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Diseases of the Nervous System: Clinical Neuroscience and Therapeutic Principles
European Journal of Paediatric Neurology (2003) 7, 423
www.elsevier.com/locate/ejpn
BOOK REVIEW Diseases of the Nervous System: Clinical Neuroscience and Therapeutic Principles Arthur K. Asbury, Guy M. Mckhann, W. Ian Mcdonald, Peter J. Goadsby, Justin C. Mcarthur (Eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2002, hardback, 2194 pages, ISBN 0-521-79351-3, £250.00 (US$ 375.00) A review of this book is not undertaken lightly; weighing in at 7.7 kg it is a monumental two volume text which claims to be the most comprehensive neurology reference available, ‘encompassing the epidemiology, pathology, pathophysiology and clinical features of the full range of neurological disorders’. Can any single text do this or do the limitations imposed by the breadth of coverage compromise the quality of information contained in individual sections? The two volumes are divided into 17 sections. In common with many neurology reference texts the earlier sections cover symptoms such as headache and disorders of higher cerebral function while the later sections address groups of diseases such epilepsy and cerebrovascular disease. This mostly works well; individual chapters are clearly written and provide excellent succinct accounts. Perhaps less satisfactory is the attempt to integrate basic neuroscience into this; for example myotonic dystrophy is not included in the section on
doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2003.08.001
neuromuscular disorders but is found at the beginning of the book in a chapter on repeat expansion and neurological disease and there is scant information on important clinical aspects of management such as the risk of cardiac conduction defects. A reference work such as this stands or falls by the quality of its index and there are, to my mind at least, some counter-intuitive entries. Why does Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Peripheral Neuropathy (CIDP) not appear under ‘neuropathy’ (indeed very few neuropathies do appear under this heading) or ‘chronic’ but under demyelinating neuropathies? Such instances are irritating and detract from the undoubted qualities of this text. Despite these deficiencies this is an excellent text and, for paediatric neurologists looking for a comprehensive text on adult neurology, this is about as good as it can get. I would certainly recommend it for departmental libraries and for those individuals with strong bookshelves who wish to own such a text. It is inevitably frustratingly short on detail in some areas especially on management issues, but to include everything is no longer possible in the exciting and expanding field of neurology and neuroscience today. Margaret Jackson Department of Neurology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
www.elsevier.com/locate/ejpn
BOOK REVIEW Diseases of the Nervous System: Clinical Neuroscience and Therapeutic Principles Arthur K. Asbury, Guy M. Mckhann, W. Ian Mcdonald, Peter J. Goadsby, Justin C. Mcarthur (Eds.), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2002, hardback, 2194 pages, ISBN 0-521-79351-3, £250.00 (US$ 375.00) A review of this book is not undertaken lightly; weighing in at 7.7 kg it is a monumental two volume text which claims to be the most comprehensive neurology reference available, ‘encompassing the epidemiology, pathology, pathophysiology and clinical features of the full range of neurological disorders’. Can any single text do this or do the limitations imposed by the breadth of coverage compromise the quality of information contained in individual sections? The two volumes are divided into 17 sections. In common with many neurology reference texts the earlier sections cover symptoms such as headache and disorders of higher cerebral function while the later sections address groups of diseases such epilepsy and cerebrovascular disease. This mostly works well; individual chapters are clearly written and provide excellent succinct accounts. Perhaps less satisfactory is the attempt to integrate basic neuroscience into this; for example myotonic dystrophy is not included in the section on
doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2003.08.001
neuromuscular disorders but is found at the beginning of the book in a chapter on repeat expansion and neurological disease and there is scant information on important clinical aspects of management such as the risk of cardiac conduction defects. A reference work such as this stands or falls by the quality of its index and there are, to my mind at least, some counter-intuitive entries. Why does Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Peripheral Neuropathy (CIDP) not appear under ‘neuropathy’ (indeed very few neuropathies do appear under this heading) or ‘chronic’ but under demyelinating neuropathies? Such instances are irritating and detract from the undoubted qualities of this text. Despite these deficiencies this is an excellent text and, for paediatric neurologists looking for a comprehensive text on adult neurology, this is about as good as it can get. I would certainly recommend it for departmental libraries and for those individuals with strong bookshelves who wish to own such a text. It is inevitably frustratingly short on detail in some areas especially on management issues, but to include everything is no longer possible in the exciting and expanding field of neurology and neuroscience today. Margaret Jackson Department of Neurology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK