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de Gruchy’s Clinical Hematology in Medical Practice — 5th Ed
176
BOOK REVIEWS
ends with Kohler and Milstein’s 1975 paper on hybridomas. A list of important books on immunology starts with von Behring’s Die Blutserumtherapie (1892) and ends with Immunologic Deficiency Diseases in Man, D. Bergsma, ed. (1968). Not surprisingly, of the 98 books listed, 29 were published in the 1960s. The book is further enriched by an appendix citing ‘Nobel Prize Highlights in Immunology’, which again begins with von Behring (1901) and ends with Susumu Tonegawa (1987). A most informative Biographical Dictionary lists 191 names. In none of these is the author’s name mentioned, but by using the name and subject indices which are also included I learnt that Silverstein had described the first example of complement deficiency in a human. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and using this book which should be in all scientific libraries. 1 think many pathologists would delight in it as much as I did.
H. Attwood
relating to selective decontamination of the gut, gonococcal-phagocyte interactions, quinolone antibiotics, serodiagnosis of infection with the HlV are also pertinent to current practice. Some of these topics have been dealt with repeatedly in other sources; for example, there are several recent books on the subject of the quinolones and numerous symposia proceedings are also available on this topic. The article in question, however, provides not only a succinct and thoughtful summary, but also an extensive bibliography for the pursuit of further information. Molecular biology is, as would be expected, prominently featured in many sections, and virologists are not forgotten with chapters on immunoglobulin A, influenza A membrane proteins and the genome of the human herpes viruses, as well as the section on HIV serodiagnosis. Not all the chapters are obligatory reading and some deal with other fundamental and non-clinical aspects of microbiology. If all of the large volume of text were devoted to clinical microbiology, there would be considerable guilt attached t o paying the very small asking price for this well-produced volume.
J . Tapsall The Role of Leucocyte Depletion in Blood Transfusion Practice. Ed. B. BROZOVIC. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston, Melbourne, 1989. ISBN 0-632-02626-X, pp. ix + 97. $62.00. Leucocytes in transfused blood can lead to non-hemolytic transfusion reactions, can induce primary HLA immunization and hence refractoriness to platelet transfusions from random donors, and may, in severely immunosuppressed patients, induce a graft-versus-host reaction. Therefore, in patients requiring multiple transfusion support, it is important to remove as many leucocytes as possible from the transfused blood product. This book documents papers given at a symposium sponsored by the Japanese manufacturer of a new leucocyte filter. Some of the contributions are in abstract form and hard to evaluate, but others are given in more detail and contain some useful information. The book will be of some interest to those working in clinical hematology and blood transfusion, especially in trying to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the various means of eliminating leucocytes from blood products.
P. Vincent
ORNSTON. Annual Annual Review of Microbiology. Ed. L. NICHOLAS Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, California, 1989. ISBN 0-8243-1 143-4, pp. xii + 682. $38.00. The concept behind the Annual Review series, of which this current volume dealing with microbiology is a fine example, is an admirable one. Its success is attested not only by its popularity and continuity, but also by the proliferation of journals which imitate the review style format of these volumes. This increase in the number and availability of sources competing for similar material has not diminished the appeal of this series and the 1989 volume maintains the standard of previous editions. There is much in this volume of both topical and lasting interest for the clinical microbiologist. The views of Dr H. Smith on microbial pathogenecity are well worth the price of the volume alone, and chapters
de Gruchy’s Clinical Hematology in Medical Practice - 5th Ed. Ed. F. F I R K I N C., CHESTERMAN, D. PENNINGTON, B. RUSH.Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston, Melbourne, 1989. ISBN 0-632-01715-5, pp. x + 524. I admit that 1 approached the task of reviewing the fifth edition of Carl de Gruchy’s “Clinical Hematology in Medical Practice” with pleasure and enthusiasm. With its first edition in 1958, the book rapidly became a benchmark for undergraduate and postgraduate students, for general physicians, and even for specialist hematologists. Its well-deserved success was due t o Carl’s encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, his ability to analyse and classify hematological disorders, and his concise and eminently readable style. The book very much reflected the man, and it was fitting that four of his colleagues (Frank Firkin, Colin Chesterman, David Pennington and Bryan Rush) were invited to produce the fourth edition in 1978 after Carl’s untimely death in 1974. This is now the fifth edition, and the second under the editorship of the quadrumvirate. The book has moved with the times, but has retained the philosophy and approach which were so much a mark of Carl’s authorship. It is a delight to read and a more than worthy successor to previous editions. The only problem with a book like this is to decide what to include and what to omit. While conceding the need to keep within limits of size, I was a little disappointed that more was not said about molecular biology in hematology, including an outline of the principal techniques involved. Postgraduate students, for example, would want to know the elements of genetic assessment in thalassemia, the principles of assessment of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor rearrangements in lymphoproliferative disorders, and more about oncogene activation in leukemia and lymphoma. These criticisms, however, are minor and in no way detract from the value of the book. I thoroughly recommend it. P . Vincent.
