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Small animal anaesthesia: the increased risk patient
Br. vet,j (1992) . 148, 8 6
BOOK REVIEWS Diseases of Sheep, 2nd edn Edited by W . B . Martin & I . D . Aitken Oxford : Blackwell Scientific Publications . 1990 . 418 pp . £59 .50 (hard) The first edition of the 'Moredun Sheep Book' has lived on my desk since it was published in 1983, ready to hand for reading and re-reading whenever I had a few spare minutes and to consult rapidly whenever I had a tricky question on the phone! It served me well-but had many (planned) gaps and also was becoming dated . The second edition has met both problems . It is very much more extensive-a comparison of chapter headings and authors in the two editions is striking in the differences rather than the similarities . It is still arranged in major sections, 13 in all, one of which consists of appendices giving normal haematological and chemical values, but the chapters into which the sections are divided number 80, compared with 54 in the first edition . The former Director of the Moredun Institute, Dr Bill Martin, the sole editor of the first edition, is joined by the present Director, Dr Ian Aitken, and including them, over 50 chapters are contributed, at least in part, by present staff of the Institute . If one includes those who have been on the staff in the past, it is indeed the 'Moredun Sheep Book' and its quality indicates the wide influence which the Animal Diseases Research Association has had on the study of sheep health . After a section on the perinatal period, the diseases of the major body systems are covered, culminating in new sections on zoonoses, anaesthesia and surgery and on necropsy and sampling techniques . Each disease is dealt with systematically under clearly headed paragraphs usually giving the cause, clinical signs, pathology, diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment and control, and ending with selected references . There is thus an excellent scientific basis to the understanding of each disease and, in my view, the practical application for the clinician is greater in the second edition .
Each chapter is updated and most have references as late as 1989 or 1990, though I did find one in which the latest reference was 1981! So the new edition has already displaced the old in its permanent position on my desk and any veterinary surgeon who is seriously interested in sheep will need this book . The only deterrent is likely to be the price-almost £60 seems rather steep! Perhaps the publishers could be persuaded to produce a cheaper paperback version, especially since the sheep industry is going through a difficult time! M . J . CIARKSON
Small Animal Anaesthesia: the Increased Risk Patient Edited by P . C . G . Bedford London : Baillière Tindall . 1991 . 246 pp . £14 .50 (paper) Any editor of a book should ask whether a contribution is original, scientifically acceptable, clinically important and suitable for a specialist book? The contributions in this textbook of veterinary anaesthesia fail to meet these criteria probably because the editor is a veterinary ophthalmologist . It is claimed that this book deals with `non-routine' anaesthesia of companion animals with specific disease problems but, as any anaesthetist recognizes, `routine' procedures have no place in modern anaesthetic practice . The subject matter has been compiled from articles in the British Veterinary journal and uncritical editing has allowed much repetition and statement of the obvious . It is extremely difficult to know for whom the book is intended . It is too congested for busy veterinary practitioners, too out-of-date for present day undergraduate veterinary students and far too out-of-date for those reading for higher qualifications in veterinary anaesthesia . To give only a few examples, the a2-adrenoceptor agonists and propofol are not mentioned, Sl units are conspicuous by their absence and blood gas tensions are given in mmHg with no equivalent in kPa . Drugs such as oxymorphone are
BOOK REVIEWS
discussed though not freely available in the UK . Many would dispute the argued increased effectiveness and relative safety of isoflurane compared with halothane in a variety of situations . Why are signs of intracranial neoplasia included in an anaesthetics textbook? Surely these are the province of the neurologist or neurosurgeon and the anaesthetist is concerned solely with the anaesthetic management of patients in such a manner as not to confuse the neurological signs? The discussion of neuromuscular transmission is very oversimplified for those with any inclination to specialize in veterinary anaesthesia, and is barely adequate for veterinary undergraduates . Is there really any point in stating that cardiopulmonary resuscitation is effective in restoring circulation for tip to 12 minutes after cardiac arrest (page 107) when it is admitted that only 53% of the animals in an experimental study survived more than 96 hours and that in the majority of survivors, impairment of the function of the central nervous system was evident? Simple restoration of the circulation is not equivalent to successful resuscitation . This book is inexpensive but this is one of the very few claims that can be made in its favour . For very many more reasons than those mentioned in this review I cannot recommend its purchase . I . . W . H :u i . Microbiolocy of Animals and Animal Products . World of Animal Science Series A, Volume 6 Edited byJ . B . Woolcock Amsterdam : Elsevier Science Publishers . 