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Neuro-Ophthalmology. Clinical Signs and Symptoms
BOOK REVIEWS Edited by H. Stanley Thompson, M.D.
A Physician's Guide to Computers & Computing. By John M. Allswang, Jon I. Isenberg, and Michael H. Weiss. East Norwalk, AppletonCentury-Crofts, 1985. Softcover, 208 pages, index, illustrated. $29.95
Neuro-Ophthalmology. Clinical Signs and Symptoms, 2nd ed. Edited by Thomas J. Walsh. Philadelphia, Lea and Febiger, 1985. 499 pages, index, illustrated. $47.50 (Canada $63.25)
Reviewed by MARK R. SAWUSCH
Reviewed by MARC H. LEVY and RONALD M. BURDE
This excellent guide identifies clinical, research, and business applications of computers for physicians and aids in making purchasing decisions. In the first section, the authors discuss medical practice management and provide useful examples from commercial programs for such applications as patient ledgers, billing, insurance forms, and practice analysis reports. Included are practical guidelines for choosing a commercial system suited for a particular practice. The second section deals with miscellaneous medical applications including clinical research, statistical analysis, information retrieval, medical networks, and databases for the retrieval of patient information. Examples are given of commercial programs and a helpful discussion of purchasing decision is offered. A succinct overview of the basics of computer hardware and software is "placed at the back of the book to reinforce the idea that one does not need technical knowledge to utilize computers successfully." This attitude is maintained throughout the text, and the authors skillfully avoid the ponderous prose all too typical of computer guidebooks. The appendices include lists of vendors for software and hardware, computer publications for physicians, and information-retrieval sources. The book lacks a comparison of the features and drawbacks of specific software packages; admittedly this would have been obsolete upon publication. This is a well-written and well-researched text that 1 highly recommend as a starting point for computerization. It is tailored to a physician's needs and is not another superficially rewritten "introduction to computers" book with "physician" stamped on the cover.
From its inception in 1978, NeuroOphthalmology: Clinical Signs and Symptoms, was intended to be a basic text introducing the subject matter to the reader through chapters dealing with neuro-ophthalmic symptoms and signs. Chapters thus had such appropriate titles as "Papilledema," "Pupillary abnormalities," "Exophthalmos," "Ptosis," "Diplopia," "Blurred vision," "Headache," Nystagmus," "Gaze," and "Visual field defects." In the second edition, new contributors have added additional topics including "Neuro-ophthalmologic history and neurologic examination," "Computed tomography in the evaluation of retrobulbar extracranial causes of visual loss," "Chromosome changes," and "Electrodiagnosis," "Conjugate and disjugate eye movements," has been substituted for the "Gaze" chapter in this most recent edition. Each chapter presents a concise summary of one neuroophthalmologic problem. As in most works of this type, the chapters vary in depth depending on the interests of the particular author. For example, the chapter by Rothman, which is well written and relatively well illustrated, represents an overemphasis on techniques that would rarely be used or encountered by the practicing ophthalmologist today. The chapter on computed tomography is encyclopedic and well written, but leaves the reader wishing that the topic of magnetic resonance imaging had been covered in more detail since this technique shows posterior fossa and midsagittal lesions better than computed tomography. The illustrations are authoritative, the figures of nice size and contrast, and the radiographs appropriately enlarged and highlighted with arrows, yet the five color plates in this book are somewhat lacking, both in distinction
San Francisco, California
St. Louis, Missouri
862
Obituary
Vol. 100, No.6
863
and clarity. Although the serious reader is given a generous reference bibliography at the end of each chapter, we would prefer to have each reference cited in the body of the text. Overall, we believe the authors have accomplished their stated goals in producing a short (under 500 pages inclusive), appropriately referenced, introductory text. This work is certainly a nice place to start for an individual interested in neuro-ophthalmology.
