Infectious diseases and arthropods

Infectious diseases and arthropods

BOOK Manual of tumescent liposculpture and laser cosmetic surgery William R. Cook, Jr, MD, and Kim K. Cook, MD, Philadelphia, 1999, Lippincott William...

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BOOK Manual of tumescent liposculpture and laser cosmetic surgery William R. Cook, Jr, MD, and Kim K. Cook, MD, Philadelphia, 1999, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 240 pages. $125.00. Drs William and Kim Cook have put together a tightly knit, well-conceived text that walks the reader through their techniques for liposuction, blepharoplasty, and skin peeling. The photographs, tables, and text are all first rate, and the authors are clearly quite skilled surgeons, as evidenced by their results. The book has 19 chapters, including sections on patient recruitment and consultation, preoperative and postoperative care, and the specifics of the techniques discussed. The liposuction chapters are organized and divided based on the anatomic region to be treated, which is an extremely useful classification system. Dr Cook’s highly publicized (and trademarked) “Weekend Alternative to the Facelift” is included as well, and the chapters on blepharoplasty and skin resurfacing round out the book. The text is written in an efficient and word-conserving style, which helps to present the information in a concise and useful format. Bill Cook appears to have written the liposuction chapters, and the reader is essentially getting an extended glimpse into his philosophy and technique. I found myself nodding my head and agreeing with much of what he has written. For example, he points out that there is “no absolute recipe for a surgical procedure” and that ultrasonic liposuction is no better than standard tumescent liposuction in his hands. In addition, he wisely writes that “the surgeon desires to remove an optimal amount of fat; however, it is probably better to leave more rather than to remove too much.” This book is clearly a “how-to” book for liposuction surgery, including superb preoperative and postoperative instruction forms for patients undergoing liposuction. The novice to advanced surgeon can learn a tremendous amount in a 3- to 4-hour reading of the book, but some of their information regarding technique and style is a bit advanced for physicians who have not previously performed liposuction. However, the insight Dr Cook gives into his thought process and philosophy during liposuction surgery is useful for all surgeons who perform this procedure. He uses a concept which I also believe is important for liposuction, flow. Dr Cook discusses how he looks at the flow of skin and body lines to make sure everything looks symmetric and artistically in place at the conclusion of the procedure. He stresses that it is not just about how much fat to remove, but how the body looks and flows after J AM ACAD DERMATOL

REVIEWS

surgery. The sections on thigh and leg liposuction are particularly good, as are the discussions of deep, mid, and superficial fat and their relationship to sculpting. The textbook does fall short of being a true manual of laser cosmetic surgery as its title implies because it only briefly discusses laser-assisted blepharoplasty and laser skin resurfacing. The laser is also discussed in the chapter on neck liposuction. The discussion of the Cook Total Body Peel is well written, but heavy on photographs and short on detail. It is a useful section, but the book is so liposuction heavy that the last chapters almost seem out of place. The book is in essence a photographic and text documentation of the laser and liposuction practice of the authors. Fortunately for the reader, these skilled surgeons have taken the time to put on paper the details of their techniques in a useful and wellwritten format. You might not agree with everything that is written in this book, but many of the sections are thought-provoking and extremely insightful and likely to improve the skill level of all who read them. Michael S. Kaminer, MD Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 16/8/107485

Infectious diseases and arthropods Jerome Goddard, PhD, Totowa, New Jersey, 1999, Humana Press. 240 pages. $79.50. Infectious Diseases and Arthropods is the latest book written by Jerome Goddard, who is State Medical Entomologist at the Mississippi Department of Health, Jackson. The publication of this book is timely because a relative epidemic of various vectorborne diseases is occurring right now. As civilization continues to encroach on once uninhabited land, contact between humans and arthropods and the diseases they carry will surely rise. It is not surprising that infectious agents may slowly spread across neighboring countries (eg, the occurrence of dengue virus along the United States–Mexico border). However, when a West Nile–like virus appears in suburban New York, epidemiologists struggle to find answers. Infectious Diseases and Arthropods is written for those with an interest in entomology and infectious disease. The information is current, with details given on arthropod biology, ecology of the infectious agent and its vectors, and treatment and control of the disease. As the author acknowledges in some chapters, less emphasis is placed on the clinical MARCH 2001 551

