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Mechanisms of toxicity, british medical bulletin
112
BOOK REVIEWS
W. RITTERVON BAEYER,144 pages, 11 rllustrattons, 47 tables, Hippokrates Verlag, Stuttgart, 1969, DM 16.80. The effects of mild cerebral damage sustained m infancy and early childhood have become the subject of increasing attentton durmg recent years. In this monograph Dr. Mdller-Ktippers reports on his investigation of a random sample of 200 such patients seen in the Children’s Neuro-Psychiatric Clinic at Heidelberg. The criteria for includmg patients in whom exogenous cerebral damage was constdered to be present was based on neurological, EEG and psychometric findings. Comparison was made with a matched control group of patients (with no evidence of brain damage) employing psychological, social, educatlonal and other developmental variables which were subjected to statistical analysis. Forty-six of the 245
Mechanisms of Toxicrty,
September
Brituh Medical
Bulletzn,
1969, Vol. 25, No. 3.
This rssue of the Brutish Medzcal Bulletm, concerned with mechanisms of toxtcity, is dedicated to Str Rudolph Peters, long known as an outstandmg worker in this branch of medical science. Sir Rudolph himself wrttes about the “Btochemrcal lesion and its historical development” Other contributors, all distinguished in their fields, deal with the basic toxic mechanisms of a variety of chemicals encountered m agriculture or industry, or, in rare instances, ingested with food; and with the effects of diet and body temperature on the responses of the organism to some of these substances. Following an introduction by J. M. Barnes, and the article by Sir Rudolph Peters, M. S Rose wrttes on “Reversible binding of toxtc compounds to macromolecules”; M. K. Johnson on “Delayed neurotoxic action of some organophosphorus compounds”; W. N. Aldndge on “Phosphorylation and carbamylation of esterases” ; P. N Magee and P. F. Swann on “Nitroso compounds”; D. M Conning, K. Fletcher and
Disorders of Voluntary Muscle, by J N. WALTON (Ed ), xxix + 941 pages, 198 illustrations, J. and A. Churchill, London, 1969, ElO.
The invasion of classical pathology by techniques whtch have proved so successful in molecular biology has proceeded rapidly m the last few years. “There are two sorts of doctors” says Gottheb in Sinclair Lewis’s Martin Arrowsmith, “those to whom cc. means compound cathartic,
variables employed were found to differentlate between the two groups. The author’s findmgs, such as the lack of correlatton between SOCIOpsychologtcal aspects and the development of mimmal cerebral damage are of Interest, as is hts conclusion as to importance of attitudes and adjustment of parents and teachers to the resultant defectsin relation to prognoses. The latter was found to play a far more important part m the child’s adjustment than did personahty features. This is an excellent ptece of work, carefully conducted and clearly descrtbed and should be read by child psychiatrists as well as by educationalists and sociologists. The writer’s abihty to describe statistical methods in a deceptively simple and chnically meaningful way deserves special mention. k
SCHAPIRA
A. A. B Swan on “Paraquat and related blpyrtdyls”: H. S. A Sherratt on “Hypoglycm and related hypoglycaemic compounds”; Demus V. Parke and R. Tecwyn Williams on “Metabolism of toxic substances”; M. H Evans on “Mechanisms of saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin poisoning”; J. B. Cavanagh on “Toxic substances and the nervous system”: J. D Judah on “Biochemical disturbances in liver injury”; A. F. M. McLean and Elizabeth K. McLean on “Diet and toxicity”, A. G Heppleston on “Fibrogenic action of sthca”; H. Smith on “Toxic activittes of mtcrobes”. A. Bebbington and R. W. Brimblecombe on “Psychotomimetics”; J. E. Cremer and J. Bligh on “Body-temperature and responses to drugs”. Although the papers wtll appeal mamly to biochemtsts and academic toxtcologists, clinicians (notably neurologists, psychiatrists, chnical toxicologists, and those interested in liver disease) will find much to interest and mform them Like most issues of the Brrtmh Medrcel Bulletin, this will serve as an authoritative reference volume for some time to come D. M. DAVIES
and those to whom it means cubic centlmetre.‘. To make these groups understand one another (even to listen!) is a continuing need tf we are to acquire as full an insight into disease mechanisms as our current concepts allow. Whilst thts does not mean that an understanding at the descriptive level IS inadequate (for what% attempts to reconstruct dtsease mechamsms at a molecular level are now feasible and begmnmg to be worthwhile, even though some current J.neuro/.