BOOK REVIEWS
ends with Kohler and Milstein’s 1975 paper on hybridomas. A list of important books on immunology starts with von Behring’s Die Blutserumtherapie (1892) and ends with Immunologic Deficiency Diseases in Man, D. Bergsma, ed. (1968). Not surprisingly, of the 98 books listed, 29 were published in the 1960s. The book is further enriched by an appendix citing ‘Nobel Prize Highlights in Immunology’, which again begins with von Behring (1901) and ends with Susumu Tonegawa (1987). A most informative Biographical Dictionary lists 191 names. In none of these is the author’s name mentioned, but by using the name and subject indices which are also included I learnt that Silverstein had described the first example of complement deficiency in a human. I thoroughly enjoyed reading and using this book which should be in all scientific libraries. 1 think many pathologists would delight in it as much as I did.
H. Attwood
relating to selective decontamination of the gut, gonococcal-phagocyte interactions, quinolone antibiotics, serodiagnosis of infection with the HlV are also pertinent to current practice. Some of these topics have been dealt with repeatedly in other sources; for example, there are several recent books on the subject of the quinolones and numerous symposia proceedings are also available on this topic. The article in question, however, provides not only a succinct and thoughtful summary, but also an extensive bibliography for the pursuit of further information. Molecular biology is, as would be expected, prominently featured in many sections, and virologists are not forgotten with chapters on immunoglobulin A, influenza A membrane proteins and the genome of the human herpes viruses, as well as the section on HIV serodiagnosis. Not all the chapters are obligatory reading and some deal with other fundamental and non-clinical aspects of microbiology. If all of the large volume of text were devoted to clinical microbiology, there would be considerable guilt attached t o paying the very small asking price for this well-produced volume.
J . Tapsall The Role of Leucocyte Depletion in Blood Transfusion Practice. Ed. B. BROZOVIC. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston, Melbourne, 1989. ISBN 0-632-02626-X, pp. ix + 97. $62.00. Leucocytes in transfused blood can lead to non-hemolytic transfusion reactions, can induce primary HLA immunization and hence refractoriness to platelet transfusions from random donors, and may, in severely immunosuppressed patients, induce a graft-versus-host reaction. Therefore, in patients requiring multiple transfusion support, it is important to remove as many leucocytes as possible from the transfused blood product. This book documents papers given at a symposium sponsored by the Japanese manufacturer of a new leucocyte filter. Some of the contributions are in abstract form and hard to evaluate, but others are given in more detail and contain some useful information. The book will be of some interest to those working in clinical hematology and blood transfusion, especially in trying to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the various means of eliminating leucocytes from blood products.
P. Vincent
ORNSTON. Annual Annual Review of Microbiology. Ed. L. NICHOLAS Reviews Inc., Palo Alto, California, 1989. ISBN 0-8243-1 143-4, pp. xii + 682. $38.00. The concept behind the Annual Review series, of which this current volume dealing with microbiology is a fine example, is an admirable one. Its success is attested not only by its popularity and continuity, but also by the proliferation of journals which imitate the review style format of these volumes. This increase in the number and availability of sources competing for similar material has not diminished the appeal of this series and the 1989 volume maintains the standard of previous editions. There is much in this volume of both topical and lasting interest for the clinical microbiologist. The views of Dr H. Smith on microbial pathogenecity are well worth the price of the volume alone, and chapters
de Gruchy’s Clinical Hematology in Medical Practice - 5th Ed. Ed. F. F I R K I N C., CHESTERMAN, D. PENNINGTON, B. RUSH.Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Boston, Melbourne, 1989. ISBN 0-632-01715-5, pp. x + 524. I admit that 1 approached the task of reviewing the fifth edition of Carl de Gruchy’s “Clinical Hematology in Medical Practice” with pleasure and enthusiasm. With its first edition in 1958, the book rapidly became a benchmark for undergraduate and postgraduate students, for general physicians, and even for specialist hematologists. Its well-deserved success was due t o Carl’s encyclopedic knowledge of the subject, his ability to analyse and classify hematological disorders, and his concise and eminently readable style. The book very much reflected the man, and it was fitting that four of his colleagues (Frank Firkin, Colin Chesterman, David Pennington and Bryan Rush) were invited to produce the fourth edition in 1978 after Carl’s untimely death in 1974. This is now the fifth edition, and the second under the editorship of the quadrumvirate. The book has moved with the times, but has retained the philosophy and approach which were so much a mark of Carl’s authorship. It is a delight to read and a more than worthy successor to previous editions. The only problem with a book like this is to decide what to include and what to omit. While conceding the need to keep within limits of size, I was a little disappointed that more was not said about molecular biology in hematology, including an outline of the principal techniques involved. Postgraduate students, for example, would want to know the elements of genetic assessment in thalassemia, the principles of assessment of immunoglobulin and T cell receptor rearrangements in lymphoproliferative disorders, and more about oncogene activation in leukemia and lymphoma. These criticisms, however, are minor and in no way detract from the value of the book. I thoroughly recommend it. P . Vincent.