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Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 35
490
BOOK REVIEWS
Aids to Clinical Haematology, J. A. CHILD. 1982. Churchill Livingstone, Melbourne. 134 pp., figures ISBN 0 443 01984 3. $1 1.10.
This is a 134 page paperback containing 16 chapters describing various hematological diseases or disorders including lymphoproliferative diseases and immunoproliferative disorders. Each disease is dealt with in a tabular and synoptic form: basic, etiological and pathological aspect preceding the relevant laboratory findings, followed by clinical features, treatment, course and prognosis. Most of the diseases met in a hematology practice are described. The information is up to date but patchy in details thus limiting the use of the book for laboratory diagnostic purposes. The tabular presentation does not indicate the relative importance of the data with regards to diagnosis and management. The young graduate should therefore be wary of using this book without a comprehensive text book or the guidance of a tutor/consultant. The book is aimed at ‘the newly qualified doctor to be a guide to use in practice and the M.R.C.P. (or M.R.C.Path) candidate, an up to date distillate of the subject which will be of value as a revision aid’. I think Dr Child has succeeded in these aims. The book would also be useful for the senior technologist in hematology. P. R. L. Lam-Po-Tang
Lectures on Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 5th ed., V. D. PLUECKHAHN. 1982. University of Melbourne Printing Services. 397 pp. $8.00.
This book is the only modern text on Forensic Medicine and Pathology relevant to the Australian scene. It is written primarily for medical students but is a useful reference source for pathologists and all medical practitioners. It is practical w d surprisingly comprehensive. The author has compiled a mass of information concerning a wide range of medico-legal matters, and the manner in which the laws differ in the various States and Territories of the Commonwealth is indicated. The subjects dealt with include the origins and divisions of law, court procedures, the coronial system, the registration and deregistration of medical practitioners, professional liability, drug addiction, tissue transplantation and the legal aspects of sex, to quote a few. This information is often difficult to find from other sources and the clear and concise presentation of up-to-date information is most helpful. Since the last edition in 1981, the book has been revised: new material has been added and its scope broadened. Numerous references are included and these are apposite and recent. Typographical errors are few and the binding has been improved. The index could still be much improved. This is a useful book and at the price is a bargain. It can be recommended. J. I. Tonge
C. BODIAN & Breast Carcinoma: Risk and Detection, C. D. HAAGENSEN, D. E. HAAGENSEN JR. 1981. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia. 576 pp., illustrated. Order No. 4438-3. $50.00 approx. The name of Haagensen has for a long time been familiar to all those working in the field of breast cancer and his book ‘Diseasesof the Breast’ is a standard reference for many pathologists. As the title of this new book indicates, the emphasis is on breast carcinoma, but there is a wealth of material on benign as well as malignant epithelial disease, described in detail with abundant high quality illustrations. It will therefore be of value to diagnostic surgical pathologists, among others working in this field.
Pathology (1982), 14, October The book deals with the subject in three main aspects namely epidemiology, benign epithelial conditions and investigative techniques. In the early chapters, results from other series around the world are included, with the aim of identifying risk factors associated with racial and ethnic groups, geographic distribution, age, family and reproductive history. The following chaptersdeal in detail with conditions such as gross cystic disease, multiple intraductal papilloma and lobular neoplasia and their predisposition to cancer, in addition to other epithelial lesions which the authors have not found to be significant. The final chapters correlate and assess the presumed risk factors and give practical advice on detection, including the role of women and of their physicians, the place of mammography, aspiration biopsy and screening programmes in general, in addition to a detailed discussion of surgical biopsy. A chapter on the biochemical relationship between gross cystic disease and breast carcinoma includes new material on the significance and methods of identification of a glycoprotein molecule considered to be specific for cells of apocrine origin. Although epidemiological data from other workers are incorporated and the bibliography is reasonably extensive, this book is essentially a record of the extensive personal experience of a dedicated physician, qualified as both surgeon and anatomical pathologist. It is based on more than 3000 cases of breast carcinoma and several thousand cases of non malignant disease, meticulously observed and documented over many years, carefully and thoughtfully analysed. The leading author makes no secret of the fact that the recommendations made on detection methods and follow up are heavily influenced by his personal experience, but unless both patients and physicians are prepared to give the same enduring commitment and personal involvement on a long term basis, the same standards and results are unlikely to be achieved. For pathologists, however, this book provides a useful addition to publications on breast pathology diagnosis, and its value is enhanced by the presentation of the pathology in a clinical and epidemiological setting. J . Cooper Booth
Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 35, Eds M. P. STARR,J. L. INGRAHAM & A. BALOWS. 1981. Annual Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, California. 684 pp., tables. ISBN 0 8243 1135 3. US%21.oo.