Ser.. 1971. 12. Ill-118
BOOK REVIEWS
W. RITTERVON BAEYER,144 pages, 11 rllustrattons, 47 tables, Hippokrates Verlag, Stuttgart, 1969, DM 16.80. The effects of mild cerebral damage sustained m infancy and early childhood have become the subject of increasing attentton durmg recent years. In this monograph Dr. Mdller-Ktippers reports on his investigation of a random sample of 200 such patients seen in the Children’s Neuro-Psychiatric Clinic at Heidelberg. The criteria for includmg patients in whom exogenous cerebral damage was constdered to be present was based on neurological, EEG and psychometric findings. Comparison was made with a matched control group of patients (with no evidence of brain damage) employing psychological, social, educatlonal and other developmental variables which were subjected to statistical analysis. Forty-six of the 245
Mechanisms of Toxicrty,
September
Brituh Medical
Bulletzn,
1969, Vol. 25, No. 3.
This rssue of the Brutish Medzcal Bulletm, concerned with mechanisms of toxtcity, is dedicated to Str Rudolph Peters, long known as an outstandmg worker in this branch of medical science. Sir Rudolph himself wrttes about the “Btochemrcal lesion and its historical development” Other contributors, all distinguished in their fields, deal with the basic toxic mechanisms of a variety of chemicals encountered m agriculture or industry, or, in rare instances, ingested with food; and with the effects of diet and body temperature on the responses of the organism to some of these substances. Following an introduction by J. M. Barnes, and the article by Sir Rudolph Peters, M. S Rose wrttes on “Reversible binding of toxtc compounds to macromolecules”; M. K. Johnson on “Delayed neurotoxic action of some organophosphorus compounds”; W. N. Aldndge on “Phosphorylation and carbamylation of esterases” ; P. N Magee and P. F. Swann on “Nitroso compounds”; D. M Conning, K. Fletcher and
Disorders of Voluntary Muscle, by J N. WALTON (Ed ), xxix + 941 pages, 198 illustrations, J. and A. Churchill, London, 1969, ElO.
The invasion of classical pathology by techniques whtch have proved so successful in molecular biology has proceeded rapidly m the last few years. “There are two sorts of doctors” says Gottheb in Sinclair Lewis’s Martin Arrowsmith, “those to whom cc. means compound cathartic,
variables employed were found to differentlate between the two groups. The author’s findmgs, such as the lack of correlatton between SOCIOpsychologtcal aspects and the development of mimmal cerebral damage are of Interest, as is hts conclusion as to importance of attitudes and adjustment of parents and teachers to the resultant defectsin relation to prognoses. The latter was found to play a far more important part m the child’s adjustment than did personahty features. This is an excellent ptece of work, carefully conducted and clearly descrtbed and should be read by child psychiatrists as well as by educationalists and sociologists. The writer’s abihty to describe statistical methods in a deceptively simple and chnically meaningful way deserves special mention. k
SCHAPIRA
A. A. B Swan on “Paraquat and related blpyrtdyls”: H. S. A Sherratt on “Hypoglycm and related hypoglycaemic compounds”; Demus V. Parke and R. Tecwyn Williams on “Metabolism of toxic substances”; M. H Evans on “Mechanisms of saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin poisoning”; J. B. Cavanagh on “Toxic substances and the nervous system”: J. D Judah on “Biochemical disturbances in liver injury”; A. F. M. McLean and Elizabeth K. McLean on “Diet and toxicity”, A. G Heppleston on “Fibrogenic action of sthca”; H. Smith on “Toxic activittes of mtcrobes”. A. Bebbington and R. W. Brimblecombe on “Psychotomimetics”; J. E. Cremer and J. Bligh on “Body-temperature and responses to drugs”. Although the papers wtll appeal mamly to biochemtsts and academic toxtcologists, clinicians (notably neurologists, psychiatrists, chnical toxicologists, and those interested in liver disease) will find much to interest and mform them Like most issues of the Brrtmh Medrcel Bulletin, this will serve as an authoritative reference volume for some time to come D. M. DAVIES
and those to whom it means cubic centlmetre.‘. To make these groups understand one another (even to listen!) is a continuing need tf we are to acquire as full an insight into disease mechanisms as our current concepts allow. Whilst thts does not mean that an understanding at the descriptive level IS inadequate (for what% attempts to reconstruct dtsease mechamsms at a molecular level are now feasible and begmnmg to be worthwhile, even though some current J.neuro/.
Ser.. 1971. 12. Ill-118