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Reviews of new books
Reviews I Abstracts Edited by LOUIS
M.
HELLMAN, M.D.
Reviews of new books Die zellkemmorphologisch Geschlechtserkennung in Theorie und Praxis. By I-Iermann Adolf Heinz Heidelberg, 1959, Dr. Alfred Hi.ithig. 30 marks. This monograph on sex diagnosis by examination of cell nuclei, after the method of Barr, is very complete in its review of prior work and scientifically impressive in the original contributions by the author. It is divided into sections, the first on review of background, method for body cells, method for leukocytes, findings in animals, and interpretation. The second section deals with the author's own work on fetal tissues, early abortions, tumors, and sexual malformation. It is unfortunate that a difficult style makes it hard even for a reader thoroughly conversant with German to absorb the information which this dissertation has in such great abundance. Still, in view of the relative newness of the subject, this is a useful compendium which points to clinical applications, in addition to giving the present theoretical status of this field. Diseases of the Newborn. By A. .J. Schaffer. 878 pages, 357 figures, 22 tabl es. Philadelphia, 1960, W. B. Saunders Company. $20.00. Despite some exposure to the problems of newborn infants, it was at first a surprise to find that so voluminous a text was required to cover this subject. Schaffer's Diseases of the Newborn is a compendium of 878 pages, well organized and comprehensive. Like all texts, it can present only a selected view of controversial issues and is not altogether free from prejudice. For example, it is amusing that of the many controversies that surround the problem of feeding the premature infant, the author selects only one on which to take a firm stand. This is that low-fat mixtures are superior to those containing a full comple-
mcnt of fat, whereas this reviewer has been exposed for a good many years to the successful usc of formulas containing a relatively high content of vegetabl e oi ls. But this and various others are small points. In the main tlw material is presented authoritatively on the basis of both personal experience and, considering the extensive nature of the text, on an impressively up-to-date coverage of the literature. This text, unlike most modern compendiums, represents the work of a single author. While some special points may suffer from this approach, the author justifiably claims that a text written solely from the point of vi ew of th e pediatrician confronted with the problems of the newborn has the nwrit that initial recognition of the numerous problems best handled hy one more highly spccializ~d must come from one with a broader vi•~w of the neonatal period. We helievr this text has ~n~at merit and will find extensive use. /
Our Obstetric Heritage-Story of Safe Childbirth. By Herbert Th oms, 164 pages, ·.; 19 illustrations. Hamd en, Connecticut, 1960, Shoe String Press. $4. 75. The deep interest in the history of mcdicinr. which Dr. Thoms has shown in previous writings is again evident in this, his lat.-st work. The events which contributed to the present level of safety in childbirth arc presented in detail. The history of the forceps, the development of the cesarean section operation, obstetric anesthesia, and the fascinating story of the conquest of puerpentl sepsis arc included. Dr. Thoms hns also written short biographies of the great teachers of obstetrics, with emphasis on the American teachers, stressing their contributinm to obstetric knowledge and maternal we!fan'. Since technical language and medical details have intentionally been kept to a minimum, the
408
Volume 81 Number· 2
book should have wide appeal for anyone interested in the marvelous discoveries which helped to make childbirth safe.
