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management was said to be testing boars for fertility, including electro-ejaculation, and yet no indication was given on how to carry out or interpret these techniques . Preventive medicine and health management programmes arise from an interest and involvement in the overall productivity of a species and the logical place to discuss such programmes is in a species textbook . This book is expensive, and on its own would not fulfil the needs of a veterinarian embarking on a species health programme . It is difficult, therefore, to see a role for it . This is a pity, because to contains a large amount of useful information, particularly on production targets and approaches to health programmes . R . W . BLOSS L\

The Embryology of the Domestic AnimalsDevelopmental Mechanisms and Malformations

D . N . Noden and A . De Lahunta London and Baltimore : Williams and Wilkins . 1985 . 367 pp . £26 . This excellent textbook provides specific information on the normal development of domestic animals and is, in addition, an invaluable reference book on congenital defects and their possible causes . Embryology is taught early in the veterinary curriculum as part of the preclinical subjects anatomy, histology and physiology . This introduces the student to male and female reproductive tracts, sexual behaviour in animals, and is used to explain morphology and the inter-relationships of structures in gross anatomy . This textbook follows a similar pattern but also discusses the early organization of the mammalian embryo in basic terms . The early development, organogenesis and systemic development is fully covered . It soon becomes apparent to the student that each species has characteristics of its own in regard to blastocyst formation, implantation, development and structure of' the placenta, and organogenesis . Each species develops at a particular rate . All this information has been gathered by the authors to compile a standard reference text for teachers in veterinary schools and students of animal science in a variety of disciplines . The clinician and the veterinary practitioner should also find this book a standard reference text when asked to

explain the frequently-encountered malformation and developmental anomalies . The consequences of the latter are extremely important in any breeding programme . For the research worker, the text provides an extensive bibliography allowing further study of the relevant references . In the introduction, the authors express their belief in the importance of embryology in understanding animal development and the relationship between embryology and gross anatomy in presenting a historical view of tissue and organ relationships . This textbook more than fulfills their objectives . E . At .) ;HE (

Horses in Health and Disease

J . L . Naviaux Philadelphia : Lea and Febiger/Beckenham, Kent : Quest-Meridien Ltd . 1985 . 300 pp . $27 . When reviewing a book written by an author from another country, one may need to make an allowance for their nationalism . In the case of Horses in Health and Disease, for example, no attempt has been made to consider ailments which occur anywhere other than in the USA, and European readers may be surprised to learn that `the evolution of the modern horse took place in the Americas' . More serious, however, is the failure of the 1985 edition to make any attempt to present the latest in veterinary thought on the various diseases . The drug most commonly mentioned, whether for administration by a veterinary surgeon or a horse owner, is aspirin . It is recommended for conditions as diverse as a punctured hoof, fixation of the patella, equine respiratory complex, colic and many others . Nitrofurazone is almost the only other drug mentioned more than once . As the book is aimed mainly at the novice horse owner, I feel more effort should have been made to inform such owners about the progress thatvetcrinary science has made in recent years . Navicular disease, for example, is dismissed as incurable and requiring denerving in most cases . No mention is made of the recent successes with vaso-active drugs . When veterinary surgeons are evaluating books written for the lay public, the criteria must be `would I recommend this book to my clients' . On that basis the answer is no . I would not be happy for my clients to think that a horse's respiratory rate could reach 100/min before they need worry that it was in 'severe



BOOK REVIEWS

stress' . This may reflect a difference in attitude between the USA and the United Kingdom because of the longer distances and time intervals before veterinary assistance can be obtained . If that is the case then the publishers should either have issued a European edition or not published in Europe . C .J . V<(& . .1 Animal Health 1984-Report Veterinary Officer

of

the

Chief

London : HMSO . 159 pp . £9 .30 . Disease patterns are constantly changing . Some conditions become more prevalent, new ones appear and others reduce or disappear . The reasons for these changes may be the result of political decisions either directly by control of particular diseases or indirectly e .g . by altering import regulations . There are few national surveys of disease in Britain and the report of the Chief Veterinary Officer is an important document . At first sight this may appear to be just another annual report, but it has been carefully written to make it readable . It provides a wealth of information about disease in farm animals and should be studied by all those in agricultural practice or concerned with research or teaching of these subjects . With regard to notifiable diseases the main problem was the reappearance of Newcastle disease in domesticated poultry . On the other hand, anthrax was at the lowest level ever recorded and good progress was maintained in the Aujeszky's disease and sheep scab eradication programmes . The report describes research work at the Central Veterinary Laboratory, Weybridge, the Cattle Breeding Centre, Reading, and the Veterinary Husbandry Laboratory, Lasswade, as well as the considerable negotiations in Brussels on import controls . The contribution of the Veterinary Investigation Service to animal health can also be seen ; for example they were able to show that reduced fertility in some dairy herds was due to a decrease in concentrate feeding following the imposition of milk quotas . Mucosal disease/ bovine viral diarrhoea was the most commonly diagnosed viral enteric disease whilst calf pneumonia was due mainly to pasteurellosis or associated with multiple pathogens . Bovine mastitis caused by Streptococcus agalactiae and Staphylococcus aureus was often diagnosed and in sheep, diseases of breeding

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and listeriosis increased . Mastitis and parasitic gastroenteritis were widely reported in goats and Johne's disease also caused considerable economic losses . Haemophilus pleuropneumonia and Streptococcus suis type II infections were common in the few pig submissions . This report is well worth reading and its pages include the most up-to-date information available on animal health . At a time when the State Veterinary Service is being increasingly proposed as an area for reduction the considerable work and benefits of this organization should be recognized . This report helps to document their important contribution to the nation's livestock industry . A . H . A .Nnkr.w'

Infection and Immunity in Farm Animals Edited by R . Pandey Basel : S . Karger. 1985 . 255 pp . SFr . 164 . This is the first volume in a new series entitled

Progress in Veterinary Microbiology and Immunology whose main objective is to provide up-to-date critical reviews by invited experts of topics relevant to veterinary medicine in economically important farm animals and veterinary public health . The series editor, Dr R . Pandey, has chosen a predominantly viral theme for the first volume . The first two reviews are on the application of monoclonal antibody technology and on mucosal immune interactions respectively, and these are followed by chapters on bluetongue, rota and coronavirus infections, malignant catarrhal fever, rinderpest, Border disease and orthopoxvirus infections of domestic ruminants . The final chapter is on the aetiology of pneumonias in young sheep and describes the wide range of aetiological agents involved in this complex disease . Each review is extensively referenced and there are 13 figures and four tables . Overall the volume is wellproduced although the clarity of some of the photographs is a little disappointing and there are some typographical errors . This series is an interesting new addition to the scientific literature. It is aimed at postgraduates, teachers and research workers and most libraries will wish to purchase copies to provide current reviews on a wide range of topics . Future volumes and the choice of subjects will be awaited with interest. J . M . Ri it o1