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System of Ophthalmology: The Foundations of Ophthalmology. Volume VII
BOOK REVIEWS in man. A measure of the detail with which this subject is covered is that within the first 10 pages one finds two units of measure ment completely new to the reviewer. These are the troiano and the cadela. (Anyone who can define these is excused from class. He has no great need for these books.) This section is continued by another Oxonian physiologist, F. H. C. Marriott who dis cusses the various aspects of color vision. Even the recent amazing experiments of Land are evaluated. The author feels that Land's results can be explained on the basis of simultaneous contrast and a "correcting" effect of natural objects by the observer. Part II of this volume concerns the photobiology of vision and is written by H. J. A. Dartnall, the author of The Visual Pig ments. A useful appendix to this section gives the absorption characteristics of the retinenes of a wide variety of vertebrates and of a few invertebrates. The final section of this volume is on the visual pathway and is written by the father of the ERG, Ragner Granit. Volume III on muscular mechanisms might be called the American contribution to this series. All sections of the country are represented, with the Midwest contrib uting the major portion. (Might one say, properly?) Its standard-bearer is Mathew Alpern of the University of Michigan who has written eight of the 10 chapters in this volume, seven on the physiology and path ology of ocular movements and one on ac commodation. He has presented this ab struse subject in an intelligible and readable manner. The contribution from the East is a chapter on the pupil by the world's author ities on this organ: Lowenstein and Loewenfeld of Columbia University, and from the University of California, comes the final chapter on secretion of tears and blinking. This section is written by William McEwen and contains much interesting material, for example, "in a blink of an eye" is 0.2 sec ond. The author does not give a figure for "quick as a wink" but it should be of the
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same order of time unless voluntarily slowed for some nefarious purpose. Volume IV concerns itself with the whole field of optics which it considers under two major headings. Visual optics, including geometric and physiologic optics, is pre sented by A. G. Bennett and J. L. Francis of the London Refraction Hospital (an in teresting sounding institution which might well be copied here. One could easily fill a hospital with patients sick of their glasses and ophthalmologists sick of patients who are sick of their glasses.) The second major division is on the optical space sense or psychologic optics and is presented by Ken neth Ogle of the Mayo Clinic. As might be expected, the treatment of section one is largely mathematical, yet the authors de velop their equations gradually so that even the clinical ophthalmologist, years away from his optical training, can follow the deriva tions and diagrams with ease. In section two, Ogle has expanded his thoughtful and original concepts which appeared in his book Researches in Binocular Vision by presenting data he has accumulated in the 10 years or so since its publication. All in all this is a fitting conclusion to a massive undertaking. The total pagination comes to almost 2,000 and the authoritativeness of the various authors ensures that this series will be the standard textbook of oc ular physiology for some years. David Shoch. SYSTEM OF OPHTHALMOLOGY : T H E FOUN DATIONS OF OPHTHALMOLOGY.
VOLUME
VII. (Guess who is editor.) St. Louis, C. V. Mosby Company, 1962. 798 pages, 471 figures, 10 color plates, appendix, index. Price: $30.00. The third volume of the projected System contains sections on heredity and general pathology, diagnostic methods and thera peutics. "Incidentally," said Sir Stewart, "it may seem strange that this volume, the seventh in the series, is brought out before
662
BOOK REVIEWS
some of its predecessors ; the reason is that it would appear that the greatest need is for the rewriting of the clinical sections of my Text-Books which have long been out of print, and this volume should logically pre cede them." The sections on heredity and therapeutics have been written by the master himself. As one might foresee, they are superb and, in rapidly changing fields, remarkably up to date. The Section on Pathology has been re vised by Norman Ashton, professor of pathology, University of London, and Di rector of the Department of Pathology, Institute of Ophthalmology. Sir Stewart has had a hand in the preparation of this sec tion, too, of course. The approach is along the lines of general pathology and its rela tionship to ocular disease. It is particularly important here, for the average ophthal mologist may not otherwise be informed on the pathology of systemic diseases that are pertinent to his field. Section III, clinical methods of examina tion, by the boss in association with Red mond J. H. Smith, consulting surgeon, Moorfields, etc., embraces everything having to do with the techniques of ocular exami nations, except for those pertaining to the adnexa, ocular motility, refraction and radiology. Those subjects will be dealt with in the future volumes in their proper places. Section IV, ocular therapeutics by Sir Stewart, and a subsection on radiotherapy by M. Lederman, consulting radiotherapist, Moorfields, etc., is terrific. The basic knowledge to be found in Vol ume VII is truly a firm foundation on which to build the clinical sections that are to follow. Haven't you obtained your copy of Vol ume VII yet? If not, better hurry. Derrick Vail.
