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Handling the Young Cerebral Palsied Child at Home
308
BOOK REVIEWS
Written in a~l easy style, with no pretence of great depth, this book will have an appeal to medical and marsing students (and is ideal for D.P,H. or D.C.H. students.) who wish a quick refresher before an examination. However, the epidemioiogy side of the subjects is weak. Practical examples of some of the many important outbreaks of infectious dise~e in recent years would have given more zing to the reading. It is also a pity that certain tropjca! and parasitic diseases now commonly found in Britain have been omitted. At the end of some of the chapters, further reading matter is referred to, buVagain this is very incomplete and is not fully representative of the subject; The index is good and clear. WRIt these reservations, which can be improved in future editions, the book is of value and should fulfil the author's hope that it offers perspectives in priorities for medical planning, for the promotion of community health and for 1he prevention and conlrol of specific disorders. ttandling the Young Cerebral Palsied ChiM at Home. By NANClE R. FINNIE. London, 1968: Heinemann. pp. 200: 18s.
How OF~rEN do doctors and physiotherapists wonder if their instructions to the parqnts of cerebral palsied children are fl~lly understood or how well they are remembered ? How many parent s wish for something on paper both to jog the memory and also to give an instant answer to questions where doubt arises? Nancie Finnie has produced an aid to parents in her book "Handling the Young Cerebral Palsied Child at Home" which will surely help those parents who are conscientiously striving to bring up their handicapped child in a normal home environment. A paper back costing 18/- is not too expensive for parents who are intellectually and practically able to follow instructions whether they be cookery, dressmaking, joinery or other ~rts and crafts. Many will understand and appreciate the explanatory paragraphs which accompany the practical instruction. For those who need a more visual approach there are plenty of clear line drawings by Sarah Hobson which should be sufficient for those whose capacity for serious reading is not so great. Perhaps the diagrams and their captions could be extracted and published as a leaflet for parents who are literate but unaccustomed to reading, let alone purchasing books. Both parents should be involved in the care of a handicapped child as with normal children. ]'here is a tendency for mother to take a greater share of the burden, as it is she who has the child all day at home and almost invariably 'attends the physiotherapy and other hospita! departments or day centres, With'this book father, too, can pick up the technique of daily care and also if he is practically disposed find useful instruction and advice for the construction of equipment. The 200 pages are packed with advice and explanations which are easy to read and essentially practical. One wonders if anything has been omitted. Miss Finnie has obviously very great experience in dealing with cerebral palsied children and pays meticulous attention to detail. It would have been a misfortune if the expertise had not been made available to those beyond the confines of her own ambit~the Western Cerebral Palsy Centre in London. The book is, of course, of prime importance to parents in the home. It could also be used by teaching and nursing staff in nursery classes for physically handicapped pupils and in Junior Trahfing Centres, particularly those with special care units. It should also be in the library of Health Visitors and social workers visiting the homes. It is written with the parents of the cerebral palsied child in mind but there is mt~ch advice and information which could be helpful for parents of children with other handicaps of an allied narure~post-cerebral trauma, for instance.
P U B L I C H E A L T H VOL. 84 NO. 6
309
In my opinion this is aa admirable book covering its subject with clarity and ir~ detail which should be of inestimable value in the care of young cerebr~l i0olsied children. I have or/l~~one smai~, criticism--the questionnaire on pages 5 - 23 is of mo~v interest to therapists th~n p~rents. It might deter parents who start their reading o~ page I with the introduction. The questionnaire would seem to fit in more ~b"ropriately as an appendix ,~o:.flaatthe parent reader could progress from the'Introduction to General Advice on p. 24, without a break ~n the• continuity.
