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Blood diseases of infancy and childhood
Reviews I Abstracts Edited LOUIS
by M.
HELLMAN,
M.D.
Book reviews Edema: Mechanisms and Management. A Hahnemann Symposium on Salt and Water Retention. Edited by John H. Moyer
A Manual
of Pregnancy Testing. By Edward H. Hon. 116 pages, 34 figures. Boston, 1961, Little, Brown & Company. This manual consists of 116 pages devoted to the theoretical aspects of pregnancy testing, the techniques of the various methods and the interpretations in disturbed pregnancy. The advantages and disadvantages of the various methods are discussed and suggestions given to prevent false reports. The section dealing with disturbed pregnancy is especially informative and should be of assistance to the technician as well as to the clinician. The few pages devoted to animal husbandry demonstrate the completeness of the manual. It is written in a style that is easy to assimilate. It should be a worthwhile reference for any laboratory doing pregnancy testing.
and Morton Fuchs. 833 pages. Philadelphia, 1960, W. B. Saunders Company. $15. Now that book reviews are signed there is a temptation to be a good guy and not tread on any toes. However, this symposium does not inIts chief shortcoming is that spire an encomium. more than 90 authors participated and many things are said again and again, while new contributions and ideas are in short supply. The book does contain worthwhile information but digging it out is rather laborious. Some of the organic chemists who synthesized some of the diuretic agents show structural formulas and discuss theories of biologic action. Yet clinician after clinician adorns his paper with repetitions of these structural formulas. Of course, some clinicians appreciate the inductive effect of substituents for hydrogen, across bonds, to alter the potential of the reactive chemical group. They cannot assume such knowledge on the part of a clinical audience and the mere inclusion of structural formulas in a clinical paper is nothing more than window dressing. Why should anyone other than a theoretical chemist bother to memorize the formula of chlorothiazide (or of progesterone, for that matter) ? The symposium is divided into eight major sections: (1) fluid and electrolyte balance, (2) pharmacology and therapeutic uses of diuretics, (3) iatrogenic (steroid) edema, (4) hypertension, (5) toxemia of pregnancy and premenstrual tension, (6) edema of renal origin, (7) edema associated with liver disease, and (8) congestive heart failure.
J. Edward Blood
and Childhood. By Carl H. Smith. 572 pages, 51 figures, 21 tables. St. Louis, 1960, The C. V. Mosby Company. $17. Clinical pathologic processes cannot be separated from the patients in which they occur. Pediatric hematology is as different from adult hematology as pediatrics differs from internal medicine. Dr. Smith has gathered a wide experience in clinical pediatric hematology over a period of many years which has left its mark in this fine book. The subject matter is covered rather completely in 27 chapters encompassing all aspects of hematologic disorders found in childhood. An extensive bibliography is available at the end of each chapter. Many texts have appeared on hematologic subjects in the past few years. Dr. Smith’s book is not a substitute for the specialized monograph or the general
Leon C. Chesley 551
Diseases of Infancy
Hall
552
Book
reviews
text on such specifics as coagulation or hemolytic anemias or leukemias. It is, however, a worthwhile contribution by a keen observer, a knowledgeable cIinician, and an important investigator in pediatric hematology.
Herbert
Lichtman
Stedman’s Medical
Dictionary. Edited by 23 roneditors. Twentieth edition. 1,680 illustrations. Baltimore, 1961, pages, Williams & Wilkins Company. Stedman‘s has always been the reviewer’s favorite medical dictionary largely because of the emphasis on etymology, with many of the more common Greek and Latin roots defined and exemplified by words in which they occur. Thirty-one pages are given to medical etymology and many roots and stems are listed. Regrettably, Dr. Stedman’s original preface has been omitted from recent editions. The dictionary has been completely revised and set in a new type face and there are many new illustrations. Thousands of words have been redefined-“eclampsia,” among others. A living language is in a state of constant change, but unfortunately the changes too often rome from the bottom and ignorance again triumphs. For instance the present edition, for the first time, admits as a second pronunciation “ah’d6men” sulting
(ab’dGmen sounds good, like a plain belly should). The previous edition defined “adnexa” as “annexa“ and under the latter word one found the meaning. The present edition reverses the order. In the nineteenth edition, “gynecology” and its congeners were pronounced with a yoft g (first choice) or a hard g with either a short or long i (y). The new edition fixes upon a hard g with a long i, with no alternatives. Perhaps this was in deference to the official pronunciation adopted by the American College of 01~ stetricians and Gynecologists (who, by the way. changed their minds too latc for recognition l)y the dictionary). “Micturition” was defined in the ninctcenth edition as “urination”; in the, current edition, this is corrected to “the desire to urinate.” However, this dictionary persists in making a two-syllable word of “syndrome” and gives a derivation significantly different frown that to be found in the Webster and the Oxford English dictionaries. The ligature is still rctained in “praevia,” although under “prae-” the reader is referred to “prc-.” In the section on medical etymology “ccsarean” is misspt~lled ;I<
“caesarian” and a monstrous word “CarSarotomy” in this section and “cesarotomy” in the text evokes wonder as to whether or not Caesar said “ouch.” However, these are but carping criticisms. I’he book is tvell printed, with the words under definition in boldface type. Eponyms are usually accompanied by identification and dates of the the deaths of men concerned (although Stroganoff and Hofbauer have not been rccogrtized). The book is highly recommended.
