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Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts
349
BOOK REVIEWS
VOL. 78, NO. 2
a sterile drape as proper microsurgical tech nique will keep all hands below, in the field where they belong. Occasionally, a facemask or cap will touch the nonsterile microscope, certainly no problem to the maintenance of asepsis. HERBERT J.
GERSHEN
San Francisco, California
thoroughness the world literature on glau coma has been collected, classified, indexed, and critically evaluated. I am not aware of any similar endeavor in any other field in ophthalmology. The scope and the price of the scope make it a library item and not a book to be pur chased by the practicing ophthalmologist. F. C. BLODI GLAUKOM IN DER PRAXIS. E I N LEITFADEN.
BOOK REVIEWS By Wolfgang Leydhecker. West Berlin, Germany, Springer-Verlag, 1973. Clothbound, 868 pages, table of contents, 77 tables, index. 36 black and white figures. $114
GLAUKOM: E I N HANDBUCH.
This is the second edition of the author's handbook on glaucoma. The first edition of this book appeared in 1960 and covered the literature from 1930. This second edition covers the literature from 1930 through 1970 and incompletely also through 1972. When they are necessary for the understanding of the problem older papers are cited. The scope of the book is indeed all en compassing and the amount of work neces sary to compile it must have been staggering. This book lists all the books, monographs, and papers dealing with any aspect of glau coma in any language. The entire subject is well organized and subdivided into many chapters, subchapters, and divisions. Each chapter has its own bibliography and the number of references cited must exceed many thousands. In addition, there is a short introductory text to each chapter and division explaining the problem and also stating the position of the author. This text alone would provide a most useful textbook on glaucoma. The ref erences and their critical discussion, however, make it a monumental reference work that should be accessible to any serious investi gator concerned with the problem of glau coma. With true germanic scholarship and
By W. Leydhecker. West Berlin, Ger many, Springer-Verlag, 1973. Paperback, 180 pages, table of contents, index, 6 tables, 43 black and white figures. $5.30 This is a paperback booklet that contains the essentials of glaucoma. It is written in a language and style easily understood by an intelligent patient. Its main appeal, however, may be to the medical student, to the general practitioner, and perhaps even to the firstyear resident. The author discusses the methods of pathogenesis, classification, and examination. The author puts the emphasis on the treatment and control of glaucoma. Most useful are two leaflets which are given to each new glaucoma patient. The first one deals with the diurnal control and the second one gives general guidelines for the glaucoma patient. While these leaflets are not as ele gant and impressive as the widely used in struction video tapes, they serve their pur pose very well and help to reassure the pa tient. F. C. BLODI OPHTHALMOLOGY: PRINCIPLES CEPTS, 3rd ed. By Frank W.
AND
CON
Newell and J. Terry Ernest. St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1974. Clothbound, 529 pages, table of con tents, glossary, index, over 100 black and white figures. $19.50
The third edition of Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts incorporates an as sociate author and new material, while re-
350
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
taining the highly desirable format of pre vious editions. The book is organized into four areas: Basic mechanisms (Part 1) and history-taking and examinations of the eye (Part 2) are classics of succinct and pithy information, and are of particular use to the medical student and nonophthalmic phy sician in assessing ocular function and dis order. Parts 3 and 4 deal with ocular dis eases and injuries and ocular reflections of systemic disease respectively. The style is a direct and easy-to-read distillation of fun damental information in ophthalmology. Medical students find Part 2, including his tory and interpretation, to be an exquisite 27 pages—with an approach to patient prob lem/symptom that is too rarely utilized in the foundations of medical teaching, yet so helpful in facilitating learning. New areas of content or presentations in clude brief discussions of discrete topics such as prostaglandins and fluorescein, and broad areas such as the strong section on hereditary disorders relating to the eye. This section provides a rapid overview for the clinical ophthalmologist not conversant in modern genetics. As in previous editions, the volume has no color illustrations. These would be help ful, particularly in clinical areas, but are probably not cost effective. The contrast in many of the black and white photographs and illustrations (a number of them new) seems below the quality in the second edi tion, yet this is not a serious problem. The previous edition of Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts occupies a pre eminent position as a basic book in ophthal mology for medical students and practi tioners. This third edition will have the same broad acceptance and value, and can be recommended enthusiastically for the be ginning and continuing education of nonophthalmologists. BRUCE E.
