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An Introduction to Chest Surgery
x24
TUBERGLE
T u b e r c u l o s i s in A n i m a l s and Man: A Study in Comparative P a t h o l o g y
JOHNFRANCIS. University of Queensland, Cassell, London, Pp. 357. £ 5 5s. This is a valuable reference book. Prof Francis set out 'to provide a modern account of tuberculosis in all the species for which there is reliable information'. Naturally, bovine tuberculosis occupies the largest section - almost a third of the work. This is followed by descriptions of tuberculosis in 19 other species, in birds, cold-blooded animals and tile chick embryo. The main facts in both these sections are clearly summarized in separate chapters. The final section is an admirable essay in comparative pathology, linking the disease in man with that in animals and attempting to introduce 'some unifying concepts'. A reference book should show, among other qualities, accurate documentation, good indexing and critical selection of sources in order to qualify as an authorative work. Prof Francis appears to have succeeded in producing one. It would have been more valuable to have given the full titles of the papers quoted. This practice gives tile reader some indication of the scope of the work referred to and may save him unnecessary journeys to libraries with the irritation of finding only a few lines of relevant reading when he expected an exhaustive exposition. T h e book, of course, is unlikely to have a ,vide sale among chest physicians; it is mainly for the pathologist and veterinary surgeon. But it is useful to know where such information can be found; and some sections, such as that on bovine infection in man, are certainly of practical interest to the clinician. I f he should wander into the wider fields he will come across such intriguing information as that tuberculosis has been reported in only 4 fish, 3 frogs and 'a reptile or two' ; that it is very rare i'n elephants, only 8 cases having been reported, from 3 of which human type bacilli were isolated; and that in the flying fox, that spends much of its life upside down, the lesions are predominantly in the caudal parts of the lungs.
An Introduction to Chest Surgery GEOFFREY FLAVELL. Oxford University Press, London, 1957. PP. 354. £ x I osod. This book is written in an exceptionally forceful and didactic manner and, for the sake of brevity and clarity, only the author's views are expressed. The publisher's notice states that it should prove invaluable to 'students, general practitioners, and physicians' and the author emphasizes in the preface that the subject is presented 'at student level'. But the book cannot be recommended as suitable for undergraduate students for, although many passages should be of interest to them, there is also much which most teachers would consider an unwarranted addition to the student's curriculum. T h e presentation is more suited to post-graudate students, especially those recently appointed to thoracic surgical units and those who 'are training to be chest physicians. A good outline of thoracic surgery is provided, if the reader is able to accept the dogmatism and can be amused when emphasis reaches the ridiculous. T h e 128 chest radiographs, which are beautifully reproduced, are of excellent quality and well chosen. Some of the line drawings are valuable but others are decipherable only by those familiar with the area portrayed and Fig. I9, which purports to show the typical anatomy of the pulmonary artery on the left side, is misleading as it depicts a very rare form of branching. T h e publishers are to be congratulated on producing the book at such a reasonable price.
TUBERGLE
T u b e r c u l o s i s in A n i m a l s and Man: A Study in Comparative P a t h o l o g y
JOHNFRANCIS. University of Queensland, Cassell, London, Pp. 357. £ 5 5s. This is a valuable reference book. Prof Francis set out 'to provide a modern account of tuberculosis in all the species for which there is reliable information'. Naturally, bovine tuberculosis occupies the largest section - almost a third of the work. This is followed by descriptions of tuberculosis in 19 other species, in birds, cold-blooded animals and tile chick embryo. The main facts in both these sections are clearly summarized in separate chapters. The final section is an admirable essay in comparative pathology, linking the disease in man with that in animals and attempting to introduce 'some unifying concepts'. A reference book should show, among other qualities, accurate documentation, good indexing and critical selection of sources in order to qualify as an authorative work. Prof Francis appears to have succeeded in producing one. It would have been more valuable to have given the full titles of the papers quoted. This practice gives tile reader some indication of the scope of the work referred to and may save him unnecessary journeys to libraries with the irritation of finding only a few lines of relevant reading when he expected an exhaustive exposition. T h e book, of course, is unlikely to have a ,vide sale among chest physicians; it is mainly for the pathologist and veterinary surgeon. But it is useful to know where such information can be found; and some sections, such as that on bovine infection in man, are certainly of practical interest to the clinician. I f he should wander into the wider fields he will come across such intriguing information as that tuberculosis has been reported in only 4 fish, 3 frogs and 'a reptile or two' ; that it is very rare i'n elephants, only 8 cases having been reported, from 3 of which human type bacilli were isolated; and that in the flying fox, that spends much of its life upside down, the lesions are predominantly in the caudal parts of the lungs.
An Introduction to Chest Surgery GEOFFREY FLAVELL. Oxford University Press, London, 1957. PP. 354. £ x I osod. This book is written in an exceptionally forceful and didactic manner and, for the sake of brevity and clarity, only the author's views are expressed. The publisher's notice states that it should prove invaluable to 'students, general practitioners, and physicians' and the author emphasizes in the preface that the subject is presented 'at student level'. But the book cannot be recommended as suitable for undergraduate students for, although many passages should be of interest to them, there is also much which most teachers would consider an unwarranted addition to the student's curriculum. T h e presentation is more suited to post-graudate students, especially those recently appointed to thoracic surgical units and those who 'are training to be chest physicians. A good outline of thoracic surgery is provided, if the reader is able to accept the dogmatism and can be amused when emphasis reaches the ridiculous. T h e 128 chest radiographs, which are beautifully reproduced, are of excellent quality and well chosen. Some of the line drawings are valuable but others are decipherable only by those familiar with the area portrayed and Fig. I9, which purports to show the typical anatomy of the pulmonary artery on the left side, is misleading as it depicts a very rare form of branching. T h e publishers are to be congratulated on producing the book at such a reasonable price.