STEREOSCOPIC MANUAL OF GONIOSCOPY. By
Robert N. Shaffer, M.D., F.A.C.S. St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1962. Hard-cover, 97-page manual with 41 figures, 56 stereophotographs in color keyed to labeled drawings in the text and including a com pact View-Master for stereoscopic visual ization of enclosed photographs. Price: $26.50. This is another lucid contribution of one of ophthalmology's great teachers of this era. The subject is gonioscopy which is dealt with thoroughly, yet concisely. The equip ment for and technique of performing di rect and indirect gonioscopy are discussed. Gonioscopic anatomy is reviewed and a workable system of angle classification pre sented. Somewhat over half of the manual deals with actual case histories, with labeled draw ings in the text corresponding to the stereophotographs which have been neatly pack aged inside the front cover. The photographs can be viewed with a collapsible plastic stereo View-Master packaged inside the back cover. These beautiful pictures, all taken with the Donaldson camera, have been carefully selected from a large file at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Hospital. They depict the chamber angle in its variations in angleclosure and open-angle glaucoma. There are also cases of many types of glaucoma syn dromes including Axenfeld syndrome, glau coma capsulare, pigmentary glaucoma, aniridia and many others. Other cases are pre sented to illustrate the effect or complica tions of such glaucoma operations as goniotomy, cyclodialysis and iridectomy. This text deserves the careful study of anyone engaged in the clinical practice of ophthalmology. As the author states in his preface, "Gonioscopy can be considered in dispensable in diagnosis, treatment and un derstanding of the glaucomas." Taylor Asbury.
661
same order of time unless voluntarily slowed for some nefarious purpose. Volume IV concerns itself with the whole field of optics which it considers under two major headings. Visual optics, including geometric and physiologic optics, is pre sented by A. G. Bennett and J. L. Francis of the London Refraction Hospital (an in teresting sounding institution which might well be copied here. One could easily fill a hospital with patients sick of their glasses and ophthalmologists sick of patients who are sick of their glasses.) The second major division is on the optical space sense or psychologic optics and is presented by Ken neth Ogle of the Mayo Clinic. As might be expected, the treatment of section one is largely mathematical, yet the authors de velop their equations gradually so that even the clinical ophthalmologist, years away from his optical training, can follow the deriva tions and diagrams with ease. In section two, Ogle has expanded his thoughtful and original concepts which appeared in his book Researches in Binocular Vision by presenting data he has accumulated in the 10 years or so since its publication. All in all this is a fitting conclusion to a massive undertaking. The total pagination comes to almost 2,000 and the authoritativeness of the various authors ensures that this series will be the standard textbook of oc ular physiology for some years. David Shoch. SYSTEM OF OPHTHALMOLOGY : T H E FOUN DATIONS OF OPHTHALMOLOGY.
VOLUME
VII. (Guess who is editor.) St. Louis, C. V. Mosby Company, 1962. 798 pages, 471 figures, 10 color plates, appendix, index. Price: $30.00. The third volume of the projected System contains sections on heredity and general pathology, diagnostic methods and thera peutics. "Incidentally," said Sir Stewart, "it may seem strange that this volume, the seventh in the series, is brought out before
662
BOOK REVIEWS
some of its predecessors ; the reason is that it would appear that the greatest need is for the rewriting of the clinical sections of my Text-Books which have long been out of print, and this volume should logically pre cede them." The sections on heredity and therapeutics have been written by the master himself. As one might foresee, they are superb and, in rapidly changing fields, remarkably up to date. The Section on Pathology has been re vised by Norman Ashton, professor of pathology, University of London, and Di rector of the Department of Pathology, Institute of Ophthalmology. Sir Stewart has had a hand in the preparation of this sec tion, too, of course. The approach is along the lines of general pathology and its rela tionship to ocular disease. It is particularly important here, for the average ophthal mologist may not otherwise be informed on the pathology of systemic diseases that are pertinent to his field. Section III, clinical methods of examina tion, by the boss in association with Red mond J. H. Smith, consulting surgeon, Moorfields, etc., embraces everything having to do with the techniques of ocular exami nations, except for those pertaining to the adnexa, ocular motility, refraction and radiology. Those subjects will be dealt with in the future volumes in their proper places. Section IV, ocular therapeutics by Sir Stewart, and a subsection on radiotherapy by M. Lederman, consulting radiotherapist, Moorfields, etc., is terrific. The basic knowledge to be found in Vol ume VII is truly a firm foundation on which to build the clinical sections that are to follow. Haven't you obtained your copy of Vol ume VII yet? If not, better hurry. Derrick Vail.
STEREOSCOPIC MANUAL OF GONIOSCOPY. By
Robert N. Shaffer, M.D., F.A.C.S. St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1962. Hard-cover, 97-page manual with 41 figures, 56 stereophotographs in color keyed to labeled drawings in the text and including a com pact View-Master for stereoscopic visual ization of enclosed photographs. Price: $26.50. This is another lucid contribution of one of ophthalmology's great teachers of this era. The subject is gonioscopy which is dealt with thoroughly, yet concisely. The equip ment for and technique of performing di rect and indirect gonioscopy are discussed. Gonioscopic anatomy is reviewed and a workable system of angle classification pre sented. Somewhat over half of the manual deals with actual case histories, with labeled draw ings in the text corresponding to the stereophotographs which have been neatly pack aged inside the front cover. The photographs can be viewed with a collapsible plastic stereo View-Master packaged inside the back cover. These beautiful pictures, all taken with the Donaldson camera, have been carefully selected from a large file at the Department of Ophthalmology, University of California Hospital. They depict the chamber angle in its variations in angleclosure and open-angle glaucoma. There are also cases of many types of glaucoma syn dromes including Axenfeld syndrome, glau coma capsulare, pigmentary glaucoma, aniridia and many others. Other cases are pre sented to illustrate the effect or complica tions of such glaucoma operations as goniotomy, cyclodialysis and iridectomy. This text deserves the careful study of anyone engaged in the clinical practice of ophthalmology. As the author states in his preface, "Gonioscopy can be considered in dispensable in diagnosis, treatment and un derstanding of the glaucomas." Taylor Asbury.