Photographic atlas of practical anatomy I (abdomen, lower limb)

LIVRES RECUS These volumes mark completion of the &volume encyclopedia undertaken in late 1995. A loo-page, much-needed alphabetical index is found at the end of the 6th volume, enabling the reader to easily find his/her subject amongst the numerous topics in the different volumes. Cumulative contents and an impressive list of cumulative contributors are also found therein. As mentioned in an earlier review, the set comprises around 300 articles (a total of some 2,800 pages) on the most active research areas, and each article is designed as a self-contained treatment. Articles may be categorized as (1) core articles, giving perspective on the major disciplines, (2) satellite core articles, and (3) specific subject articles. Articles are easy to read and to understand. To point out just one, the article on transport proteins by Milton H. Saier, Jr. starts out with 8 necessary key words, followed by a brief summary of the subject. The author then clearly and concisely presents his topic in 12 headings and several subheadings, as well as 3 tables. The reader is offered cross-referencing toward related articles in the encyclopedia, and a bibliographic list is found at the end of the article. This encyclopedia, which covers subjects which are advancing rapidly, nevertheless represents a valuable addition to university biology and medical libraries as well as satellite libraries and those of chemical, biochemical and biotechnological firms. Students with at least one year of college science will find it useful, as will the editorial services of scientific journals. J. Bram

Thiel, W. - Photographic atlas of practical anatomy I (abdomen, lower limb). 1 vol (24~ 31 cm), 414 figs., 844+XVIII pages. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, 1997. DM 498. This fascinating atlas came about because of development of a preservation technique by the author which causes very little change in the photographic appearance of gross anatomical structures during dissection. As a result, he was able to photograph tissues which retain their colour, consistency and natural mobility. The high quality photos are stunning: some of them would merit their place in a gallery of abstract art (that showing the nerves and vessels of the mesenteric pedicle, for instance), though others may provoke a sensation of uneasiness amongst readers who are not totally familiar with human anatomy. These full-size colour plates are accompanied by descriptions on the opposite page. So as to make it user-friendly and not distract from the colour photos, a companion volume is provided in black and

white, identical to the colour volume but containing anatomical names and a comprehensive index. We eagerly await part II, due to come out in 1998, which will present the upper extremities, chest, back, neck and head. This atlas will be of practical interest to anatomists and pathologists, surgeons and medical students. The kind of book you can’t put down until you’ve finished it! J. Bram

Planches pour l’identification des filaires. OMS, 1997 (T.C. Orihel, L.R. Ash, C.P. Ramachandran et E. Ottesen), 6 planches couleur (disponible en frangais et anglais; espagnol en prkparation). ISBN 92-4-254489-2. Francs suisses 40.-. Pays en dCveloppement: Fr.s. 28. N” de commande 2150444. Cet outil utile pour le diagnostic des filarioses pr6sente 46 microphotographies en couleurs montrant les traits caract&istiques des diverses espkces de microfilaires tels qu’ils apparaissent dans diffkrentes preparations colorCes B des grossissements diffkrents. Chaque microphotographie est pr&entCe avec un trait 2 l’&chelle et accompagnte d’une b&e lkgende explicative, qui appelle l’attention sur les caractkristiques distinctes qui contribuent B confirmer le diagnostic (Wuchereria brancrfti, Loa loa, Brugia malayi, Brugia timori, Munsonella perstans, Munsonella ouardi, Onchocercea volvulus et Mansonella streptocerca). Les artefacts et bizarreries qui sont frkquemment rencontrks et qui risquent de fausser le diagnostic sont Cgalement indiquCs. PlastifiCes et solides, ces six planches peuvent servir 2 la fois de guide pour les personnels de laboratoire et de terrain dans les pays d’endCmie, et de matCrie1 didactique 2 l’usage des Ctudiants et des stagiaires. Elles visent & aider l’observateur 2 poser un diagnostic rapide et exact et 2 Cviter les erreurs courantes. C’est dans ce but que les planches comprennent des instructions B l’usage des laboratoires ainsi que des images de haute qualit& Les instructions, qui sont pr&entCes au verso des planches, sont utiles pour la prkparation de gouttes Cpaissescolorkes, la coloration g l’htmatoxyline et au Giemsa, la filtration sur membrane et la technique de concentration de Knott, et les m&odes d’examen des tissus nkessaires pour dktecter les microfilaires de 0. volvulus et de M. streptocerca qui rCsident dans la peau. Un tableau rkcapitulatif comparant la distribution gkographique, les vecteurs, la localisation, la pCriodicitC et les caractCristiques morphologiques essentielles et autres ClCments de diagnostic pour chacurie des plus courantes filaires parasites de I’homme, est Cgalement inclus. [CommuniquC]