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Pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood
O Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Parenthood. Edited by Paul Ahmed. New York: Elsevier North-Holland, 1981. 414 pages. $39.95, hardcover. Reviewed by: Eugene Declercq, A.C.C.E., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Merrimack College, North Andover, Massachusetts. The rather grand title of this compiliation of over 20 articles suggests at the outset the major difficulty in this book. It simply tries to cover too many complex issues in too little space. As a result, the book as a whole is inconsistent: some fairly technical articles are mixed with others that are quite basic. Therefore, it is difficult to determine for whom the book is intended. For midwives, many of the articles will tell them little they do not already know. At the same time, however, the breadth of topics examined suggests that at least some of the material will be informative. The subjects discussed include pregnancy in traditional society, nutritional requirements of pregnancy, sexuality, and problem pregnancy (alcohol abuse, rape, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy). Various aspects of childbirth are then examined, ranging from cesarean birth to home birth. The final sections discuss difficulties arising in pregnancy outcomes (emotional illness, perinatal death) and are followed by a closing chapter on fatherhood. The book might have been better served by dropping the very brief treatment of parenthood and concentrating on what seems to be the major point of interest: problems of pregnancy and childbirth. The content and style of the articles also vary widely. Many are of the "update and literature review" style, examining published research in an area and updating and summarizing this work. In areas with which one is unfamiliar, these chapters can be helpful introductions to a
subject. In other articles, suggestions by clinicians are presented on how to deal with these problems or how to screen patients effectively in these areas, Finally, a few articles (e.g., on home birth) present the results of relatively new research in an area. The inconsistent nature of the articles is illustrated in the case of one study that includes a long (13 pages--longer than the entire article on fatherhood) ann o t a t e d b i b l i o g r a p h y on alternative childbirth practices, whereas several others on topics such as cesarean birth, alcohol abuse, and, most regrettably, nutrition have few or no footnotes. There are several articles in this book, such as those on pregnancy in traditional societies, teenage pregnancy, and risk screening, that I found very interesting and informative. I suspect others would have the same reaction, although they would perhaps cite a different set of articles. However, the b o o k as a whole seems more concerned with covering certain topics than with how well they are covered, and the result is somewhat a grab bag in terms of quality. This approach is always a problem with books of this nature, but seems especially pronounced here. Readers might be better served by consulting one or two articles that are valuable to them rather than reading the entire book.
Benign Diseases of the Vulva and Vagina, Second Edition. Edited by Herman L. Gardner, M.D., and Raymond H. Kaufman, M.D. Boston: G. K. Hall Medical Publishers, 1981. 534 pages. $59.95, hardcover.
Reviewed by: Frederick A. Gonzalez, M.D., Fellow in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, H a r b o r - U C L A Medical Center, Torrance, California. The authors have written a thorough and comprehensive textbook on the subject
Journal of Nurse-Midwifery • Vol. 27, No. 6, November/December 1982 Copyright © 1982 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives
of benign diseases of the vulva and vagina. Drs. Gardner and Kaufman did most of the writing, but there are contributions by other authors such as Drs. Deter, Franklin, and Malinak. The book is well organized and most of the chapters are quite easy to read. All aspects of diseases of the vulva and vagina are covered in this book. Everything from dermatoses to traumatic lesions are covered in reasonably thorough detail. Some of the information is repeated in different chapters; however, as the authors usually allude to these repetitions, they are not particularly annoying or overwhelming. For example, in the chapter on interpretation of common signs and symptoms, procedures such as the wet mount and its interpretation are thoroughly described. However, this information is repeated in chapters that separately discuss Trichomonas, Candida, and Hemophilus vaginalis vaginitis. It is probably not a bad idea to have some repetition, as many of the procedures and interpretations described are usually done inaccurately in the clinic or office setting. As most of the chapters assume some knowledge in the field, this book is not for the uninitiated. Other c h a p t e r s are somewhat simplistic and incomplete and did not add to my fund of knowledge. However, the majority of the chapters are clearly written and contain pertinent, accurate, and interesting information. Most of the illustrations are quite helpful. The major problem with the diagrams and illustrations is that there are not enough of them. Almost all chapters on embryology that I have read suffer from inadequate diagrams, and this book is no exception. I would also like to see more use of color photographs, especially in chapters such as "Dermatoses of the Vulva." Where the color pictures are used, such as in the chapters on invasive
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subject. In other articles, suggestions by clinicians are presented on how to deal with these problems or how to screen patients effectively in these areas, Finally, a few articles (e.g., on home birth) present the results of relatively new research in an area. The inconsistent nature of the articles is illustrated in the case of one study that includes a long (13 pages--longer than the entire article on fatherhood) ann o t a t e d b i b l i o g r a p h y on alternative childbirth practices, whereas several others on topics such as cesarean birth, alcohol abuse, and, most regrettably, nutrition have few or no footnotes. There are several articles in this book, such as those on pregnancy in traditional societies, teenage pregnancy, and risk screening, that I found very interesting and informative. I suspect others would have the same reaction, although they would perhaps cite a different set of articles. However, the b o o k as a whole seems more concerned with covering certain topics than with how well they are covered, and the result is somewhat a grab bag in terms of quality. This approach is always a problem with books of this nature, but seems especially pronounced here. Readers might be better served by consulting one or two articles that are valuable to them rather than reading the entire book.
Benign Diseases of the Vulva and Vagina, Second Edition. Edited by Herman L. Gardner, M.D., and Raymond H. Kaufman, M.D. Boston: G. K. Hall Medical Publishers, 1981. 534 pages. $59.95, hardcover.
Reviewed by: Frederick A. Gonzalez, M.D., Fellow in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, H a r b o r - U C L A Medical Center, Torrance, California. The authors have written a thorough and comprehensive textbook on the subject
Journal of Nurse-Midwifery • Vol. 27, No. 6, November/December 1982 Copyright © 1982 by the American College of Nurse-Midwives
of benign diseases of the vulva and vagina. Drs. Gardner and Kaufman did most of the writing, but there are contributions by other authors such as Drs. Deter, Franklin, and Malinak. The book is well organized and most of the chapters are quite easy to read. All aspects of diseases of the vulva and vagina are covered in this book. Everything from dermatoses to traumatic lesions are covered in reasonably thorough detail. Some of the information is repeated in different chapters; however, as the authors usually allude to these repetitions, they are not particularly annoying or overwhelming. For example, in the chapter on interpretation of common signs and symptoms, procedures such as the wet mount and its interpretation are thoroughly described. However, this information is repeated in chapters that separately discuss Trichomonas, Candida, and Hemophilus vaginalis vaginitis. It is probably not a bad idea to have some repetition, as many of the procedures and interpretations described are usually done inaccurately in the clinic or office setting. As most of the chapters assume some knowledge in the field, this book is not for the uninitiated. Other c h a p t e r s are somewhat simplistic and incomplete and did not add to my fund of knowledge. However, the majority of the chapters are clearly written and contain pertinent, accurate, and interesting information. Most of the illustrations are quite helpful. The major problem with the diagrams and illustrations is that there are not enough of them. Almost all chapters on embryology that I have read suffer from inadequate diagrams, and this book is no exception. I would also like to see more use of color photographs, especially in chapters such as "Dermatoses of the Vulva." Where the color pictures are used, such as in the chapters on invasive
43 0091-2182/82/060043 + 9502.75