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Gastrointestinal and Oesophageal Pathology
HUMAN PATHOLOGY
Volume 21. No. 7 (July 1990)
means, the histopathology of parasitic infections is rarely covered in detail in texts on parasitologic diagnosis. When confronted with a suspect protozoan or a cross-section of a worm in tissue section, there are few places for the pathologist to turn for help. Dr Gutierrez has attempted to correct this problem by writing this comprehensive guide to the tissue diagnosis of parasitic infections. The overall organization of the book is by parasite taxonomy, with major sections devoted to protozoa, nematodes, trematodes, tapeworms, and arthropods. For each pathogen there is a discussion of clinical presentation of disease, gross and microscopic pathology, and clues to tissue diagnosis. Each discussion provides a detailed description of the organism in routine sections, usually illustrated by several black and white photographs. A highly practical final chapter provides lists of organisms to be considered in the differential diagnosis of parasitic infections of various organ systems. The author set out to cover all parasitic diseases ever described in human tissue, and the number and diversity of parasites discussed is astonishing. There is no similarly upto-date, comprehensive coverage of the pathology of parasitic infections in print, and Dr Gutierrez’s book thus serves as a needed reference for the diagnosis of even the most exotic parasitic disease. For the pathologist concerned with geographic medicine, this book is clearly the resource to learn about unusual organisms such as Oesophogostomum, Pelodera strongyloides (two reported human infections), Micronema (three reported human infections), Angiostrongylus costaricensis, the 14 nematodes species which can cause cutaneous larva migrans, Lagochilascaris minor (less than 30 reported human infections). Baylisascati (two reported human infections), Thelazia, Gongylonema, Capillaria hepatica, and Capillaria aerophila. However, there are some serious disappointments in the book. Frequent lapses in composition, syntax, and punctuation render the text needlessly difficult to read. The photographs of gross and microscopic pathology, so crucial to communicating morphology, are highly variable in quality. Some lack sharp resolution and one finds oneself frequently straining to distinguish details which should be obvious. It is also disappointing that Dr Gutierrez does not devote considerable discussion to distinguishing parasites from artifacts. This is probably the greatest problem to the practicing pathologist, and an area in which Dr Gutierrez is enormously accomplished. All told, this book fills a serious void in publications on the pathology of infectious diseases and should be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any anatomic pathologist involved in their diagnosis. It should be particularly valuable for those involved in international health care or treating patients from underdeveloped countries.-ToBv L. MERLIN, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM. Gastrointestinal
and Oesophageal
Pathology.
head (ed). New York, NY, Churchill Livingstone, pages, $189.
R. White1989,850
When a colleague of mine remarked in jest that he could never read a book with the word oesophagus in the title, he obviously did not have in mind the oexemplary text, Gastrointestinal and Oesophageal Pathology. This book should not be confused with Dr Whitehead’s previous soloauthored monographs entitled Mucosal Biopsy of the Gastrointestinal Tract. It is a first-edition, comprehensive, 850-page 782
textbook of alimentary tract pathology written by 62 contributors who are internationally recognized in the field. The plan of the text is thematic, being organized into seven major sections: normal structure, function, and pathophysiology (219 pp); congenital and developmental abnormalities (77 pp); mechanical and neuromuscular disorders (86 pp); primary inflammatory and functional disorders (187 pp); vascular disorders (67 pp); tumors (194 pp); and miscellaneous diseases (23 pp). Within each section, there are separate chapters devoted to each individual organ of the alimentary system. Exceptions to this general rule include the chapters on endocrine and lymphoid physiology and pathology, which address the alimentary system as a whole. Although the overall organization is well conceived, the occasional reader referencing one topic only (Crohn’s disease, for example) might be annoyed to find the subject covered in several chapters. Nuisances such as this are always unavoidable in texts of multiorgan systems, but it should be stated that the excellent editing of this text has kept redundancy to a minimum. The breadth and depth of section 1, normal structure and function, might be considered excessive by general pathologists. Pathologists particularly interested in the clinicopathologic correlation of alimentary tract diseases, on the other hand, will find it a blessing to have immediate access to information on anatomy, epithelial kinetics, specialized histochemistry, motility, the gut associated lymphoid tissues and immune system, the