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Textbook of Endocrine Surgery
102
Mayo Clin Proc, January 1998, Vol 73
BOOK REVIEWS
Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapeutics, edited by William H. Frishman and Edmund H. Sonnenblick, 1,722 pp, with illus, $85, New York, McGraw-Hill (telephone: 800-722-4726), 1996, ISBN 0-07-022481-1 Type oj Book: A multiauthored (138 contributors) teaching textbook edited by two well-recognized experts in cardiovascular pharmacology. Scope ofBook: This text provides an exhaustive review of cardiovascular clinical pathophysiology , associated therapeutic pharmacology, and pertinent cardiovascular drug trials. Contents: This superbly organized book offers an exceptionally indepth and lucid discussion of all classes of drugs with established cardiovascular efficacy and new classes of drugs currently being developed. Individual chapters are devoted to the clinical pharmacotherapeutic approach to a multitude of cardiovascular diseases. The text is supplemented by a myriad of tables and figures that greatly facilitate review of all aspects of cardiovascular pharmacotherapeutics, ranging from cellular biochemistry and pathophysiologic mechanisms to summaries of cutting-edge drug trials. Throughout the book, a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the literature admirably interfaces cardiovascular pharmacology with practical clinical applications in all aspects of cardiovascular disease. Strengths: This monumental, all-encompassing text correlates detailed information on cardiovascular pharmacotherapeutics with innumerable insightful applications to the practice of cardiovascular medicine. Deficiencies: A few of the diagrams are difficult to read, but this is a minor shortcoming in a tome of this magnitude. Recommended Readership: This book belongs in the personal libraries of all cardiologists and physicians who routinely treat patients with cardiovascular disease. It is an outstanding reference source for all medical libraries. Overall Grading:
*****
William K. Freeman, M.D., Division oj Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota Textbook of Endocrine Surgery, edited by arlo H. Clark and Quan-Yang Duh, 688 pp, with illus, $145, Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company (telephone: 800-545-2522), 1997, ISBN 07216-5882-2 Type oj Book: A comprehensive multiauthored textbook on the science and art of modem-day surgical endocrinology . Scope ojBook: This all-inclusive book addresses the evaluation, diagnosis, and surgical management of disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands and the endocrine pancreas. Contents: The book is divided into four sections. Section 1Thyroid (33 chapters, 274 pages) begins with a thorough review of the pertinent physiology, anatomy, and embryology, followed by a discussion of goiter, thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism. The rest of the section is primarily devoted to thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, thyroidectomy, and thyroid
oncogenesis. Section II-Parathyroid (23 chapters, 170 pages), Section III-Adrenal (12 chapters, 100 pages), and Section IVPancreas (13 chapters, 120 pages) follow a similar format, with emphasis on the pathogenesis , evaluation , and treatment of endocrine neoplasms. Strengths: The editors assembled a group of highly respected experts from around the world. The chapters are, for the most part, surprisingly current in view of the usual limitations of medical textbooks. The emphasis is on providing a thorough understanding of the biologic basis for endocrine disorders at the molecular, cellular, whole-organ, and organism levels, knowledge that makes endocrine surgeons much more than just technicians capable of performing various procedures. The complex interactions of the endocrine glands, with each other and with the human organism as a whole, are explored . The importance of cost-effective evaluation and management; timely, safe, and effective surgical and nonsurgical intervention; and adjunctive types of treatment are given appropriate emphasis, as are areas of controversy and new investigational treatments. Deficiencies: Although some variability in clarity is evident among the presentations, it is of minor importance. I found no major deficiencies. Recommended Readership: This book is a "must" for endocrine surgeons, surgical residents, and endocrinologists alike. Overall Grading:
*****
Geoffrey B. Thompson, M.D., Department ofSurgery, Mayo Clinic Rochester , Rochester , Minnesota Computerizing Large Integrated Health Networks: The VA Success (Computers in Health Care series), edited by Robert M. Kolodner, 515 pp, with illus, $59, New York, Springer-Verlag (telephone: 800-777-4643),1997, ISBN 0-387-94837-6 Type ojBook: A comprehensive review of a large-scale computerization effort undertaken by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Scope oj Book: Focusing on the efforts of the VA to create a workable health information system, this book provides a detailed description of the many successes and trials experienced in this endeavor during the past several decades. Contents: The book offers an insightful review of many of the most difficult problems encountered by the medical informatics community. The establishment and success of the decentralized hospital computer system (DHCP) are thoroughly discussed, with emphasis on the historical evolution of the system, its interface to external medical informatics resources, and the "clinical user community." Each single-authored chapter addresses a particular area of the VA development effort. This format facilitates in-depth discussions of the key issues, successes, and pitfalls associated with the dissemination of a large, multi-institutional system such as the DHCP. The final chapters speculate about the future of informatics within the VA. Strengths: The intelligent, well-written accounts of the complexity and methods underlying the installation of the DRCP provide valuable insights for avoidance of the pitfalls encountered by pioneers
