- Email: [email protected]
Gout
J. chron. Dis. 1968, Vol. 21, p. 205. PergamDn Press.
Prinizd in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS MEDICINE. I. SNAPPERand ALVIN I. KAHN. 2nd ed. Grune and Stratton, New York and London, 1967. 824 pp. Indexed. Price $18.75. AN attempt by two physicians to encompass the complexities of modern medicine without the collaborative assistance of a dozen selected specialists is risky yet refreshing. Quite predictably, this rather concise book is vulnerable to a variety of criticisms directed toward certain errors of fact and emphasis in material presented, as well as errors in omission of important areas of information. Entitling this Bedside Medicine offers little protective shielding from criticism since few believe that a physician requires less complete or accurate knowledge of medicine at the bedside than elsewhere. Yet, despite these obvious problems, this book offers in many ways a refreshing alternate to the very dry, difficult to read, rigidly structured textbooks of medicine available. Many of the chapters are reminiscent of the style and sorts of information presented to small groups of house staff physicians by an accomplished and experienced rounding physician. One can rarely predict which tack the rounding physician will take, once he has stated the basic facts and principles relevant to the topic chosen for presentation. One can only be certain that the information will be interesting, generally accurate, and liberally spiked with pertinent observations and anecdotes. So it is with these authors, While the reader takes “potluck” with specific content of each chapter, he can be reasonably sure that they are worth reading. Many chapters include a uniting thread connecting the broad clinical experience of the authors over the years with the problem as seen today. For example, the reader is given a glimpse of the treatment of typhus on the wards of Pel before the era of antibiotics, shares the staggering problems of therapy during World War I, and enjoys a ride in a British gunboat over the schistosomeladen waters of the Yangtze River. Bedside Medicine complements standard texts of medicine and may serve well as a brief review of clinical medicine for both the student and the practitioner of medicine. BEDSIDE
JOSEPHR. BIANCHINE
GOUT. JOHN H. TALBOTT.3rd ed. New York and London,
Grune & Stratton, Inc. 296 pp. Indexed. Price $12.50. A NEW edition of Talbott’s classical monograph on gout only three years after the second edition was obviously prompted by recent advances in the field. Two principal modifications in the old text are the inclusion of a new chapter on intermediary purine metabolism by Dr. J. E. Seegmiller, and the addition of information about the potent new drug, allopurinol (Zyloprim), in treatment of gout. The text otherwise follows the format of previous editions, and is highlighted by valuable illustrations and clinical case material. Dr. Seegmiller’s scholarly review of purine metabolism is a lucid presentation of this complex subject, and should enhance the reader’s basic understanding of the clinical disease. This welcome addition to the book should be sufficient inducement for many holders of earlier editions to buy the new one. Although texts cannot keep pace with all new developments, this edition succeeds much more than the previous one in providing essential recent advances while retaining the solid historical and clinical base which has always been the forte of this excellent monograph. ALEXANDERS. TOWN=
205
Prinizd in Great Britain
BOOK REVIEWS MEDICINE. I. SNAPPERand ALVIN I. KAHN. 2nd ed. Grune and Stratton, New York and London, 1967. 824 pp. Indexed. Price $18.75. AN attempt by two physicians to encompass the complexities of modern medicine without the collaborative assistance of a dozen selected specialists is risky yet refreshing. Quite predictably, this rather concise book is vulnerable to a variety of criticisms directed toward certain errors of fact and emphasis in material presented, as well as errors in omission of important areas of information. Entitling this Bedside Medicine offers little protective shielding from criticism since few believe that a physician requires less complete or accurate knowledge of medicine at the bedside than elsewhere. Yet, despite these obvious problems, this book offers in many ways a refreshing alternate to the very dry, difficult to read, rigidly structured textbooks of medicine available. Many of the chapters are reminiscent of the style and sorts of information presented to small groups of house staff physicians by an accomplished and experienced rounding physician. One can rarely predict which tack the rounding physician will take, once he has stated the basic facts and principles relevant to the topic chosen for presentation. One can only be certain that the information will be interesting, generally accurate, and liberally spiked with pertinent observations and anecdotes. So it is with these authors, While the reader takes “potluck” with specific content of each chapter, he can be reasonably sure that they are worth reading. Many chapters include a uniting thread connecting the broad clinical experience of the authors over the years with the problem as seen today. For example, the reader is given a glimpse of the treatment of typhus on the wards of Pel before the era of antibiotics, shares the staggering problems of therapy during World War I, and enjoys a ride in a British gunboat over the schistosomeladen waters of the Yangtze River. Bedside Medicine complements standard texts of medicine and may serve well as a brief review of clinical medicine for both the student and the practitioner of medicine. BEDSIDE
JOSEPHR. BIANCHINE
GOUT. JOHN H. TALBOTT.3rd ed. New York and London,
Grune & Stratton, Inc. 296 pp. Indexed. Price $12.50. A NEW edition of Talbott’s classical monograph on gout only three years after the second edition was obviously prompted by recent advances in the field. Two principal modifications in the old text are the inclusion of a new chapter on intermediary purine metabolism by Dr. J. E. Seegmiller, and the addition of information about the potent new drug, allopurinol (Zyloprim), in treatment of gout. The text otherwise follows the format of previous editions, and is highlighted by valuable illustrations and clinical case material. Dr. Seegmiller’s scholarly review of purine metabolism is a lucid presentation of this complex subject, and should enhance the reader’s basic understanding of the clinical disease. This welcome addition to the book should be sufficient inducement for many holders of earlier editions to buy the new one. Although texts cannot keep pace with all new developments, this edition succeeds much more than the previous one in providing essential recent advances while retaining the solid historical and clinical base which has always been the forte of this excellent monograph. ALEXANDERS. TOWN=
205