- Email: [email protected]
Nursing, midwifery and health visiting since 1900
hf. J. Nurs. Smd., Vol. 19, No. 3, pp.177-178, Pergamon Press Ltd. Printed in Great Britain
1982
Book Reviews Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Since 1900. Edited by Peta Allan and Moya Jolley. Faber & Faber, London (1982). Price f7.95 hardback; f4.95 paperback. In the foreword to this book, Dame Catherine Hall notes that its appearance is timely, coinciding as it does with the changes in the statutory framework which regulate and control the three professions in the United Kingdom. She expresses the hope that the book will encourage its readers to acquire “an individual sense of corporate responsibility” and to “contribute actively to the development of their chosen profession”. The editors’ intentions, as expressed in the Preface, were to “provide an introduction to various aspects contributing to the professional progress of nurses, midwives and health visitors during the 20th century” and to “clarify the steps which have been made”. The intended readership includes basic and post-basic nursing students, but also other health professionals and interested members of the public. In the Introduction, however, the editors describe the book as a “guide to the professions for experienced nurses, midwives and health visitors” and also draw attention to the apathy which appears to afflict nurses where professional matters are concerned. They note that there is no lack of “sophisticated literature”, but identify a need for “readily available, concise and easy to understand information” by means of which practising nurses, midwives and health visitors can more fully comprehend present changes by putting them in perspective. It seems worth examing these issues of the editors’ aims in compiling the book and the group for whom it is intended because it will be apparent from the various quotations above that there are important differences between the Foreword, the Preface and the Introduction, as far as both are concerned. From this apparent failure to identify the purpose of the book stems its main failing, a lack of coherence. Each of the nineteen chapters, apart from the first and last, is concerned either with the development of a certain type of nursing, such as general, mental illness or district nursing, or with related topics, such as degrees in nursing, nursing research and organised labour. The individual contributors are well known in their own particular specialities and most demonstrate knowledge and enthusiasm for their subjects. The contents of the chapters is primarily factual and few of the authors either set their own topic in a wider context or discuss in any depth the important underlying themes which emerge. Certainly the book brings together a considerable amount of information from different sources and could be useful from a reference point of view. As far as readers from other countries are concerned, there are two chapters of particular relevance, one on International Aspects of Nursing which is concerned with international nursing organisations and EEC developments, and the other on The Growth of Nursing in the United States of America which, as its title implies, reviews significant developments across the Atlantic. 177
178
BOOK REVIEWS
The first and last chapters, entitled ‘Retrospective’ and ‘Prospective’, may have been planned with the intention of setting the rest of the material in some kind of framework, but unfortunately they do not have this effect. The opportunity to trace common themes, to identify some of the important issues which emerge and to shape the basic material in a way which could have led to informed discussion and debate has been missed. Several of the individual contributions are interesting and informative but one feels a sense of constraint in some of the writers. The whole ought to be greater than the sum of its parts, but in this book that is unfortunately not the case. P. A. GROSVENOR
Pathophysiology: Concepts ofAltered Health States. Carol Porth. Lippincott, Philadelphia, distributed by Harper & Row. London (1982). Price f17.50. This attractively presented and comprehensive text is written by a team of American writers, most of whom have a nursing background. The study of pathophysiology is crucial to an understanding of the problems a patient experiences with an alteration in his health status. The alterations in the patients’ health and consequent compensatory mechanisms are set against a clearly structured and reasoned account of normal functioning; and prevention is considered alongside causation and effect. The text does not demand of the reader a detailed background knowledge of biochemistry, anatomy and related sciences; rather, it sets out to integrate the concepts and principles from such disciplines which are necessary for an understanding of pathophysiology. Clear diagrams support the text throughout, many of which are quite original and present a novel aspect ofthe topic in question. The study-guides at the end of each chapter are expressed in terms of behavioural objectives and provide a useful basis for teaching. Whilst the book provides the rationale for nursing care. and the selection of material included was influenced by clinical need, it must. of necessity, be used alongside a nursing text. in order that the fullest benefit be derived from it. It is perhaps a pity that a book as valuable and detailed and yet as clearly expressed as this is outside the price-range which many nursing students would find reasonable. SUSAN