Chalkley. Springfield, 111., Charles C Thomas, 1974. Paperback, 122 pages, in dex, table of contents, 15 black and white figures. $4.75 This is a useful layman's guide to all one should know about our eyes which keeps in mind that the layman with an interest in this subject is probably a little above aver age, and wants some meat along with his bread and milk. Because of its moderately technical slant the book is also useful to paramedical people, such as nurses, teachers, and social workers dealing with visually handicapped persons, and any personnel who must make an intelligent interpretation of ophthalmologists' reports, answer questions for and give safe advice to patients suffer ing from eye problems. Quite successfully, the author details diseases of the eye, as well as preventative and therapeutic mea sures available. Dr. Chalkley wrote this text specifically to replace "The Truth About Your Eyes," by the late Dr. Derrick Vail, as the textbook for a correspondence-study course on the human eye offered by the Hadley School for the Blind, the world's first and only cor respondence school for blind students. All courses are offered free to blind students. This particular course is made available to sighted students as a part of Hadley's pre vention of blindness program. Any purchaser of "Your Eyes" is eligible to enroll for the course without charge by writing to The Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm St., Winnetka, IL 60093. The textbook is available also in braille and on cassettes in a tape recording done by Dr. Chalkley, who has also donated to Hadley the cost of authorship, the copy right, and all royalties accruing from the sale of the book. D. V.
SPIVEY
SONNEL AND THE LAY READER.
By Thomas
L.
BROWN
5th ed. By H. B. Stallard. Bal timore, Maryland, Williams and Wilkins Company, 1973. Clothbound, 930 pages,
EYE SURGERY, YOUR EYES. A BOOK FOR PARAMEDICAL PER
AUGUST, 1974
BOOK REVIEWS
VOL. 78, NO. 2
a sterile drape as proper microsurgical tech nique will keep all hands below, in the field where they belong. Occasionally, a facemask or cap will touch the nonsterile microscope, certainly no problem to the maintenance of asepsis. HERBERT J.
GERSHEN
San Francisco, California
thoroughness the world literature on glau coma has been collected, classified, indexed, and critically evaluated. I am not aware of any similar endeavor in any other field in ophthalmology. The scope and the price of the scope make it a library item and not a book to be pur chased by the practicing ophthalmologist. F. C. BLODI GLAUKOM IN DER PRAXIS. E I N LEITFADEN.
BOOK REVIEWS By Wolfgang Leydhecker. West Berlin, Germany, Springer-Verlag, 1973. Clothbound, 868 pages, table of contents, 77 tables, index. 36 black and white figures. $114
GLAUKOM: E I N HANDBUCH.
This is the second edition of the author's handbook on glaucoma. The first edition of this book appeared in 1960 and covered the literature from 1930. This second edition covers the literature from 1930 through 1970 and incompletely also through 1972. When they are necessary for the understanding of the problem older papers are cited. The scope of the book is indeed all en compassing and the amount of work neces sary to compile it must have been staggering. This book lists all the books, monographs, and papers dealing with any aspect of glau coma in any language. The entire subject is well organized and subdivided into many chapters, subchapters, and divisions. Each chapter has its own bibliography and the number of references cited must exceed many thousands. In addition, there is a short introductory text to each chapter and division explaining the problem and also stating the position of the author. This text alone would provide a most useful textbook on glaucoma. The ref erences and their critical discussion, however, make it a monumental reference work that should be accessible to any serious investi gator concerned with the problem of glau coma. With true germanic scholarship and
By W. Leydhecker. West Berlin, Ger many, Springer-Verlag, 1973. Paperback, 180 pages, table of contents, index, 6 tables, 43 black and white figures. $5.30 This is a paperback booklet that contains the essentials of glaucoma. It is written in a language and style easily understood by an intelligent patient. Its main appeal, however, may be to the medical student, to the general practitioner, and perhaps even to the firstyear resident. The author discusses the methods of pathogenesis, classification, and examination. The author puts the emphasis on the treatment and control of glaucoma. Most useful are two leaflets which are given to each new glaucoma patient. The first one deals with the diurnal control and the second one gives general guidelines for the glaucoma patient. While these leaflets are not as ele gant and impressive as the widely used in struction video tapes, they serve their pur pose very well and help to reassure the pa tient. F. C. BLODI OPHTHALMOLOGY: PRINCIPLES CEPTS, 3rd ed. By Frank W.