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aspects of the disease because the book is intended to be a useful adjunct to in-depth clinical texts. Throughout the text, figures demonstrating the geographic distribution of diseases, and diagrams of the vectors are found. Although in black and white, all photographs and diagrams are clear and useful. When appropriate, brief but up-to-date information on vaccines and treatment is given. The chapter on tick-borne illnesses is particularly thorough, as Goddard’s main research interests are the ecology and epidemiology of tick-borne diseases. This is a book that successfully bridges the disciplines of entomology, epidemiology, and infectious disease and is recommended for anyone whose interests include these fields. Paul A. Carbonaro, MD Worcester, Massachusetts 16/8/109306

Text atlas of pathology of the foot Ruggero Caputo, MD, Stefano Veraldi, MD, and Federico Annoni, MD, London, 2000, Martin Dunitz; US distribution by Blackwell Science. 256 pages. $89.95. It was with great interest that I read Text Atlas of Pathology of the Foot. This book presents a comprehensive review of many dermatologic conditions that affect the foot. The manuscript is divided into sections that cover inflammatory diseases, proliferative diseases, hereditary and keratinization disorders, infectious diseases, and miscellaneous conditions. It is well written and readable. About 1 to 2 pages is devoted to each disease. An introduction and clinical signs and symptoms of each condition are included. A description of the way in which the disease manifests on the feet, a detailed differential diagnosis, and an excellent clinical photograph follow. The large, high-quality photographs are a valuable asset. They make this atlas an excellent resource for those interested in dermatology and disorders of the feet. The section on differential diagnosis was especially concise, yet informative. Excellent descriptions of other dermatologic conditions that should be considered before arriving at a diagnosis were included. This section is written in such a manner that it can be easily understood by nondermatologists. One can open this book and quickly have a good idea about the accuracy of diagnosis, which is the main strength of the book. The only small drawback is the absence of a section on treatment. It would have been useful to include because Text Atlas of Pathology of the Foot is

so complete in all other respects. This book is a great resource for physicians, podiatrists, nurses, and other health care workers who diagnose and treat diseases of the foot on a day-to-day basis. Rashel Goodkin, MD Worcester, Massachusetts 16/8/111345

Neurofibromatosis: Phenotype, natural history and pathogenesis. 3rd edition J. M. Friedman, MD, PhD, D. H. Gutmann, MD, PhD, M. MacCollin, MD, and V. M. Riccardi, MD, editors, Baltimore, 1999, The Johns Hopkins University Press. 381 pages. $99.95. “Neurofibromatosis” (NF)—and in particular NF1—seems to me to be constantly on the minds of primary care physicians, especially pediatricians, and dermatologists. I find, for example, that no sooner is a child observed to have a café-au-lait macule or 2 than the thought of NF arises. Sometimes the thoughts are provoked by pigmented lesions other than café-au-lait macules, such as nevi spili, lentigines, or even giant congenital melanocytic nevi. However, few physicians are really aware of the variety of ways in which NF-1 may present or progress in a host of organ systems, let alone the molecular basis of the disorder or even the clinical features of other less common forms of NF such as NF-2. A remedy for this limited knowledge is available in the third edition of Neurofibromatosis: Phenotype, Natural History and Pathogenesis, which covers just about every aspect of the different forms of NF that one could ask for. Once a monograph by Vincent Riccardi, whose knowledge of and experience with NF is likely unsurpassed, it has matured into a multiauthored text. Attention is paid, generally in great depth, to the clinical features of NF in multiple organ systems, as well as to pathologic and radiologic findings, molecular and cellular pathogenesis, and to the neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and social aspects of NF. The chapters are generally well written by experts in the field. There is some repetition of information as sometimes occurs in multiauthored works, and it is especially prominent in the many chapters that discuss the molecular and pathogenetic aspects of NF in various organ systems, but the text flows well from chapter to chapter. Each chapter typically has multiple black and white illustrations interspersed in the text and is followed by an extensive bibliography. The chapters “Clinical and Epidemiologic Features”, authored by Riccardi and co-editor Friedman, and “Neurofibromas