gut microflora, etc-topics previously covered in depth only in specialized monographs or clinical gastroenterology texts. Likewise, there are chapters in section 3 on neuromuscular disorders which, up to now, have only been generally available as original journal articles. The format and content of the remainder of the book is more traditional and will be familiar to all pathologists. The text is balanced, well written, timely, and remarkably comprehensive. Contemporary issues, such as the possible infectious etiology of type B chronic gastritis, the pathology of neuromuscular disorders, mucosal prolapse syndromes, the epithelial dysplasia/carcinoma sequence, the histogenesis of gastrointestinal stromal neoplasms, the physiology and pathology of the gut neuroendocrine and lymphoid tissues, and new approaches to histologic examination are discussed in some detail. Although the book has an international flavor, the editor has maintained stylistic and didactic consistency from chapter to chapter. With the exception of the chapter on gut-associated lymphomas, the authors compare the nuances of Japanese, European, and North American classifications for various diseases. Some North American readers may find confusing the European nomenclature used exclusively in the chapter on lymphomas. Graphics are well chosen and uniformly excellent. There are more than 700 black and white photographs and 10 color plates of gross pathology, histology, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy, 84 line drawings, graphs, and diagrams, and 83 tables. More than 5,800 references are cited, arranged chronicologically at the end of respective chapters. The index is complete and accurate. In summary, the authors and editors should be lauded for this admirable work. It is a groundbreaker for gastrointestinal pathology texts for its depth and breadth of coverage. Probably best suited for specialists in gastrointestinal pathology, it should also prove useful as a reference book for general pathologists, gastrointestinal radiologists, and gastroenterologists.-A. SCOTT MILLS, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA.
Volume 21. No. 7 (July 1990)
means, the histopathology of parasitic infections is rarely covered in detail in texts on parasitologic diagnosis. When confronted with a suspect protozoan or a cross-section of a worm in tissue section, there are few places for the pathologist to turn for help. Dr Gutierrez has attempted to correct this problem by writing this comprehensive guide to the tissue diagnosis of parasitic infections. The overall organization of the book is by parasite taxonomy, with major sections devoted to protozoa, nematodes, trematodes, tapeworms, and arthropods. For each pathogen there is a discussion of clinical presentation of disease, gross and microscopic pathology, and clues to tissue diagnosis. Each discussion provides a detailed description of the organism in routine sections, usually illustrated by several black and white photographs. A highly practical final chapter provides lists of organisms to be considered in the differential diagnosis of parasitic infections of various organ systems. The author set out to cover all parasitic diseases ever described in human tissue, and the number and diversity of parasites discussed is astonishing. There is no similarly upto-date, comprehensive coverage of the pathology of parasitic infections in print, and Dr Gutierrez’s book thus serves as a needed reference for the diagnosis of even the most exotic parasitic disease. For the pathologist concerned with geographic medicine, this book is clearly the resource to learn about unusual organisms such as Oesophogostomum, Pelodera strongyloides (two reported human infections), Micronema (three reported human infections), Angiostrongylus costaricensis, the 14 nematodes species which can cause cutaneous larva migrans, Lagochilascaris minor (less than 30 reported human infections). Baylisascati (two reported human infections), Thelazia, Gongylonema, Capillaria hepatica, and Capillaria aerophila. However, there are some serious disappointments in the book. Frequent lapses in composition, syntax, and punctuation render the text needlessly difficult to read. The photographs of gross and microscopic pathology, so crucial to communicating morphology, are highly variable in quality. Some lack sharp resolution and one finds oneself frequently straining to distinguish details which should be obvious. It is also disappointing that Dr Gutierrez does not devote considerable discussion to distinguishing parasites from artifacts. This is probably the greatest problem to the practicing pathologist, and an area in which Dr Gutierrez is enormously accomplished. All told, this book fills a serious void in publications on the pathology of infectious diseases and should be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of any anatomic pathologist involved in their diagnosis. It should be particularly valuable for those involved in international health care or treating patients from underdeveloped countries.-ToBv L. MERLIN, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM. Gastrointestinal
and Oesophageal
Pathology.