Obituary CHARLES DEXTER PHELPS, M.D. 1937-1985 Dr. Phelps was the son of a Waterloo, Iowa, ophthalmologist and he did his undergraduate work and took his medical degree at the University of Iowa. He interned at Boston City Hospital (1963-1964), and stayed to do another year of internal medicine before returning to Iowa City to begin a residency in ophthalmology. He did a preresidency fellowship with Mansour Armaly and this kindled an interest in glaucoma. After finishing his ophthalmology residency in Iowa City in 1971 he took a glaucoma fellowship with Bernard Becker at Washington University in St. Louis. At about this time Dr. Armaly went to Washington, D.C., to become chairman at George Washington University and Frederick C. Blodi invited Dr. Phelps to come back to Iowa City to be Iowa's glaucoma expert. He was a member of the University of Iowa Ophthalmology faculty for 13 years. Dr. Phelps was widely admired for his intelligence, his wit, his knowledge, and his common sense, and he was soon recognized internationally as a leading glaucoma expert. He trained glaucoma fellows, was active in a National Institutes of Health Study Group and in the International Perimetric Society, and was recently elected to membership in the American Ophthalmological Society. At home he played the piano and liked to read the works of 19th century historians; Macaulay and Prescott were favorites.
Figure (Thompson). Charles Dexter Phelps, M.D.
In 1983 Dr. Blodi resigned from the chairmanship of the department at Iowa and a search was undertaken for his replacement. Chuck Phelps was chosen for the job, and succeeded Dr. Blodi in March 1984. At about that time, he had a small squamous cell carcinoma excised from the base of his tongue and was given a good prognosis. During the next year there was a flurry of activity in the department; three faculty members left and five new ones were hired; bold new building plans allowed for a dramatic increase in space and it became apparent that Dr. Phelps' grace, energy and brains were blossoming into a rare administrative talent. It was obvious that his wife Dorsey was going to be an energetic and talented chief's partner. Then the tumor recurred and showed itself to be resistant to radiation and chemotherapy and Dr. Phelps died on Sept. 13, 1985, three days before his 48th birthday. H. STANLEY THOMPSON
A Physician's Guide to Computers & Computing. By John M. Allswang, Jon I. Isenberg, and Michael H. Weiss. East Norwalk, AppletonCentury-Crofts, 1985. Softcover, 208 pages, index, illustrated. $29.95
Neuro-Ophthalmology. Clinical Signs and Symptoms, 2nd ed. Edited by Thomas J. Walsh. Philadelphia, Lea and Febiger, 1985. 499 pages, index, illustrated. $47.50 (Canada $63.25)
Reviewed by MARK R. SAWUSCH
Reviewed by MARC H. LEVY and RONALD M. BURDE
This excellent guide identifies clinical, research, and business applications of computers for physicians and aids in making purchasing decisions. In the first section, the authors discuss medical practice management and provide useful examples from commercial programs for such applications as patient ledgers, billing, insurance forms, and practice analysis reports. Included are practical guidelines for choosing a commercial system suited for a particular practice. The second section deals with miscellaneous medical applications including clinical research, statistical analysis, information retrieval, medical networks, and databases for the retrieval of patient information. Examples are given of commercial programs and a helpful discussion of purchasing decision is offered. A succinct overview of the basics of computer hardware and software is "placed at the back of the book to reinforce the idea that one does not need technical knowledge to utilize computers successfully." This attitude is maintained throughout the text, and the authors skillfully avoid the ponderous prose all too typical of computer guidebooks. The appendices include lists of vendors for software and hardware, computer publications for physicians, and information-retrieval sources. The book lacks a comparison of the features and drawbacks of specific software packages; admittedly this would have been obsolete upon publication. This is a well-written and well-researched text that 1 highly recommend as a starting point for computerization. It is tailored to a physician's needs and is not another superficially rewritten "introduction to computers" book with "physician" stamped on the cover.