1991 . 278 pp . Dfl . 275 .00/US S157 .25 This is a microbiological text that differs from the conventional . The publishers and editor are to be congratulated on producing an authoritative volume that encompasses widely differing aspects of the relationship between microbes and animals and animal products . The volume is one of a series which is attempting `to collect and integrate existing knowledge in Animal Science in its widest sense' ; this specific volume takes a broad view of animal microbiology which is not confined to `looking at organisms associated with disease' . With such a broad canvas it is not surprising if some sections seem insufficiently focused on the aims and
87
objectives of the book ; this is understandable and it is only a disadvantage where the inclusion of such extraneous material detracts from or reduces relevant information that should have heen included . The book is written in 12 chapters, each contributed by an expert acknowledged in his field . The chapter headings indicate the scope of the book : microbial ecology of the intestinal tract and body surfaces ; microbes in digestion ; microbial interactions; environment in health and disease ; pathogenic mechanisms ; immunity; epidemiology; antibiotics in production ; animal production and human health ; utilization of animal waste and microbes in meat processing . It is apparent that not all sections will appeal to all microbiologists ; sometimes, however, even the most unlikely sections will introduce concepts that are relevant, although not necessarily immediately obviously so, and this proves stimulating and informative . Traditional microbiologists concentrating on pathogens, for example, will find material not incorporated in most texts on the microbial dynamics of effluent. Such an exposure of the field of animal microbiology to a wider audience cannot help but stimulate interest and exploration of the less popular areas of the science . The information included covers a wide range of subjects and sometimes the treatment is superficial . This is unavoidable ; in areas, however, the uninformed reader may find it difficult to obtain a balanced view of the subject because the treatment has heen cursory. In most aspects the book fulfils the editor's objectives in providing a series of overviews of the subjects well supplemented with a comprehensive bibliography. New concepts take time to develop and the form of this book could be enhanced in the future by more clearly concentrating on defined objectives, elminating text which merely list features or incorporating these in tables, and concentrating on the mechanisms and principles involved in the colonization of animals and their products by microbes . This said, the editor and his team of authors are to be complimented on their approach and the final product ; altogether it is a useful text better used as an introduction to an unfamiliar area than as the authoritative source . G . H . K.
BOOK REVIEWS Diseases of Sheep, 2nd edn Edited by W . B . Martin & I . D . Aitken Oxford : Blackwell Scientific Publications . 1990 . 418 pp . £59 .50 (hard) The first edition of the 'Moredun Sheep Book' has lived on my desk since it was published in 1983, ready to hand for reading and re-reading whenever I had a few spare minutes and to consult rapidly whenever I had a tricky question on the phone! It served me well-but had many (planned) gaps and also was becoming dated . The second edition has met both problems . It is very much more extensive-a comparison of chapter headings and authors in the two editions is striking in the differences rather than the similarities . It is still arranged in major sections, 13 in all, one of which consists of appendices giving normal haematological and chemical values, but the chapters into which the sections are divided number 80, compared with 54 in the first edition . The former Director of the Moredun Institute, Dr Bill Martin, the sole editor of the first edition, is joined by the present Director, Dr Ian Aitken, and including them, over 50 chapters are contributed, at least in part, by present staff of the Institute . If one includes those who have been on the staff in the past, it is indeed the 'Moredun Sheep Book' and its quality indicates the wide influence which the Animal Diseases Research Association has had on the study of sheep health . After a section on the perinatal period, the diseases of the major body systems are covered, culminating in new sections on zoonoses, anaesthesia and surgery and on necropsy and sampling techniques . Each disease is dealt with systematically under clearly headed paragraphs usually giving the cause, clinical signs, pathology, diagnosis, epidemiology and treatment and control, and ending with selected references . There is thus an excellent scientific basis to the understanding of each disease and, in my view, the practical application for the clinician is greater in the second edition .