AND
CON
Newell and J. Terry Ernest. St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1974. Clothbound, 529 pages, table of con tents, glossary, index, over 100 black and white figures. $19.50
The third edition of Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts incorporates an as sociate author and new material, while re-
350
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
taining the highly desirable format of pre vious editions. The book is organized into four areas: Basic mechanisms (Part 1) and history-taking and examinations of the eye (Part 2) are classics of succinct and pithy information, and are of particular use to the medical student and nonophthalmic phy sician in assessing ocular function and dis order. Parts 3 and 4 deal with ocular dis eases and injuries and ocular reflections of systemic disease respectively. The style is a direct and easy-to-read distillation of fun damental information in ophthalmology. Medical students find Part 2, including his tory and interpretation, to be an exquisite 27 pages—with an approach to patient prob lem/symptom that is too rarely utilized in the foundations of medical teaching, yet so helpful in facilitating learning. New areas of content or presentations in clude brief discussions of discrete topics such as prostaglandins and fluorescein, and broad areas such as the strong section on hereditary disorders relating to the eye. This section provides a rapid overview for the clinical ophthalmologist not conversant in modern genetics. As in previous editions, the volume has no color illustrations. These would be help ful, particularly in clinical areas, but are probably not cost effective. The contrast in many of the black and white photographs and illustrations (a number of them new) seems below the quality in the second edi tion, yet this is not a serious problem. The previous edition of Ophthalmology: Principles and Concepts occupies a pre eminent position as a basic book in ophthal mology for medical students and practi tioners. This third edition will have the same broad acceptance and value, and can be recommended enthusiastically for the be ginning and continuing education of nonophthalmologists. BRUCE E.
Chalkley. Springfield, 111., Charles C Thomas, 1974. Paperback, 122 pages, in dex, table of contents, 15 black and white figures. $4.75 This is a useful layman's guide to all one should know about our eyes which keeps in mind that the layman with an interest in this subject is probably a little above aver age, and wants some meat along with his bread and milk. Because of its moderately technical slant the book is also useful to paramedical people, such as nurses, teachers, and social workers dealing with visually handicapped persons, and any personnel who must make an intelligent interpretation of ophthalmologists' reports, answer questions for and give safe advice to patients suffer ing from eye problems. Quite successfully, the author details diseases of the eye, as well as preventative and therapeutic mea sures available. Dr. Chalkley wrote this text specifically to replace "The Truth About Your Eyes," by the late Dr. Derrick Vail, as the textbook for a correspondence-study course on the human eye offered by the Hadley School for the Blind, the world's first and only cor respondence school for blind students. All courses are offered free to blind students. This particular course is made available to sighted students as a part of Hadley's pre vention of blindness program. Any purchaser of "Your Eyes" is eligible to enroll for the course without charge by writing to The Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm St., Winnetka, IL 60093. The textbook is available also in braille and on cassettes in a tape recording done by Dr. Chalkley, who has also donated to Hadley the cost of authorship, the copy right, and all royalties accruing from the sale of the book. D. V.
SPIVEY
SONNEL AND THE LAY READER.
By Thomas
L.
BROWN
5th ed. By H. B. Stallard. Bal timore, Maryland, Williams and Wilkins Company, 1973. Clothbound, 930 pages,
EYE SURGERY, YOUR EYES. A BOOK FOR PARAMEDICAL PER
AUGUST, 1974