medicine, 2nd ed, edited by James reaction to the fruitless search for pathologic changes in the brain in schizophrenia in the mid-1970s, the exciting H. Barber, 389 pp, with illus, $35, New York, Churchill ultrastructural neuroanatomic correlates of neuro- Livingstone (distributed by Longman, White Plains, New endocrinology receive minimal attention. These rela York), 1984 Rovinsky and Guttmacher's Medical, Surgical, and tionships could provide enormously important direction to psychiatric research in the near future and thus deserve Gynecologic Complications of Pregnancy, 3rd ed, ed ited by Sheldon H. Cherry, Richard L. Berkowitz, and emphasis. Nathan G. Kase, 876 pp, with illus, $98, Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1985 Lloyd A. Wells, Ph.D., M.D. Trauma: Conventional Radiological Study in Spine Section of Child and Adolescent Injury (Radiology of the Spine series), by Jean-Claude Psychiatry Dosch, 95 pp, with illus, $48.50, New York, SpringerVerlag, 1985 Critical Care of the Cancer Patient, edited by William S. Howland and Graziano C. Carlon, 370 pp, with illus, $39.95, Chicago, Year Book Medical Publishers, 1985