Clinical
Endocrinology. By Laurcncc Martin. Third edition. 275 pages, 48 figurrs. Boston, 1961, Little, Brown & Company. $8. As the title indicates, this book has been written for practitioners and students and as ;I result dots not go into detail concerning most entities. The section on the thyroid is the largest as is frequently the case in books of this type. On thy other hand, the ovarian section is brief and deals Faith the various problems quite superficially. This book should be looked upon more as a handbook rather than a textbook. As such, it may be of value to students to acquaint thr,m \vith clinical rndocrinology, but cannot be (‘onsidcred a reference book in this field. It is lvrittc‘n in an easy style, and in a nlanncr conducive to rrttention of the material.
La Endometriosis.
By Donato G. R/larmol. 35!) page<, 43 figures. Havana, 1959, Artcq Graficas (Roger A. Queralt). Dr. Marmol has had a great deal of espcriencl, with tsndometriosis. Ho gives an outline of the history of cndometriosis as a clinic.al entity. He :‘overs every known asprct of the c.ondition a~ Far as anatomical localization is concerned and includes many cases illustrating cxtragtlnital sites. Unfortunatrly, the book was written in 1957, hefort, much was known allout the lnodcrn conccpts of t&g long-acting progcstcronc-like drugs. This will prove a great d&c-icncy to the rurrcnt reader if hc is intcTrc,stt,d in trcatmenr. ‘The book can be r~~commrndcd if one i% in(crested only in the history of rmdometriosis or in the wide spectrum of clinical pictnrcs which can IX assoriatc,d with endometritssis.
by M.
HELLMAN,
M.D.
Book reviews Edema: Mechanisms and Management. A Hahnemann Symposium on Salt and Water Retention. Edited by John H. Moyer
A Manual
of Pregnancy Testing. By Edward H. Hon. 116 pages, 34 figures. Boston, 1961, Little, Brown & Company. This manual consists of 116 pages devoted to the theoretical aspects of pregnancy testing, the techniques of the various methods and the interpretations in disturbed pregnancy. The advantages and disadvantages of the various methods are discussed and suggestions given to prevent false reports. The section dealing with disturbed pregnancy is especially informative and should be of assistance to the technician as well as to the clinician. The few pages devoted to animal husbandry demonstrate the completeness of the manual. It is written in a style that is easy to assimilate. It should be a worthwhile reference for any laboratory doing pregnancy testing.
and Morton Fuchs. 833 pages. Philadelphia, 1960, W. B. Saunders Company. $15. Now that book reviews are signed there is a temptation to be a good guy and not tread on any toes. However, this symposium does not inIts chief shortcoming is that spire an encomium. more than 90 authors participated and many things are said again and again, while new contributions and ideas are in short supply. The book does contain worthwhile information but digging it out is rather laborious. Some of the organic chemists who synthesized some of the diuretic agents show structural formulas and discuss theories of biologic action. Yet clinician after clinician adorns his paper with repetitions of these structural formulas. Of course, some clinicians appreciate the inductive effect of substituents for hydrogen, across bonds, to alter the potential of the reactive chemical group. They cannot assume such knowledge on the part of a clinical audience and the mere inclusion of structural formulas in a clinical paper is nothing more than window dressing. Why should anyone other than a theoretical chemist bother to memorize the formula of chlorothiazide (or of progesterone, for that matter) ? The symposium is divided into eight major sections: (1) fluid and electrolyte balance, (2) pharmacology and therapeutic uses of diuretics, (3) iatrogenic (steroid) edema, (4) hypertension, (5) toxemia of pregnancy and premenstrual tension, (6) edema of renal origin, (7) edema associated with liver disease, and (8) congestive heart failure.