For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Mayo Clin Proc, January 1998, Vol 73
BOOK REVIEWS
Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapeutics, edited by William H. Frishman and Edmund H. Sonnenblick, 1,722 pp, with illus, $85, New York, McGraw-Hill (telephone: 800-722-4726), 1996, ISBN 0-07-022481-1 Type oj Book: A multiauthored (138 contributors) teaching textbook edited by two well-recognized experts in cardiovascular pharmacology. Scope ofBook: This text provides an exhaustive review of cardiovascular clinical pathophysiology , associated therapeutic pharmacology, and pertinent cardiovascular drug trials. Contents: This superbly organized book offers an exceptionally indepth and lucid discussion of all classes of drugs with established cardiovascular efficacy and new classes of drugs currently being developed. Individual chapters are devoted to the clinical pharmacotherapeutic approach to a multitude of cardiovascular diseases. The text is supplemented by a myriad of tables and figures that greatly facilitate review of all aspects of cardiovascular pharmacotherapeutics, ranging from cellular biochemistry and pathophysiologic mechanisms to summaries of cutting-edge drug trials. Throughout the book, a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the literature admirably interfaces cardiovascular pharmacology with practical clinical applications in all aspects of cardiovascular disease. Strengths: This monumental, all-encompassing text correlates detailed information on cardiovascular pharmacotherapeutics with innumerable insightful applications to the practice of cardiovascular medicine. Deficiencies: A few of the diagrams are difficult to read, but this is a minor shortcoming in a tome of this magnitude. Recommended Readership: This book belongs in the personal libraries of all cardiologists and physicians who routinely treat patients with cardiovascular disease. It is an outstanding reference source for all medical libraries. Overall Grading:
*****
William K. Freeman, M.D., Division oj Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minnesota Textbook of Endocrine Surgery, edited by arlo H. Clark and Quan-Yang Duh, 688 pp, with illus, $145, Philadelphia, W. B. Saunders Company (telephone: 800-545-2522), 1997, ISBN 07216-5882-2 Type oj Book: A comprehensive multiauthored textbook on the science and art of modem-day surgical endocrinology . Scope ojBook: This all-inclusive book addresses the evaluation, diagnosis, and surgical management of disorders of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands and the endocrine pancreas. Contents: The book is divided into four sections. Section 1Thyroid (33 chapters, 274 pages) begins with a thorough review of the pertinent physiology, anatomy, and embryology, followed by a discussion of goiter, thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism. The rest of the section is primarily devoted to thyroid nodules, thyroid cancer, thyroidectomy, and thyroid
oncogenesis. Section II-Parathyroid (23 chapters, 170 pages), Section III-Adrenal (12 chapters, 100 pages), and Section IVPancreas (13 chapters, 120 pages) follow a similar format, with emphasis on the pathogenesis , evaluation , and treatment of endocrine neoplasms. Strengths: The editors assembled a group of highly respected experts from around the world. The chapters are, for the most part, surprisingly current in view of the usual limitations of medical textbooks. The emphasis is on providing a thorough understanding of the biologic basis for endocrine disorders at the molecular, cellular, whole-organ, and organism levels, knowledge that makes endocrine surgeons much more than just technicians capable of performing various procedures. The complex interactions of the endocrine glands, with each other and with the human organism as a whole, are explored . The importance of cost-effective evaluation and management; timely, safe, and effective surgical and nonsurgical intervention; and adjunctive types of treatment are given appropriate emphasis, as are areas of controversy and new investigational treatments. Deficiencies: Although some variability in clarity is evident among the presentations, it is of minor importance. I found no major deficiencies. Recommended Readership: This book is a "must" for endocrine surgeons, surgical residents, and endocrinologists alike. Overall Grading:
*****
Geoffrey B. Thompson, M.D., Department ofSurgery, Mayo Clinic Rochester , Rochester , Minnesota Computerizing Large Integrated Health Networks: The VA Success (Computers in Health Care series), edited by Robert M. Kolodner, 515 pp, with illus, $59, New York, Springer-Verlag (telephone: 800-777-4643),1997, ISBN 0-387-94837-6 Type ojBook: A comprehensive review of a large-scale computerization effort undertaken by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Scope oj Book: Focusing on the efforts of the VA to create a workable health information system, this book provides a detailed description of the many successes and trials experienced in this endeavor during the past several decades. Contents: The book offers an insightful review of many of the most difficult problems encountered by the medical informatics community. The establishment and success of the decentralized hospital computer system (DHCP) are thoroughly discussed, with emphasis on the historical evolution of the system, its interface to external medical informatics resources, and the "clinical user community." Each single-authored chapter addresses a particular area of the VA development effort. This format facilitates in-depth discussions of the key issues, successes, and pitfalls associated with the dissemination of a large, multi-institutional system such as the DHCP. The final chapters speculate about the future of informatics within the VA. Strengths: The intelligent, well-written accounts of the complexity and methods underlying the installation of the DRCP provide valuable insights for avoidance of the pitfalls encountered by pioneers
For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.