/
Colposcopie. By Jul es Bret a nd Fernand Coupez. 270 pages, 121 fi gures, 2 color plates. Paris, 1960, Masson et Cie. 45.00 NF. In a concise and lucid style the aut hors of this book deal with their topic in a remarkable manner. Not just a d esc riptive text, it deals with the pathology seen undc1· the colposcope both as a gynecologist and a path ologist mi ght sec it, correlating microscopi c pa thology with colposcopy. Its chief m erit, howe ver, lies in the attempt of the authors to place in t.ime th e several pathologic pictures d esc ribed, relating them to destructive and hea ling processes as well as the development of mali g nancies. No a ttempt in mad e to praise colposcopy in favor of cytology , but rath er to assign to C'ach method its logical p lace in th e _gy necolo_g ist's armamentarium . The illustr;Jtion s ;m ~ of th e hi ghest qn ality and contribute in m a kin g this small opns enj oyable and stimulatin _g. Medical, Surgical and Gynecological Complications of Pregnancy. By th e staff of the M ount Sinai H ospital. f'dited by Alan F. Guttrna ch cr ;111d Jus . .J. R (winsky. 6 19 pa w~ ~, 4-7 fi gm cs, 36 tables. Baltimore, 1960, Williams & Wi lkins Com pany . $1 6.50. This volume is trnl y a va luable snppl ern ent to the sta nd a rd textbook on obstetrics. Th e list of contributors, of which th ere arc 68, include directors of departments, as wel l as fell ows. and represents an intensive conj oin ed effort to _give more comprehensive care to th e obstetrica l patient. Thi s is honw out in th e prdace whcrf' the editors describe th e reorga nizati on nf the obstetrica l outpatiem d e partment into 10 specialty clinics, eac h of which m eets se para tely fr om th e routin e prenatal clinic and each of wh ich is under the direction o f one or more seni or staiT membe rs of the res pective spec ialty. Th ese clini cs are: ca rdia !', pulmr)llary, hypert ensive-renal , diabetic, hematologic, neurologic, psyc hosomatic, obstetric-gynecologic end ocrine, va ginitis, and varicose ve in . The obstetri c-gynecologic resid ents attend th ese specia l cl ini cs, th ereby broadenin g their own training as well as rcOectin g their increased knowl ed ge in improved patient care. That this must be a stimu la tin g organization for
Book reviews
409
the extra obstetric-gynecologic services is the fact that the senior staff physicians who initiated the special clinics continue to direct them several years later. This organization may well be adopted by many other teaching institutions where the directors may be anxious to provide more complete and comprehensive medica l care and to train obstetric-gynecologic residents to have a grea ter scope of all branches of medicine. The book is divid ed into 14 sections. The first 4 are devoted to the card iovascular-renal system, pulmonary system, gastrointestinal system, and eye, ear, nose, and throa t. Surgica l, gynecologic. neuropsychiatric, hematologic problems, end ocrine disord ers, dermatology, syphilis. infections, coll age n disorders, malignancy, and ~en e tic consid erations include the remainder. The fin a I section, on genet ic considerations, with pa rticular reference to radiation, pr<'gnancy and progeny, and congenital abnormalities, is very amply discussed and, as cha racterized throughout the volume, the references are numerous and those before 1950 arc largely ex cluded. This authoritat'ive volume should lll OSt certainly be given a position of easy a ccessibility in 1he library of obstetricians and gynecologists. On the Causation of Varicose Veins and Their Prevention and Arrest by Natural / Means. T. L. Cl eave. :19 pa ges. Baltimore, 1960, Williams & Wilkins Company. $2.50. This refreshinrr littl e book is a companion to one a lread y pl~)lished on coronary disease. ~vfed ical practitioners and die ticians will find an interesting point of view in this evolut ionary study of the reasons why varicose veins have become so common in \Vesternized people. Dr. C leave's contention is that the remarkabl e adapta ti on of all species to thei r natural environment and, in this insta nce, to their eating habits has produced a coloni c c
410
Selected abstracts
The author states that treatment of the causative stasis in the bowel should lie in the restitution of fiber to the food and not in the us c of aperients, and advice is given on how this can be clone by the well-to-do and also by those who are not we ll-to-do. Since nea rly all writers agree that ab out 75 per cent of those who suffer from varicose veins arc wom en, this <:ssay should have consid erabl e interest for the obstetrician and gynecologist. Gynecological Urology. Edit ed by Ahdcl Fattah Youssef. 893 pages, illustrat ed. Springfi eld , 111. , 1960, Charles C Thomas, Publishe r. $22.50. This is one of the most comprehensive wo rk s on the subj ec t of gynecologi c urol ogy yet published. Thirt y-thrcr• contributors a rc rc pr csc nl<~cl, each
February, 19tH Am.
J.
