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The dictionary of modern medicine
703 ‘dual infection’ epidemic), and several technical appendices. It is intended for developing countries and is a model of clear presentation, enlivened with illustrative cases, line diagrams, and algorithms for management. To air one’s personal interest-for I do not wish to comment on, say, the details of drug dosages laid out here-the section on HIV/TB is unto-date, and includes the warning on severe reactions w&h thiacetazone (which should really disappear from the armamentarium in areas where HIV is prevalent, if not evervwhere). It also makes the point that the general care, medical treatment, and counselling of HIV-infected natients are indivisible: an increasing-mtmber of HIV poiitive patients is first identified in TB centres. Finally, reading the section on TB in children reminds one how difficult its true diagnosis can be in the young, using the classical methods. It’s time for new investigative strategies to be thought up and tested. S. B. Lucas Medicine in the Tropics: Practical Epidemiology. D. J. P. Barker and A. J. Hall. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1991. 176 pp. Price c7.95. ISBN 0-443-037876. For almost 2 decades, this book has been a valuable introductory text to epidemiology for both undergraduates and postgraduates in a developing country context. Within its small size it sets out most of the important principles in a clear and interesting style. It shows that epidemiology provides a valuable tool kit to help health professionals solve problems about the dimensions of disease and the efficacy of alternative health interventions. I believe the book could be carefully expanded in a few directions. The computer is now a valuable tool in field epidemiology. In addition to several sensible comments, a little more detail, and reference to some of the specific software packages like Epi Info@, would be welcome. Although the book makes no pretence of covering statistics, it gives useful simple explanations o%P values. It would be helpful to extend this to include x tests and more detail about confidence intervals. ‘. The fourth edition has a new co-author and the Figures and Tables have been brought up to date. This should ensure the continuing popularity of the book. I would make it required reading early in the undergraduate medical courses in most tropical countries. It would help the next generation of health workers to think and work using epidemiological principles. William A. M. Cutting
Japan’s Dark Side to Progress-The Struggle for Justice for Pharmaceutical Victims of Ianan’s Post War Economic Boom. Takanori Goto. CL&a, Japan: Manbousha Publications Ltd, 1991. xiii + 181 pp. Price not stated. This small paper-backed text is based on a book edited by a lawyer, Takanori Goto, and published in 1988 in Japanese; the intention is to bring that work to a wider international audience. In the early 196Os, the Japanese government formulated a ‘double-the-income’ policy; this put great pressure on the work force and individuals undergoing treatment for various ills continued working under heavy medication rather than taking sick-leave, or so the author informs his readers. Many were suffering from chronic nenhritis and for this thev were annarentlv (and wrongly) ;ecommended chloroquine, which was widelv advertised for this disease in Tanan: manv suffered-side-effects including blindness be&ilting from retinopathy). This ended in tough legal battles, mainly in order to attempt to prevent such disasters haunening again; this and other such encounters (including-ihat involving thalidomide and chinoform) form the basis of this ofien harrowing account, which contains many abbreviated case-histories.
Does this book have a value for readers of the Trunsuctions? I suggest only minimal. When used in correct dosage for malaria chemoprophylaxis and chemotherapy, evidence of chloroquine-induced retinopathy is virtually non-existent. Only when used in high dosage over prolonged periods is this a real problem: rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus are examples of diseases where high dosage is possibly justified under very careful supervision. But the book does underline the fact that drug advertising can on occasion be UnDrinciDled and uneihical-a problem not unknown in some developing countries (alluded to on DO. 157-160): the reader’s susoicion of such practices should be highlighted after a brief perusal of this work. G. C. Cook The Dictionarv of Modern Medicine. I. C. Seaen. Carnforth, Lancashire, UK: The Parthenon Publishing Group Ltd, 1992. 800 pp. Price g48.00. ISBN 1-85070321-3 This ‘modern’ medical dictionary (edited by Joseph Segen of Manhasset, New York) contains numerous entries which could at-best be described as unusual. Some examples of general interest are ‘Christmas tree bladder’, ‘Mickey mouse medicine’, ‘Murphv’s law of genetics’ (anything that may go wrong witha gene will go-wrong), ‘Tomato effect’ (reiection of an effective treatment for a disease for illogical’reasons), ‘Tombstone advertisement’ (a white field with text surrounded by a black border), and ‘Yellow advertising’ (see yellow professionalism-advertising by private physicians in the Yellow Pages of telenhone directories). And when one gets down to clinical entries, one finds ‘Aguecheek’s disease’ (hepatic encephalopathy), ‘Alice in Wonderland syndrome’, ‘Mermaid syndrome’ (see sirenomelia), ‘Ostrich legs’ (see Champagne bottle legs), ‘Peter Ban and Wendy complex’ (a marital dvad cornnosed of a narcissistic and/or unfaithful husband who devotes considerable time to studies, sports or extramarital liaisons and a depressed long-suffering wife), ‘Raggedy Ann syndrome’ (see chronic fatigue syndrome), and ‘Scarlet O’Hara syndrome’ (pretentious eating habits when a person is in the public eye), and many others. Readers of the Transactions will doubtless be more interested in entries like ‘Monkey face’ (the appearance of the trophozoite of Giurdia duodenalis)! Some entities are difficult to find; thus for bubonic plague (which is not cross-referenced with plague) the reader is referred to ‘Black death’, and instead of ‘Fever, blackwater’, we must look for ‘Blackwater fever’. There are many definitions which can only be described as inadequate, e.g. those of malaria, Escherichiu coli? toxoplasmosis, tropical sprue (‘an idiopathic malabsorption complex’), and ‘irritable bowel syndrome’ (cf. inflammatory bowel disease, unhappy gut). Other statements are simply incorrect: quinine is recommended for malaria chemoprophylaxis, tropical splenomegaly syndrome (hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly) is caused solely by Plasmodium muluriue-although there is ‘a marked increase in IgM antibodies against P. &ax’-and the correct chemotherapy for P. vivux infection seems to be chloroquine alone! Some important items have simply not been included. For example, ‘Cholera cot’ and ‘Cholera toxin’ are included, but cholera is not! Where can one find Entumoebu histolyticu? Cryptosporidium sp. is absent, but Zsosporu belli warrants a detailed entry. Separate entries for heuatitis B. C. D and E can be found. but not A! Praziquantel is of value in Schistosoma haemutobium and S. japonicum infections, but there is no mention of S. munsoni! Few of its victims, I suggest, would be happy to see female circumcision defined as ‘love surgery’! And why does ‘malariotherapy’ require 14 lines of text? On the other hand,, some entries are well done; these include the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (to be found under ‘AIDS’) (there are several references which,
704 although now relevant, will rapidly date), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIH whole pages-, the human genome project, and Munchausen syndrome. And who would dream of looking for a definition of ‘Physician glut’ (an ezcess of physicians that will... develop in North American by the end of the twentieth centurv)_ in any medical dictionary? In the introduction. the editor claims !This work is not designed to replace traditional dictionaries, but rather to complement them’. And his ruison d’&tre for producing this massive volume, eccentric both in selection of terms and also their presentation, is that ‘Many [of the terms included are of] recent vintage that are integral to the language of modern medicine, a language replete with acronyms, jargon, neologisms and the argot of new disciplines, diseases, their diagnosis and therapies.’ Interestingly (and again eccentrically), the editor has throughout the text dispensed with full stops. This is, one has to say, rather lighter reading than the majority of the newer medical dictionaries, of which there are several (e.g., International Dictionary of Medicine and Biology [John Wiley & Sons, 19861 and Churchill’s Illustrated Medical Di&onay [Churchiil Livingstone, 19891). But uersonallv I shall continue to refer to those which I already have on my shelves; I suspect that will also apply to most other readers after a brief perusal of this most unusual tome. G. C. Cook
1Books Received 1 Health Education in the Control of Schistosomiasis. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1990. 61 pp. Price SW. fr. 11. US $8.80 (in develo&na countries. SW. fr. 7.70). ISB’N 92:4-154407-4. - ” ‘This manual, which is intended principally for use by primary health workers, focuses on the ways in which health education can complement...control measures.’ [Available in English; French and Spanish versions in preparation.] The WHO Environmental Health Criteria Series. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1991. 56 pp. Price not applicable. A catalogue of the 122 publications in this series up to 12 September 1991. WHO/PAHO Informal Consultation on Intestinal Protozoal Infections. Mqxjco, 21-23 October 1991, Geneva: World Health Organization, 1992. 42 pp. Unpublished mimeographed document no. WHOICDSIIPII 92.2. Obtainable from Dr L. Savioli, WHO I’rogramme on Intestinal Parasitic Infections. Division of Communicable Diseases, World’Health drganization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. SEAMIC Health Statistics 1990. Tokyo: International Medical Foundation of Japan, 1992. 2 16 pp. Price not stated. ISBN 4-930783-62-3. Obtainable from Southeast Asian Medical Information Centre, International Medical Foundation of Japan, Tokyo Kaiji Building No. 6, 7-2 Shimbashi 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan. Veterinary Public Health, parts 1 and 2. OZE Scientific and Technical Revue. 10 (41. 899-1216 r19911 and 11 (1). 1-316 [1992]. Price ErF 175, US $32 ahd FrF 185, US’S 34 respectively. ISBN 92-9044-298-o and 92-9044-299-9.
Japan’s Dark Side to Progress-The Struggle for Justice for Pharmaceutical Victims of Ianan’s Post War Economic Boom. Takanori Goto. CL&a, Japan: Manbousha Publications Ltd, 1991. xiii + 181 pp. Price not stated. This small paper-backed text is based on a book edited by a lawyer, Takanori Goto, and published in 1988 in Japanese; the intention is to bring that work to a wider international audience. In the early 196Os, the Japanese government formulated a ‘double-the-income’ policy; this put great pressure on the work force and individuals undergoing treatment for various ills continued working under heavy medication rather than taking sick-leave, or so the author informs his readers. Many were suffering from chronic nenhritis and for this thev were annarentlv (and wrongly) ;ecommended chloroquine, which was widelv advertised for this disease in Tanan: manv suffered-side-effects including blindness be&ilting from retinopathy). This ended in tough legal battles, mainly in order to attempt to prevent such disasters haunening again; this and other such encounters (including-ihat involving thalidomide and chinoform) form the basis of this ofien harrowing account, which contains many abbreviated case-histories.