There is not a great deal for the medical microbiologist in the 1981 edition of the Annual Review of Microbiology. Only the most inquisitive will want to know about the bacterial problems of salmonid fish, the control of weed growth by bacteria and the causes of plant hyperplasias. Researchers may be interested in mechanisms of bacterial gliding and budding, initiation of transfer RNA and hydrogen oxidation. The dominant theme of the medical chapters concerns the surface structure of organisms and their attachment to host tissues as the initiation of the infectious process. These include reviews of the structure and function of polysaccharide-containing bacterial capsules, host defence mechanisms at mucosal surfaces, and the use of lectins to chardcterise microbial cell surfaces by detecting specific sugar groups. The latter chapter also speculates on the role oflectins in host defences; a reasonable concept considering the ubiquity of these compounds. There is an interesting account of the pathogenesis of syphilis suggesting that treponemal mucopolysaccharidase is responsible for the attachment of the organism to tissue cell ground substance. Finally, for those interested in the interface between immunology and psychology, two investigators from California summarise what is known of ‘psychoneuroendocrinological’ effects on the immune response. Richard Benn
BOOK REVIEWS
Aids to Clinical Haematology, J. A. CHILD. 1982. Churchill Livingstone, Melbourne. 134 pp., figures ISBN 0 443 01984 3. $1 1.10.
This is a 134 page paperback containing 16 chapters describing various hematological diseases or disorders including lymphoproliferative diseases and immunoproliferative disorders. Each disease is dealt with in a tabular and synoptic form: basic, etiological and pathological aspect preceding the relevant laboratory findings, followed by clinical features, treatment, course and prognosis. Most of the diseases met in a hematology practice are described. The information is up to date but patchy in details thus limiting the use of the book for laboratory diagnostic purposes. The tabular presentation does not indicate the relative importance of the data with regards to diagnosis and management. The young graduate should therefore be wary of using this book without a comprehensive text book or the guidance of a tutor/consultant. The book is aimed at ‘the newly qualified doctor to be a guide to use in practice and the M.R.C.P. (or M.R.C.Path) candidate, an up to date distillate of the subject which will be of value as a revision aid’. I think Dr Child has succeeded in these aims. The book would also be useful for the senior technologist in hematology. P. R. L. Lam-Po-Tang
Lectures on Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 5th ed., V. D. PLUECKHAHN. 1982. University of Melbourne Printing Services. 397 pp. $8.00.