Obst. & Gyncc.
discussing a subj ec t on whi ch he is a t·ccognizcd authority. The topics arc arran ged und e r su c h general headings as "Anatomy Physio logy and Pharmacology," "Ge nit o urinary Fistula e," " Sphincter Incontin ence of Ur ine," " Uro logica l Diseases of Gynecologica l Sig nifi ca nce," '' Effect of Gyn ecological Condition s on the Urinary System ," and ''Th e Ur inary Syste m in Gynecologica l Surge ry. " Seve ral of the coni ributors have prefa ced th e ir thou ghts on th e c urre nt nJ
Selected abstracts The lancet Vol. I, Feb. 27, 1960. t:·Lcwi, S., and Clarke, T. K . : A Hither to Undescribed Phcnonwnon in ABO H em olytic Disease of the N<•wborn, p. '~56 . Lewi and Clarke: A Hitherto Undescribed Phenomenon in ABO Hemolytic Disease of Newborn, p. 4·56. Based on th e observation that erythrocytes suspendnl in an a.gglutinating serum s('clim cnt more quickly than those suspended in a c~mpatibl e serum (Sa nd er, F., and Sander, l\t{. : Ztschr. Immunitiitsforsc h. 95: 268, 1939 ), th e sedim entation rate of erythrocytes obtained from cord blood of infants with ABO hemolytic cliseas<' was studied. Because the sedimentation rate of cord whole blood is alwa ys very low, the blood was centrifuged , th e plasma removed, and the cells washed three times in neutral phospha tebuffered isotoni c sa line solution. The packed red blood cells were finally suspended in a polyvinyl pyrrolidone ( P.V.P.) medium and the sed imentation rate determin ed in Westergren tubes every 5 minutes. The I 0 and f 5 minute readings were of most interest. Of 3,024 co rd blood sampl es, 835 wnc in-
*These articles have bee n abstracted.
compatibl e in th e ABO system with the m o th c t·'s group (chi ldren affr.c tr:d by Rh hemolytic discasf', sti llborn babi es, and childn·n w ho di ed or left the clini c in l<:ss than 3 clays W<'n! excluded ) . Thr~ distribution of incompatibl e children was as foll ows: m oth er 0, child A, :]. JG; mothe r 0, child B, H7; motlwr A, chi ld II or AB, i'Hi ; motlwr B, child A or AB, 12(i instanc
M.
HELLMAN, M.D.
Reviews of new books Die zellkemmorphologisch Geschlechtserkennung in Theorie und Praxis. By I-Iermann Adolf Heinz Heidelberg, 1959, Dr. Alfred Hi.ithig. 30 marks. This monograph on sex diagnosis by examination of cell nuclei, after the method of Barr, is very complete in its review of prior work and scientifically impressive in the original contributions by the author. It is divided into sections, the first on review of background, method for body cells, method for leukocytes, findings in animals, and interpretation. The second section deals with the author's own work on fetal tissues, early abortions, tumors, and sexual malformation. It is unfortunate that a difficult style makes it hard even for a reader thoroughly conversant with German to absorb the information which this dissertation has in such great abundance. Still, in view of the relative newness of the subject, this is a useful compendium which points to clinical applications, in addition to giving the present theoretical status of this field. Diseases of the Newborn. By A. .J. Schaffer. 878 pages, 357 figures, 22 tabl es. Philadelphia, 1960, W. B. Saunders Company. $20.00. Despite some exposure to the problems of newborn infants, it was at first a surprise to find that so voluminous a text was required to cover this subject. Schaffer's Diseases of the Newborn is a compendium of 878 pages, well organized and comprehensive. Like all texts, it can present only a selected view of controversial issues and is not altogether free from prejudice. For example, it is amusing that of the many controversies that surround the problem of feeding the premature infant, the author selects only one on which to take a firm stand. This is that low-fat mixtures are superior to those containing a full comple-
mcnt of fat, whereas this reviewer has been exposed for a good many years to the successful usc of formulas containing a relatively high content of vegetabl e oi ls. But this and various others are small points. In the main tlw material is presented authoritatively on the basis of both personal experience and, considering the extensive nature of the text, on an impressively up-to-date coverage of the literature. This text, unlike most modern compendiums, represents the work of a single author. While some special points may suffer from this approach, the author justifiably claims that a text written solely from the point of vi ew of th e pediatrician confronted with the problems of the newborn has the nwrit that initial recognition of the numerous problems best handled hy one more highly spccializ~d must come from one with a broader vi•~w of the neonatal period. We helievr this text has ~n~at merit and will find extensive use. /
Our Obstetric Heritage-Story of Safe Childbirth. By Herbert Th oms, 164 pages, ·.; 19 illustrations. Hamd en, Connecticut, 1960, Shoe String Press. $4. 75. The deep interest in the history of mcdicinr. which Dr. Thoms has shown in previous writings is again evident in this, his lat.-st work. The events which contributed to the present level of safety in childbirth arc presented in detail. The history of the forceps, the development of the cesarean section operation, obstetric anesthesia, and the fascinating story of the conquest of puerpentl sepsis arc included. Dr. Thoms hns also written short biographies of the great teachers of obstetrics, with emphasis on the American teachers, stressing their contributinm to obstetric knowledge and maternal we!fan'. Since technical language and medical details have intentionally been kept to a minimum, the
408
Volume 81 Number· 2
book should have wide appeal for anyone interested in the marvelous discoveries which helped to make childbirth safe.