head (ed). New York, NY, Churchill Livingstone, pages, $189.
R. White1989,850
When a colleague of mine remarked in jest that he could never read a book with the word oesophagus in the title, he obviously did not have in mind the oexemplary text, Gastrointestinal and Oesophageal Pathology. This book should not be confused with Dr Whitehead’s previous soloauthored monographs entitled Mucosal Biopsy of the Gastrointestinal Tract. It is a first-edition, comprehensive, 850-page 782
textbook of alimentary tract pathology written by 62 contributors who are internationally recognized in the field. The plan of the text is thematic, being organized into seven major sections: normal structure, function, and pathophysiology (219 pp); congenital and developmental abnormalities (77 pp); mechanical and neuromuscular disorders (86 pp); primary inflammatory and functional disorders (187 pp); vascular disorders (67 pp); tumors (194 pp); and miscellaneous diseases (23 pp). Within each section, there are separate chapters devoted to each individual organ of the alimentary system. Exceptions to this general rule include the chapters on endocrine and lymphoid physiology and pathology, which address the alimentary system as a whole. Although the overall organization is well conceived, the occasional reader referencing one topic only (Crohn’s disease, for example) might be annoyed to find the subject covered in several chapters. Nuisances such as this are always unavoidable in texts of multiorgan systems, but it should be stated that the excellent editing of this text has kept redundancy to a minimum. The breadth and depth of section 1, normal structure and function, might be considered excessive by general pathologists. Pathologists particularly interested in the clinicopathologic correlation of alimentary tract diseases, on the other hand, will find it a blessing to have immediate access to information on anatomy, epithelial kinetics, specialized histochemistry, motility, the gut associated lymphoid tissues and immune system, the gut microflora, etc-topics previously covered in depth only in specialized monographs or clinical gastroenterology texts. Likewise, there are chapters in section 3 on neuromuscular disorders which, up to now, have only been generally available as original journal articles. The format and content of the remainder of the book is more traditional and will be familiar to all pathologists. The text is balanced, well written, timely, and remarkably comprehensive. Contemporary issues, such as the possible infectious etiology of type B chronic gastritis, the pathology of neuromuscular disorders, mucosal prolapse syndromes, the epithelial dysplasia/carcinoma sequence, the histogenesis of gastrointestinal stromal neoplasms, the physiology and pathology of the gut neuroendocrine and lymphoid tissues, and new approaches to histologic examination are discussed in some detail. Although the book has an international flavor, the editor has maintained stylistic and didactic consistency from chapter to chapter. With the exception of the chapter on gut-associated lymphomas, the authors compare the nuances of Japanese, European, and North American classifications for various diseases. Some North American readers may find confusing the European nomenclature used exclusively in the chapter on lymphomas. Graphics are well chosen and uniformly excellent. There are more than 700 black and white photographs and 10 color plates of gross pathology, histology, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy, 84 line drawings, graphs, and diagrams, and 83 tables. More than 5,800 references are cited, arranged chronicologically at the end of respective chapters. The index is complete and accurate. In summary, the authors and editors should be lauded for this admirable work. It is a groundbreaker for gastrointestinal pathology texts for its depth and breadth of coverage. Probably best suited for specialists in gastrointestinal pathology, it should also prove useful as a reference book for general pathologists, gastrointestinal radiologists, and gastroenterologists.-A. SCOTT MILLS, MD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, VA.