Each chapter is updated and most have references as late as 1989 or 1990, though I did find one in which the latest reference was 1981! So the new edition has already displaced the old in its permanent position on my desk and any veterinary surgeon who is seriously interested in sheep will need this book . The only deterrent is likely to be the price-almost £60 seems rather steep! Perhaps the publishers could be persuaded to produce a cheaper paperback version, especially since the sheep industry is going through a difficult time! M . J . CIARKSON
Small Animal Anaesthesia: the Increased Risk Patient Edited by P . C . G . Bedford London : Baillière Tindall . 1991 . 246 pp . £14 .50 (paper) Any editor of a book should ask whether a contribution is original, scientifically acceptable, clinically important and suitable for a specialist book? The contributions in this textbook of veterinary anaesthesia fail to meet these criteria probably because the editor is a veterinary ophthalmologist . It is claimed that this book deals with `non-routine' anaesthesia of companion animals with specific disease problems but, as any anaesthetist recognizes, `routine' procedures have no place in modern anaesthetic practice . The subject matter has been compiled from articles in the British Veterinary journal and uncritical editing has allowed much repetition and statement of the obvious . It is extremely difficult to know for whom the book is intended . It is too congested for busy veterinary practitioners, too out-of-date for present day undergraduate veterinary students and far too out-of-date for those reading for higher qualifications in veterinary anaesthesia . To give only a few examples, the a2-adrenoceptor agonists and propofol are not mentioned, Sl units are conspicuous by their absence and blood gas tensions are given in mmHg with no equivalent in kPa . Drugs such as oxymorphone are
BOOK REVIEWS
discussed though not freely available in the UK . Many would dispute the argued increased effectiveness and relative safety of isoflurane compared with halothane in a variety of situations . Why are signs of intracranial neoplasia included in an anaesthetics textbook? Surely these are the province of the neurologist or neurosurgeon and the anaesthetist is concerned solely with the anaesthetic management of patients in such a manner as not to confuse the neurological signs? The discussion of neuromuscular transmission is very oversimplified for those with any inclination to specialize in veterinary anaesthesia, and is barely adequate for veterinary undergraduates . Is there really any point in stating that cardiopulmonary resuscitation is effective in restoring circulation for tip to 12 minutes after cardiac arrest (page 107) when it is admitted that only 53% of the animals in an experimental study survived more than 96 hours and that in the majority of survivors, impairment of the function of the central nervous system was evident? Simple restoration of the circulation is not equivalent to successful resuscitation . This book is inexpensive but this is one of the very few claims that can be made in its favour . For very many more reasons than those mentioned in this review I cannot recommend its purchase . I . . W . H :u i . Microbiolocy of Animals and Animal Products . World of Animal Science Series A, Volume 6 Edited byJ . B . Woolcock Amsterdam : Elsevier Science Publishers . 1991 . 278 pp . Dfl . 275 .00/US S157 .25 This is a microbiological text that differs from the conventional . The publishers and editor are to be congratulated on producing an authoritative volume that encompasses widely differing aspects of the relationship between microbes and animals and animal products . The volume is one of a series which is attempting `to collect and integrate existing knowledge in Animal Science in its widest sense' ; this specific volume takes a broad view of animal microbiology which is not confined to `looking at organisms associated with disease' . With such a broad canvas it is not surprising if some sections seem insufficiently focused on the aims and
87
objectives of the book ; this is understandable and it is only a disadvantage where the inclusion of such extraneous material detracts from or reduces relevant information that should have heen included . The book is written in 12 chapters, each contributed by an expert acknowledged in his field . The chapter headings indicate the scope of the book : microbial ecology of the intestinal tract and body surfaces ; microbes in digestion ; microbial interactions; environment in health and disease ; pathogenic mechanisms ; immunity; epidemiology; antibiotics in production ; animal production and human health ; utilization of animal waste and microbes in meat processing . It is apparent that not all sections will appeal to all microbiologists ; sometimes, however, even the most unlikely sections will introduce concepts that are relevant, although not necessarily immediately obviously so, and this proves stimulating and informative . Traditional microbiologists concentrating on pathogens, for example, will find material not incorporated in most texts on the microbial dynamics of effluent. Such an exposure of the field of animal microbiology to a wider audience cannot help but stimulate interest and exploration of the less popular areas of the science . The information included covers a wide range of subjects and sometimes the treatment is superficial . This is unavoidable ; in areas, however, the uninformed reader may find it difficult to obtain a balanced view of the subject because the treatment has heen cursory. In most aspects the book fulfils the editor's objectives in providing a series of overviews of the subjects well supplemented with a comprehensive bibliography. New concepts take time to develop and the form of this book could be enhanced in the future by more clearly concentrating on defined objectives, elminating text which merely list features or incorporating these in tables, and concentrating on the mechanisms and principles involved in the colonization of animals and their products by microbes . This said, the editor and his team of authors are to be complimented on their approach and the final product ; altogether it is a useful text better used as an introduction to an unfamiliar area than as the authoritative source . G . H . K.