/
Colposcopie. By Jul es Bret a nd Fernand Coupez. 270 pages, 121 fi gures, 2 color plates. Paris, 1960, Masson et Cie. 45.00 NF. In a concise and lucid style the aut hors of this book deal with their topic in a remarkable manner. Not just a d esc riptive text, it deals with the pathology seen undc1· the colposcope both as a gynecologist and a path ologist mi ght sec it, correlating microscopi c pa thology with colposcopy. Its chief m erit, howe ver, lies in the attempt of the authors to place in t.ime th e several pathologic pictures d esc ribed, relating them to destructive and hea ling processes as well as the development of mali g nancies. No a ttempt in mad e to praise colposcopy in favor of cytology , but rath er to assign to C'ach method its logical p lace in th e _gy necolo_g ist's armamentarium . The illustr;Jtion s ;m ~ of th e hi ghest qn ality and contribute in m a kin g this small opns enj oyable and stimulatin _g. Medical, Surgical and Gynecological Complications of Pregnancy. By th e staff of the M ount Sinai H ospital. f'dited by Alan F. Guttrna ch cr ;111d Jus . .J. R (winsky. 6 19 pa w~ ~, 4-7 fi gm cs, 36 tables. Baltimore, 1960, Williams & Wi lkins Com pany . $1 6.50. This volume is trnl y a va luable snppl ern ent to the sta nd a rd textbook on obstetrics. Th e list of contributors, of which th ere arc 68, include directors of departments, as wel l as fell ows. and represents an intensive conj oin ed effort to _give more comprehensive care to th e obstetrica l patient. Thi s is honw out in th e prdace whcrf' the editors describe th e reorga nizati on nf the obstetrica l outpatiem d e partment into 10 specialty clinics, eac h of which m eets se para tely fr om th e routin e prenatal clinic and each of wh ich is under the direction o f one or more seni or staiT membe rs of the res pective spec ialty. Th ese clini cs are: ca rdia !', pulmr)llary, hypert ensive-renal , diabetic, hematologic, neurologic, psyc hosomatic, obstetric-gynecologic end ocrine, va ginitis, and varicose ve in . The obstetri c-gynecologic resid ents attend th ese specia l cl ini cs, th ereby broadenin g their own training as well as rcOectin g their increased knowl ed ge in improved patient care. That this must be a stimu la tin g organization for
Book reviews
409
the extra obstetric-gynecologic services is the fact that the senior staff physicians who initiated the special clinics continue to direct them several years later. This organization may well be adopted by many other teaching institutions where the directors may be anxious to provide more complete and comprehensive medica l care and to train obstetric-gynecologic residents to have a grea ter scope of all branches of medicine. The book is divid ed into 14 sections. The first 4 are devoted to the card iovascular-renal system, pulmonary system, gastrointestinal system, and eye, ear, nose, and throa t. Surgica l, gynecologic. neuropsychiatric, hematologic problems, end ocrine disord ers, dermatology, syphilis. infections, coll age n disorders, malignancy, and ~en e tic consid erations include the remainder. The fin a I section, on genet ic considerations, with pa rticular reference to radiation, pr<'gnancy and progeny, and congenital abnormalities, is very amply discussed and, as cha racterized throughout the volume, the references are numerous and those before 1950 arc largely ex cluded. This authoritat'ive volume should lll OSt certainly be given a position of easy a ccessibility in 1he library of