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Histology for Pathologists: Third Edition
Pathology (October 2007) 39(5), p. 536
BOOK REVIEWS
Histology for Pathologists: Third Edition STACEY E. MILLS, EDITOR. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2007. ISBN 0-7817-6241-3, Hardcover+DVD-ROM, pp xvii+1272, AU$378.40 This is the long awaited new edition of the classic histology text that replaces the second edition published nearly a decade ago. The length of this third edition is similar to that of the previous edition. There are fewer chapters due to deletion of the chapter on apoptosis and merging of the two separate chapters on paediatric and adult kidneys to a single chapter describing both. There is some minor reorganisation of chapters with the chapter on heart incorporated into the section ‘Thorax and serous membranes’, blood vessels in the ‘Musculoskeletal’ section, and chapters on aspects of the male genital system merged into the section on ‘Genitourinary tract’. Most of the original authors who wrote the individual chapters in the previous edition contributed to the same chapters in the current edition. Consequently, much of the content in these chapters remains similar to the previous edition. There is a total of 48 chapters covering all organ systems of the body. Most chapters have a section on the embryological aspects of the described organ or tissue. Fortunately, some of the chapters retain the sections on artefacts, which can be very useful information for trainees and less experienced pathologists. The layout of the book is conventional and there are numerous colour photos. The layout and presentation of tables appear more distinct although much of the content is similar to previous edition. Despite many similarities to the previous edition in terms of content and style, this is still an excellent book and is probably the only comprehensive and accurate text on normal histology for the practising histopathologist. It is an essential reference for all departmental libraries. C. Soon Lee Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales
neurosurgical cases. The book contains a wealth of information and pictures, coming from the experience of the author in diagnosing cases and in teaching sessions on brain smears. The author is systematic in his approach to brain smear diagnosis, and this is evident in his stress on correlation with clinical information, radiological images as well as on the macroscopic examination of the neurosurgical specimen. This approach is clearly seen in the presentation of material in this book. I found the chapters ‘Smear patterns’ and ‘Reactive lesions’ informative and educational. The different smear patterns help the surgical pathologist to have a clearer mental picture of the lesion and to formulate a provisional diagnosis. Non-neoplastic brain diseases are particularly difficult to surgical pathologists and intraoperative examination of such lesions compounds the difficulties. The author aims to help by clearly illustrating the common reactive lesions with abundant pictures of the smears. This is aided by the use of radiology scans, pictures of frozen sections and paraffin sections. The book covers most entities likely to confront surgical pathologists, including a chapter ‘Infectious diseases’. The tumours are discussed and presented under different groups, including a section on ‘Treated gliomas’ not readily found in other monographs on the same topic. The chapter ‘Neural and primitive tumours’ in particular contains many beautiful illustrations of paediatric brain tumours. I particularly like the last chapter in which the author shares his experience in dealing with ‘Artefacts and problems’ in brain smears. Again he illustrates his experiences and ideas clearly with photos and shares his wisdom on how to avoid the artefacts and traps. What is lacking in this book is instruction on smear staining procedure, and the different stains available. However, this information is readily available elsewhere. Overall, this monograph is a well presented, eloquently illustrated book on intraoperative brain smear diagnosis. I would recommend it for registrars and surgical pathologists reporting on neurosurgical cases.
Diagnostic Neuropathology Smears JEFFREY T. JOSEPH. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2007. ISBN 0-7817-8647-9, Hardcover, pp x+246, AU$246.40 This is a monograph on interpretation of brain smears intended for surgical pathologists to better equip them for intraoperative diagnoses in
ISSN 0031-3025 printed/ISSN 1465-3931 # 2007 Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia DOI: 10.1080/00313020701233330
Thomas Ng Tissue Pathology, ICPMR Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales
BOOK REVIEWS
Histology for Pathologists: Third Edition STACEY E. MILLS, EDITOR. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2007. ISBN 0-7817-6241-3, Hardcover+DVD-ROM, pp xvii+1272, AU$378.40 This is the long awaited new edition of the classic histology text that replaces the second edition published nearly a decade ago. The length of this third edition is similar to that of the previous edition. There are fewer chapters due to deletion of the chapter on apoptosis and merging of the two separate chapters on paediatric and adult kidneys to a single chapter describing both. There is some minor reorganisation of chapters with the chapter on heart incorporated into the section ‘Thorax and serous membranes’, blood vessels in the ‘Musculoskeletal’ section, and chapters on aspects of the male genital system merged into the section on ‘Genitourinary tract’. Most of the original authors who wrote the individual chapters in the previous edition contributed to the same chapters in the current edition. Consequently, much of the content in these chapters remains similar to the previous edition. There is a total of 48 chapters covering all organ systems of the body. Most chapters have a section on the embryological aspects of the described organ or tissue. Fortunately, some of the chapters retain the sections on artefacts, which can be very useful information for trainees and less experienced pathologists. The layout of the book is conventional and there are numerous colour photos. The layout and presentation of tables appear more distinct although much of the content is similar to previous edition. Despite many similarities to the previous edition in terms of content and style, this is still an excellent book and is probably the only comprehensive and accurate text on normal histology for the practising histopathologist. It is an essential reference for all departmental libraries. C. Soon Lee Department of Anatomical Pathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Camperdown, New South Wales
neurosurgical cases. The book contains a wealth of information and pictures, coming from the experience of the author in diagnosing cases and in teaching sessions on brain smears. The author is systematic in his approach to brain smear diagnosis, and this is evident in his stress on correlation with clinical information, radiological images as well as on the macroscopic examination of the neurosurgical specimen. This approach is clearly seen in the presentation of material in this book. I found the chapters ‘Smear patterns’ and ‘Reactive lesions’ informative and educational. The different smear patterns help the surgical pathologist to have a clearer mental picture of the lesion and to formulate a provisional diagnosis. Non-neoplastic brain diseases are particularly difficult to surgical pathologists and intraoperative examination of such lesions compounds the difficulties. The author aims to help by clearly illustrating the common reactive lesions with abundant pictures of the smears. This is aided by the use of radiology scans, pictures of frozen sections and paraffin sections. The book covers most entities likely to confront surgical pathologists, including a chapter ‘Infectious diseases’. The tumours are discussed and presented under different groups, including a section on ‘Treated gliomas’ not readily found in other monographs on the same topic. The chapter ‘Neural and primitive tumours’ in particular contains many beautiful illustrations of paediatric brain tumours. I particularly like the last chapter in which the author shares his experience in dealing with ‘Artefacts and problems’ in brain smears. Again he illustrates his experiences and ideas clearly with photos and shares his wisdom on how to avoid the artefacts and traps. What is lacking in this book is instruction on smear staining procedure, and the different stains available. However, this information is readily available elsewhere. Overall, this monograph is a well presented, eloquently illustrated book on intraoperative brain smear diagnosis. I would recommend it for registrars and surgical pathologists reporting on neurosurgical cases.
Diagnostic Neuropathology Smears JEFFREY T. JOSEPH. Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, 2007. ISBN 0-7817-8647-9, Hardcover, pp x+246, AU$246.40 This is a monograph on interpretation of brain smears intended for surgical pathologists to better equip them for intraoperative diagnoses in
ISSN 0031-3025 printed/ISSN 1465-3931 # 2007 Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia DOI: 10.1080/00313020701233330
Thomas Ng Tissue Pathology, ICPMR Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales