Practical meat inspection

Practical meat inspection

284 BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 143, 3 though the host and location would be known . More extended description is probably not required in this t...

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284

BRITISH VETERINARY JOURNAL, 143, 3

though the host and location would be known . More extended description is probably not required in this textbook since the veterinarian is concerned more with pathogenic effects, treatment and control than with the niceties of speciation . Nevertheless, the cestodes are accorded more morphological description than nematodes and this, with the various illustrations, would permit a reasonably effective diagnosis of a species . The second part of the book deals with 'parasitisms' of various species where the epidemiology of parasitic infections is discussed . Thus the description of pathogenic effects in Part One is separated from items such as sources of infection, immunity, medication and control measures . This is somewhat unfortunate as the reader must refer to two separate parts of the book to obtain a full picture of the parasite, the disease caused by it and the epidemiological and other aspects . A separate chapter on antiparasitic drugs is contributed by Dr Vassilios Theodorides . Previous chapters have dealt with the specific therapeutic indications of various parasitisms and one might ask why an additional chapter on antiparasitic compounds is necessary . However, it is most useful, bringing together a very complex array of compounds, giving posology, contraindications, toxicity and examples of proprietary names-at least for the USA . Since the textbook does not deal with poultry, the anticoccidials of poultry are missing which is unfortunate since a similar treatment to drugs for mammals would have been very valuable . Part Three of the book deals with 'Diagnostic Parasitology' . Dr Georgi is well recognized for the excellence of his photomicrographs and this edition is no exception . Line drawings are used for the coccidia of sheep and cattle but oocysts of pigs are not dealt with, while those of dogs and cats deserve more attention than has been accorded them-especially in view of the complexity of the sporozoan parasites of dogs and cats . The heading Postmortem Diagnosis provides a further opportunity for the author to add photographs of parasites, but it also serves as a check-list of parasites of various species of domestic animals-excluding poultry-but including laboratory animals, such as rabbits, rats, mice, guinea pigs and primates . Cross references to pages and illustrations are helpful .

Finally, a section on histopathological diagnosis is provided . The identification of parasites in histological sections is never easy ; it is greatly helped by knowing the host and tissue but so often the parasite is an aberrant form and hence does not fit the check-list for the host . The key features of each parasite group are given-eg, chitin for arthropods, calcaerous corpuscles for cestodes, but keys such as those given in the Chitwood and Lichtenfels (1972) publication would have added substantially to the usefulness of this section . Overall this edition of `Georgi' is a distinct improvement on previous editions : it is still unduly territorial in its treatment of parasites and it is a pity parasites of poultry are excluded . It is a useful reference for the diagnostic laboratory and there is much in it that will appeal to the busy general practitioner . It is well worth the £32 .50 . E . J . L . SOCLSBY

Practical Meat Inspection A . Wilson Oxford : Blackwell Scientific Publications . 1985 . 4th edn . 289pp . £11 .50 . The author of this book is a veterinary surgeon who spent his whole professional career working and teaching in the field of meat hygiene . His background shines through the text. The book is not, and does not purport to be a theoretical text on anatomy, pathology, or microbiology . It is instead a straightforward, well organised, practical account which will help the student Meat Inspector solve the problems, which to him, are very important, such as how to distinguish between the livers of a sheep and a calf, and how to determine whether yellow colouration of the fat of a carcase is caused by carotenes or jaundice . The book is also useful for veterinarians who have had a broader training in that it will help them identify the salient facts needed in the slaughterhall . The text has been updated and a few more line drawings have been added for this edition . There is no doubt that the book will continue to be found in the desks and lockers of Meat Inspectors for many years to come . The publishers are to be commended for having produced a conveniently sized, well printed, and nicely bound text at a price which makes it accessible to readers as well as to libraries . E . B . DAVIES