M. HINCHLIFF
1982
Book Reviews Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting Since 1900. Edited by Peta Allan and Moya Jolley. Faber & Faber, London (1982). Price f7.95 hardback; f4.95 paperback. In the foreword to this book, Dame Catherine Hall notes that its appearance is timely, coinciding as it does with the changes in the statutory framework which regulate and control the three professions in the United Kingdom. She expresses the hope that the book will encourage its readers to acquire “an individual sense of corporate responsibility” and to “contribute actively to the development of their chosen profession”. The editors’ intentions, as expressed in the Preface, were to “provide an introduction to various aspects contributing to the professional progress of nurses, midwives and health visitors during the 20th century” and to “clarify the steps which have been made”. The intended readership includes basic and post-basic nursing students, but also other health professionals and interested members of the public. In the Introduction, however, the editors describe the book as a “guide to the professions for experienced nurses, midwives and health visitors” and also draw attention to the apathy which appears to afflict nurses where professional matters are concerned. They note that there is no lack of “sophisticated literature”, but identify a need for “readily available, concise and easy to understand information” by means of which practising nurses, midwives and health visitors can more fully comprehend present changes by putting them in perspective. It seems worth examing these issues of the editors’ aims in compiling the book and the group for whom it is intended because it will be apparent from the various quotations above that there are important differences between the Foreword, the Preface and the Introduction, as far as both are concerned. From this apparent failure to identify the purpose of the book stems its main failing, a lack of coherence. Each of the nineteen chapters, apart from the first and last, is concerned either with the development of a certain type of nursing, such as general, mental illness or district nursing, or with related topics, such as degrees in nursing, nursing research and organised labour. The individual contributors are well known in their own particular specialities and most demonstrate knowledge and enthusiasm for their subjects. The contents of the chapters is primarily factual and few of the authors either set their own topic in a wider context or discuss in any depth the important underlying themes which emerge. Certainly the book brings together a considerable amount of information from different sources and could be useful from a reference point of view. As far as readers from other countries are concerned, there are two chapters of particular relevance, one on International Aspects of Nursing which is concerned with international nursing organisations and EEC developments, and the other on The Growth of Nursing in the United States of America which, as its title implies, reviews significant developments across the Atlantic. 177
178
BOOK REVIEWS
The first and last chapters, entitled ‘Retrospective’ and ‘Prospective’, may have been planned with the intention of setting the rest of the material in some kind of framework, but unfortunately they do not have this effect. The opportunity to trace common themes, to identify some of the important issues which emerge and to shape the basic material in a way which could have led to informed discussion and debate has been missed. Several of the individual contributions are interesting and informative but one feels a sense of constraint in some of the writers. The whole ought to be greater than the sum of its parts, but in this book that is unfortunately not the case. P. A. GROSVENOR
Pathophysiology: Concepts ofAltered Health States. Carol Porth. Lippincott, Philadelphia, distributed by Harper & Row. London (1982). Price f17.50. This attractively presented and comprehensive text is written by a team of American writers, most of whom have a nursing background. The study of pathophysiology is crucial to an understanding of the problems a patient experiences with an alteration in his health status. The alterations in the patients’ health and consequent compensatory mechanisms are set against a clearly structured and reasoned account of normal functioning; and prevention is considered alongside causation and effect. The text does not demand of the reader a detailed background knowledge of biochemistry, anatomy and related sciences; rather, it sets out to integrate the concepts and principles from such disciplines which are necessary for an understanding of pathophysiology. Clear diagrams support the text throughout, many of which are quite original and present a novel aspect ofthe topic in question. The study-guides at the end of each chapter are expressed in terms of behavioural objectives and provide a useful basis for teaching. Whilst the book provides the rationale for nursing care. and the selection of material included was influenced by clinical need, it must. of necessity, be used alongside a nursing text. in order that the fullest benefit be derived from it. It is perhaps a pity that a book as valuable and detailed and yet as clearly expressed as this is outside the price-range which many nursing students would find reasonable. SUSAN
M. HINCHLIFF