obstetricians and gynecologists. On the Causation of Varicose Veins and Their Prevention and Arrest by Natural / Means. T. L. Cl eave. :19 pa ges. Baltimore, 1960, Williams & Wilkins Company. $2.50. This refreshinrr littl e book is a companion to one a lread y pl~)lished on coronary disease. ~vfed ical practitioners and die ticians will find an interesting point of view in this evolut ionary study of the reasons why varicose veins have become so common in \Vesternized people. Dr. C leave's contention is that the remarkabl e adapta ti on of all species to thei r natural environment and, in this insta nce, to their eating habits has produced a coloni c c
410
Selected abstracts
The author states that treatment of the causative stasis in the bowel should lie in the restitution of fiber to the food and not in the us c of aperients, and advice is given on how this can be clone by the well-to-do and also by those who are not we ll-to-do. Since nea rly all writers agree that ab out 75 per cent of those who suffer from varicose veins arc wom en, this <:ssay should have consid erabl e interest for the obstetrician and gynecologist. Gynecological Urology. Edit ed by Ahdcl Fattah Youssef. 893 pages, illustrat ed. Springfi eld , 111. , 1960, Charles C Thomas, Publishe r. $22.50. This is one of the most comprehensive wo rk s on the subj ec t of gynecologi c urol ogy yet published. Thirt y-thrcr• contributors a rc rc pr csc nl<~cl, each
February, 19tH Am.
J.
Obst. & Gyncc.
discussing a subj ec t on whi ch he is a t·ccognizcd authority. The topics arc arran ged und e r su c h general headings as "Anatomy Physio logy and Pharmacology," "Ge nit o urinary Fistula e," " Sphincter Incontin ence of Ur ine," " Uro logica l Diseases of Gynecologica l Sig nifi ca nce," '' Effect of Gyn ecological Condition s on the Urinary System ," and ''Th e Ur inary Syste m in Gynecologica l Surge ry. " Seve ral of the coni ributors have prefa ced th e ir thou ghts on th e c urre nt nJ
Selected abstracts The lancet Vol. I, Feb. 27, 1960. t:·Lcwi, S., and Clarke, T. K . : A Hither to Undescribed Phcnonwnon in ABO H em olytic Disease of the N<•wborn, p. '~56 . Lewi and Clarke: A Hitherto Undescribed Phenomenon in ABO Hemolytic Disease of Newborn, p. 4·56. Based on th e observation that erythrocytes suspendnl in an a.gglutinating serum s('clim cnt more quickly than those suspended in a c~mpatibl e serum (Sa nd er, F., and Sander, l\t{. : Ztschr. Immunitiitsforsc h. 95: 268, 1939 ), th e sedim entation rate of erythrocytes obtained from cord blood of infants with ABO hemolytic cliseas<' was studied. Because the sedimentation rate of cord whole blood is alwa ys very low, the blood was centrifuged , th e plasma removed, and the cells washed three times in neutral phospha tebuffered isotoni c sa line solution. The packed red blood cells were finally suspended in a polyvinyl pyrrolidone ( P.V.P.) medium and the sed imentation rate determin ed in Westergren tubes every 5 minutes. The I 0 and f 5 minute readings were of most interest. Of 3,024 co rd blood sampl es, 835 wnc in-
*These articles have bee n abstracted.
compatibl e in th e ABO system with the m o th c t·'s group (chi ldren affr.c tr:d by Rh hemolytic discasf', sti llborn babi es, and childn·n w ho di ed or left the clini c in l<:ss than 3 clays W<'n! excluded ) . Thr~ distribution of incompatibl e children was as foll ows: m oth er 0, child A, :]. JG; mothe r 0, child B, H7; motlwr A, chi ld II or AB, i'Hi ; motlwr B, child A or AB, 12(i instanc