Toxic Properties of Inorganic Fluorine Compounds. By R. Y. EA'G~s. Barking, Essex: Elsevier. pp. 152: 55s. THIs Is a well written book which it is pleasant lo read but it would nevertheless seem fair to describe it as an assemblage of irfformation culled from 730 references. As the text, not including references and index, covers 117 pages, the tremendous amount of labour and research the author has put into its compilation becomes evident. The references range from Agate (Industrial Fluorosis. M.R.C. Memo. No. 22, 1949) to Walbott and Zimmerman. The earliest dates from 1893 (T. Blaizot, (7. r. Soc. BioL 459, which refers to the minimum lethal intravenous dose of sodium fluoride in a rabbit, to a greater number of references in more recent years up to 1966. These references are in general referred to without comment and in many cases are from sources not easily accessible to the reader even if there were no language barriers, it is therefore difficult for the reader to assess their comparative reliability, especially as during the past few years tremendous advances have been made in analytical techniques. However, there is much that is of value in this book not least in connexion with the treatment of cases where personnel have been subjected to high doses offluoride in one form or another, whether by ingestion, inhalation or contact with the skin, and safety precautions are described. These are becoming increasingly important as a result of the much greater use of fluorine compounds in industrial processes. Little is said concerning the use of fluorides in preventive dentistry as the book is mainly concerned with toxic, as opposed to physiologleal, doses and not only in humans but also in animals, insects and plants. There is however mention of a number of eases where, even at physiological doses such as are used in fluoridation programmes, allergic effects on patients are claimed, althouglt these are perhaps n o t generally accepted. There are certain other comeusing items, where the same chemicals, even in closely associated paragraphs, are referred to as hexafluorosilieates, silicofluorides or fluorosilieates, and hydrofluoric acid as hydrogenfluoride. There is also the apparent use of roach and cockroach as tho~agh they were entirely different species with no cross reference in the index. However, these are matters which can quite easily be co,reeled in future editions.
The Management of Alcaholism. By BRUCERITSONand Cngls'nN~ HASSALL.Edinburgh, t970: E & 5;. Livin~tone. 25s. ONe ~nDXCA~ON of the growing awa~ness of the importance, of alcoholism as a public health problem is the frequency with which boos on the subjectare appearing. This compact and readable book is based on experiences of patient-management in a special ~inic, and on the results of research. It is intended as a guide for general practitioners and other clinicians "who often find ditBeulty in evaluating the problem
BOOK REVIEWS
Written in a~l easy style, with no pretence of great depth, this book will have an appeal to medical and marsing students (and is ideal for D.P,H. or D.C.H. students.) who wish a quick refresher before an examination. However, the epidemioiogy side of the subjects is weak. Practical examples of some of the many important outbreaks of infectious dise~e in recent years would have given more zing to the reading. It is also a pity that certain tropjca! and parasitic diseases now commonly found in Britain have been omitted. At the end of some of the chapters, further reading matter is referred to, buVagain this is very incomplete and is not fully representative of the subject; The index is good and clear. WRIt these reservations, which can be improved in future editions, the book is of value and should fulfil the author's hope that it offers perspectives in priorities for medical planning, for the promotion of community health and for 1he prevention and conlrol of specific disorders. ttandling the Young Cerebral Palsied ChiM at Home. By NANClE R. FINNIE. London, 1968: Heinemann. pp. 200: 18s.
How OF~rEN do doctors and physiotherapists wonder if their instructions to the parqnts of cerebral palsied children are fl~lly understood or how well they are remembered ? How many parent s wish for something on paper both to jog the memory and also to give an instant answer to questions where doubt arises? Nancie Finnie has produced an aid to parents in her book "Handling the Young Cerebral Palsied Child at Home" which will surely help those parents who are conscientiously striving to bring up their handicapped child in a normal home environment. A paper back costing 18/- is not too expensive for parents who are intellectually and practically able to follow instructions whether they be cookery, dressmaking, joinery or other ~rts and crafts. Many will understand and appreciate the explanatory paragraphs which accompany the practical instruction. For those who need a more visual approach there are plenty of clear line drawings by Sarah Hobson which should be sufficient for those whose capacity for serious reading is not so great. Perhaps the diagrams and their captions could be extracted and published as a leaflet for parents who are literate but unaccustomed to reading, let alone purchasing books. Both parents should be involved in the care of a handicapped child as with normal children. ]'here is a tendency for mother to take a greater share of the burden, as it is she who has the child all day at home and almost invariably 'attends the physiotherapy and other hospita! departments or day centres, With'this book father, too, can pick up the technique of daily care and also if he is practically disposed find useful instruction and advice for the construction of equipment. The 200 pages are packed with advice and explanations which are easy to read and essentially practical. One wonders if anything has been omitted. Miss Finnie has obviously very great experience in dealing with cerebral palsied children and pays meticulous attention to detail. It would have been a misfortune if the expertise had not been made available to those beyond the confines of her own ambit~the Western Cerebral Palsy Centre in London. The book is, of course, of prime importance to parents in the home. It could also be used by teaching and nursing staff in nursery classes for physically handicapped pupils and in Junior Trahfing Centres, particularly those with special care units. It should also be in the library of Health Visitors and social workers visiting the homes. It is written with the parents of the cerebral palsied child in mind but there is mt~ch advice and information which could be helpful for parents of children with other handicaps of an allied narure~post-cerebral trauma, for instance.