This book is the only modern text on Forensic Medicine and Pathology relevant to the Australian scene. It is written primarily for medical students but is a useful reference source for pathologists and all medical practitioners. It is practical w d surprisingly comprehensive. The author has compiled a mass of information concerning a wide range of medico-legal matters, and the manner in which the laws differ in the various States and Territories of the Commonwealth is indicated. The subjects dealt with include the origins and divisions of law, court procedures, the coronial system, the registration and deregistration of medical practitioners, professional liability, drug addiction, tissue transplantation and the legal aspects of sex, to quote a few. This information is often difficult to find from other sources and the clear and concise presentation of up-to-date information is most helpful. Since the last edition in 1981, the book has been revised: new material has been added and its scope broadened. Numerous references are included and these are apposite and recent. Typographical errors are few and the binding has been improved. The index could still be much improved. This is a useful book and at the price is a bargain. It can be recommended. J. I. Tonge
C. BODIAN & Breast Carcinoma: Risk and Detection, C. D. HAAGENSEN, D. E. HAAGENSEN JR. 1981. W. B. Saunders, Philadelphia. 576 pp., illustrated. Order No. 4438-3. $50.00 approx. The name of Haagensen has for a long time been familiar to all those working in the field of breast cancer and his book ‘Diseasesof the Breast’ is a standard reference for many pathologists. As the title of this new book indicates, the emphasis is on breast carcinoma, but there is a wealth of material on benign as well as malignant epithelial disease, described in detail with abundant high quality illustrations. It will therefore be of value to diagnostic surgical pathologists, among others working in this field.
Pathology (1982), 14, October The book deals with the subject in three main aspects namely epidemiology, benign epithelial conditions and investigative techniques. In the early chapters, results from other series around the world are included, with the aim of identifying risk factors associated with racial and ethnic groups, geographic distribution, age, family and reproductive history. The following chaptersdeal in detail with conditions such as gross cystic disease, multiple intraductal papilloma and lobular neoplasia and their predisposition to cancer, in addition to other epithelial lesions which the authors have not found to be significant. The final chapters correlate and assess the presumed risk factors and give practical advice on detection, including the role of women and of their physicians, the place of mammography, aspiration biopsy and screening programmes in general, in addition to a detailed discussion of surgical biopsy. A chapter on the biochemical relationship between gross cystic disease and breast carcinoma includes new material on the significance and methods of identification of a glycoprotein molecule considered to be specific for cells of apocrine origin. Although epidemiological data from other workers are incorporated and the bibliography is reasonably extensive, this book is essentially a record of the extensive personal experience of a dedicated physician, qualified as both surgeon and anatomical pathologist. It is based on more than 3000 cases of breast carcinoma and several thousand cases of non malignant disease, meticulously observed and documented over many years, carefully and thoughtfully analysed. The leading author makes no secret of the fact that the recommendations made on detection methods and follow up are heavily influenced by his personal experience, but unless both patients and physicians are prepared to give the same enduring commitment and personal involvement on a long term basis, the same standards and results are unlikely to be achieved. For pathologists, however, this book provides a useful addition to publications on breast pathology diagnosis, and its value is enhanced by the presentation of the pathology in a clinical and epidemiological setting. J . Cooper Booth
Annual Review of Microbiology, Volume 35, Eds M. P. STARR,J. L. INGRAHAM & A. BALOWS. 1981. Annual Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, California. 684 pp., tables. ISBN 0 8243 1135 3. US%21.oo.
There is not a great deal for the medical microbiologist in the 1981 edition of the Annual Review of Microbiology. Only the most inquisitive will want to know about the bacterial problems of salmonid fish, the control of weed growth by bacteria and the causes of plant hyperplasias. Researchers may be interested in mechanisms of bacterial gliding and budding, initiation of transfer RNA and hydrogen oxidation. The dominant theme of the medical chapters concerns the surface structure of organisms and their attachment to host tissues as the initiation of the infectious process. These include reviews of the structure and function of polysaccharide-containing bacterial capsules, host defence mechanisms at mucosal surfaces, and the use of lectins to chardcterise microbial cell surfaces by detecting specific sugar groups. The latter chapter also speculates on the role oflectins in host defences; a reasonable concept considering the ubiquity of these compounds. There is an interesting account of the pathogenesis of syphilis suggesting that treponemal mucopolysaccharidase is responsible for the attachment of the organism to tissue cell ground substance. Finally, for those interested in the interface between immunology and psychology, two investigators from California summarise what is known of ‘psychoneuroendocrinological’ effects on the immune response. Richard Benn