From its inception in 1978, NeuroOphthalmology: Clinical Signs and Symptoms, was intended to be a basic text introducing the subject matter to the reader through chapters dealing with neuro-ophthalmic symptoms and signs. Chapters thus had such appropriate titles as "Papilledema," "Pupillary abnormalities," "Exophthalmos," "Ptosis," "Diplopia," "Blurred vision," "Headache," Nystagmus," "Gaze," and "Visual field defects." In the second edition, new contributors have added additional topics including "Neuro-ophthalmologic history and neurologic examination," "Computed tomography in the evaluation of retrobulbar extracranial causes of visual loss," "Chromosome changes," and "Electrodiagnosis," "Conjugate and disjugate eye movements," has been substituted for the "Gaze" chapter in this most recent edition. Each chapter presents a concise summary of one neuroophthalmologic problem. As in most works of this type, the chapters vary in depth depending on the interests of the particular author. For example, the chapter by Rothman, which is well written and relatively well illustrated, represents an overemphasis on techniques that would rarely be used or encountered by the practicing ophthalmologist today. The chapter on computed tomography is encyclopedic and well written, but leaves the reader wishing that the topic of magnetic resonance imaging had been covered in more detail since this technique shows posterior fossa and midsagittal lesions better than computed tomography. The illustrations are authoritative, the figures of nice size and contrast, and the radiographs appropriately enlarged and highlighted with arrows, yet the five color plates in this book are somewhat lacking, both in distinction
San Francisco, California
St. Louis, Missouri
862
Obituary
Vol. 100, No.6
863
and clarity. Although the serious reader is given a generous reference bibliography at the end of each chapter, we would prefer to have each reference cited in the body of the text. Overall, we believe the authors have accomplished their stated goals in producing a short (under 500 pages inclusive), appropriately referenced, introductory text. This work is certainly a nice place to start for an individual interested in neuro-ophthalmology.
Obituary CHARLES DEXTER PHELPS, M.D. 1937-1985 Dr. Phelps was the son of a Waterloo, Iowa, ophthalmologist and he did his undergraduate work and took his medical degree at the University of Iowa. He interned at Boston City Hospital (1963-1964), and stayed to do another year of internal medicine before returning to Iowa City to begin a residency in ophthalmology. He did a preresidency fellowship with Mansour Armaly and this kindled an interest in glaucoma. After finishing his ophthalmology residency in Iowa City in 1971 he took a glaucoma fellowship with Bernard Becker at Washington University in St. Louis. At about this time Dr. Armaly went to Washington, D.C., to become chairman at George Washington University and Frederick C. Blodi invited Dr. Phelps to come back to Iowa City to be Iowa's glaucoma expert. He was a member of the University of Iowa Ophthalmology faculty for 13 years. Dr. Phelps was widely admired for his intelligence, his wit, his knowledge, and his common sense, and he was soon recognized internationally as a leading glaucoma expert. He trained glaucoma fellows, was active in a National Institutes of Health Study Group and in the International Perimetric Society, and was recently elected to membership in the American Ophthalmological Society. At home he played the piano and liked to read the works of 19th century historians; Macaulay and Prescott were favorites.
Figure (Thompson). Charles Dexter Phelps, M.D.
In 1983 Dr. Blodi resigned from the chairmanship of the department at Iowa and a search was undertaken for his replacement. Chuck Phelps was chosen for the job, and succeeded Dr. Blodi in March 1984. At about that time, he had a small squamous cell carcinoma excised from the base of his tongue and was given a good prognosis. During the next year there was a flurry of activity in the department; three faculty members left and five new ones were hired; bold new building plans allowed for a dramatic increase in space and it became apparent that Dr. Phelps' grace, energy and brains were blossoming into a rare administrative talent. It was obvious that his wife Dorsey was going to be an energetic and talented chief's partner. Then the tumor recurred and showed itself to be resistant to radiation and chemotherapy and Dr. Phelps died on Sept. 13, 1985, three days before his 48th birthday. H. STANLEY THOMPSON