P U B L I C H E A L T H VOL. 84 NO. 6
309
In my opinion this is aa admirable book covering its subject with clarity and ir~ detail which should be of inestimable value in the care of young cerebr~l i0olsied children. I have or/l~~one smai~, criticism--the questionnaire on pages 5 - 23 is of mo~v interest to therapists th~n p~rents. It might deter parents who start their reading o~ page I with the introduction. The questionnaire would seem to fit in more ~b"ropriately as an appendix ,~o:.flaatthe parent reader could progress from the'Introduction to General Advice on p. 24, without a break ~n the• continuity.
Toxic Properties of Inorganic Fluorine Compounds. By R. Y. EA'G~s. Barking, Essex: Elsevier. pp. 152: 55s. THIs Is a well written book which it is pleasant lo read but it would nevertheless seem fair to describe it as an assemblage of irfformation culled from 730 references. As the text, not including references and index, covers 117 pages, the tremendous amount of labour and research the author has put into its compilation becomes evident. The references range from Agate (Industrial Fluorosis. M.R.C. Memo. No. 22, 1949) to Walbott and Zimmerman. The earliest dates from 1893 (T. Blaizot, (7. r. Soc. BioL 459, which refers to the minimum lethal intravenous dose of sodium fluoride in a rabbit, to a greater number of references in more recent years up to 1966. These references are in general referred to without comment and in many cases are from sources not easily accessible to the reader even if there were no language barriers, it is therefore difficult for the reader to assess their comparative reliability, especially as during the past few years tremendous advances have been made in analytical techniques. However, there is much that is of value in this book not least in connexion with the treatment of cases where personnel have been subjected to high doses offluoride in one form or another, whether by ingestion, inhalation or contact with the skin, and safety precautions are described. These are becoming increasingly important as a result of the much greater use of fluorine compounds in industrial processes. Little is said concerning the use of fluorides in preventive dentistry as the book is mainly concerned with toxic, as opposed to physiologleal, doses and not only in humans but also in animals, insects and plants. There is however mention of a number of eases where, even at physiological doses such as are used in fluoridation programmes, allergic effects on patients are claimed, althouglt these are perhaps n o t generally accepted. There are certain other comeusing items, where the same chemicals, even in closely associated paragraphs, are referred to as hexafluorosilieates, silicofluorides or fluorosilieates, and hydrofluoric acid as hydrogenfluoride. There is also the apparent use of roach and cockroach as tho~agh they were entirely different species with no cross reference in the index. However, these are matters which can quite easily be co,reeled in future editions.
The Management of Alcaholism. By BRUCERITSONand Cngls'nN~ HASSALL.Edinburgh, t970: E & 5;. Livin~tone. 25s. ONe ~nDXCA~ON of the growing awa~ness of the importance, of alcoholism as a public health problem is the frequency with which boos on the subjectare appearing. This compact and readable book is based on experiences of patient-management in a special ~inic, and on the results of research. It is intended as a guide for general practitioners and other clinicians "who often find ditBeulty in evaluating the problem