J. Edward Blood
and Childhood. By Carl H. Smith. 572 pages, 51 figures, 21 tables. St. Louis, 1960, The C. V. Mosby Company. $17. Clinical pathologic processes cannot be separated from the patients in which they occur. Pediatric hematology is as different from adult hematology as pediatrics differs from internal medicine. Dr. Smith has gathered a wide experience in clinical pediatric hematology over a period of many years which has left its mark in this fine book. The subject matter is covered rather completely in 27 chapters encompassing all aspects of hematologic disorders found in childhood. An extensive bibliography is available at the end of each chapter. Many texts have appeared on hematologic subjects in the past few years. Dr. Smith’s book is not a substitute for the specialized monograph or the general
Leon C. Chesley 551
Diseases of Infancy
Hall
552
Book
reviews
text on such specifics as coagulation or hemolytic anemias or leukemias. It is, however, a worthwhile contribution by a keen observer, a knowledgeable cIinician, and an important investigator in pediatric hematology.
Herbert
Lichtman
Stedman’s Medical
Dictionary. Edited by 23 roneditors. Twentieth edition. 1,680 illustrations. Baltimore, 1961, pages, Williams & Wilkins Company. Stedman‘s has always been the reviewer’s favorite medical dictionary largely because of the emphasis on etymology, with many of the more common Greek and Latin roots defined and exemplified by words in which they occur. Thirty-one pages are given to medical etymology and many roots and stems are listed. Regrettably, Dr. Stedman’s original preface has been omitted from recent editions. The dictionary has been completely revised and set in a new type face and there are many new illustrations. Thousands of words have been redefined-“eclampsia,” among others. A living language is in a state of constant change, but unfortunately the changes too often rome from the bottom and ignorance again triumphs. For instance the present edition, for the first time, admits as a second pronunciation “ah’d6men” sulting
(ab’dGmen sounds good, like a plain belly should). The previous edition defined “adnexa” as “annexa“ and under the latter word one found the meaning. The present edition reverses the order. In the nineteenth edition, “gynecology” and its congeners were pronounced with a yoft g (first choice) or a hard g with either a short or long i (y). The new edition fixes upon a hard g with a long i, with no alternatives. Perhaps this was in deference to the official pronunciation adopted by the American College of 01~ stetricians and Gynecologists (who, by the way. changed their minds too latc for recognition l)y the dictionary). “Micturition” was defined in the ninctcenth edition as “urination”; in the, current edition, this is corrected to “the desire to urinate.” However, this dictionary persists in making a two-syllable word of “syndrome” and gives a derivation significantly different frown that to be found in the Webster and the Oxford English dictionaries. The ligature is still rctained in “praevia,” although under “prae-” the reader is referred to “prc-.” In the section on medical etymology “ccsarean” is misspt~lled ;I<
“caesarian” and a monstrous word “CarSarotomy” in this section and “cesarotomy” in the text evokes wonder as to whether or not Caesar said “ouch.” However, these are but carping criticisms. I’he book is tvell printed, with the words under definition in boldface type. Eponyms are usually accompanied by identification and dates of the the deaths of men concerned (although Stroganoff and Hofbauer have not been rccogrtized). The book is highly recommended.
Clinical
Endocrinology. By Laurcncc Martin. Third edition. 275 pages, 48 figurrs. Boston, 1961, Little, Brown & Company. $8. As the title indicates, this book has been written for practitioners and students and as ;I result dots not go into detail concerning most entities. The section on the thyroid is the largest as is frequently the case in books of this type. On thy other hand, the ovarian section is brief and deals Faith the various problems quite superficially. This book should be looked upon more as a handbook rather than a textbook. As such, it may be of value to students to acquaint thr,m \vith clinical rndocrinology, but cannot be (‘onsidcred a reference book in this field. It is lvrittc‘n in an easy style, and in a nlanncr conducive to rrttention of the material.
La Endometriosis.
By Donato G. R/larmol. 35!) page<, 43 figures. Havana, 1959, Artcq Graficas (Roger A. Queralt). Dr. Marmol has had a great deal of espcriencl, with tsndometriosis. Ho gives an outline of the history of cndometriosis as a clinic.al entity. He :‘overs every known asprct of the c.ondition a~ Far as anatomical localization is concerned and includes many cases illustrating cxtragtlnital sites. Unfortunatrly, the book was written in 1957, hefort, much was known allout the lnodcrn conccpts of t&g long-acting progcstcronc-like drugs. This will prove a great d&c-icncy to the rurrcnt reader if hc is intcTrc,stt,d in trcatmenr. ‘The book can be r~~commrndcd if one i% in(crested only in the history of rmdometriosis or in the wide spectrum of clinical pictnrcs which can IX assoriatc,d with endometritssis.