Does this book have a value for readers of the Trunsuctions? I suggest only minimal. When used in correct dosage for malaria chemoprophylaxis and chemotherapy, evidence of chloroquine-induced retinopathy is virtually non-existent. Only when used in high dosage over prolonged periods is this a real problem: rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus are examples of diseases where high dosage is possibly justified under very careful supervision. But the book does underline the fact that drug advertising can on occasion be UnDrinciDled and uneihical-a problem not unknown in some developing countries (alluded to on DO. 157-160): the reader’s susoicion of such practices should be highlighted after a brief perusal of this work. G. C. Cook The Dictionarv of Modern Medicine. I. C. Seaen. Carnforth, Lancashire, UK: The Parthenon Publishing Group Ltd, 1992. 800 pp. Price g48.00. ISBN 1-85070321-3 This ‘modern’ medical dictionary (edited by Joseph Segen of Manhasset, New York) contains numerous entries which could at-best be described as unusual. Some examples of general interest are ‘Christmas tree bladder’, ‘Mickey mouse medicine’, ‘Murphv’s law of genetics’ (anything that may go wrong witha gene will go-wrong), ‘Tomato effect’ (reiection of an effective treatment for a disease for illogical’reasons), ‘Tombstone advertisement’ (a white field with text surrounded by a black border), and ‘Yellow advertising’ (see yellow professionalism-advertising by private physicians in the Yellow Pages of telenhone directories). And when one gets down to clinical entries, one finds ‘Aguecheek’s disease’ (hepatic encephalopathy), ‘Alice in Wonderland syndrome’, ‘Mermaid syndrome’ (see sirenomelia), ‘Ostrich legs’ (see Champagne bottle legs), ‘Peter Ban and Wendy complex’ (a marital dvad cornnosed of a narcissistic and/or unfaithful husband who devotes considerable time to studies, sports or extramarital liaisons and a depressed long-suffering wife), ‘Raggedy Ann syndrome’ (see chronic fatigue syndrome), and ‘Scarlet O’Hara syndrome’ (pretentious eating habits when a person is in the public eye), and many others. Readers of the Transactions will doubtless be more interested in entries like ‘Monkey face’ (the appearance of the trophozoite of Giurdia duodenalis)! Some entities are difficult to find; thus for bubonic plague (which is not cross-referenced with plague) the reader is referred to ‘Black death’, and instead of ‘Fever, blackwater’, we must look for ‘Blackwater fever’. There are many definitions which can only be described as inadequate, e.g. those of malaria, Escherichiu coli? toxoplasmosis, tropical sprue (‘an idiopathic malabsorption complex’), and ‘irritable bowel syndrome’ (cf. inflammatory bowel disease, unhappy gut). Other statements are simply incorrect: quinine is recommended for malaria chemoprophylaxis, tropical splenomegaly syndrome (hyperreactive malarious splenomegaly) is caused solely by Plasmodium muluriue-although there is ‘a marked increase in IgM antibodies against P. &ax’-and the correct chemotherapy for P. vivux infection seems to be chloroquine alone! Some important items have simply not been included. For example, ‘Cholera cot’ and ‘Cholera toxin’ are included, but cholera is not! Where can one find Entumoebu histolyticu? Cryptosporidium sp. is absent, but Zsosporu belli warrants a detailed entry. Separate entries for heuatitis B. C. D and E can be found. but not A! Praziquantel is of value in Schistosoma haemutobium and S. japonicum infections, but there is no mention of S. munsoni! Few of its victims, I suggest, would be happy to see female circumcision defined as ‘love surgery’! And why does ‘malariotherapy’ require 14 lines of text? On the other hand,, some entries are well done; these include the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (to be found under ‘AIDS’) (there are several references which,
704 although now relevant, will rapidly date), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIH whole pages-, the human genome project, and Munchausen syndrome. And who would dream of looking for a definition of ‘Physician glut’ (an ezcess of physicians that will... develop in North American by the end of the twentieth centurv)_ in any medical dictionary? In the introduction. the editor claims !This work is not designed to replace traditional dictionaries, but rather to complement them’. And his ruison d’&tre for producing this massive volume, eccentric both in selection of terms and also their presentation, is that ‘Many [of the terms included are of] recent vintage that are integral to the language of modern medicine, a language replete with acronyms, jargon, neologisms and the argot of new disciplines, diseases, their diagnosis and therapies.’ Interestingly (and again eccentrically), the editor has throughout the text dispensed with full stops. This is, one has to say, rather lighter reading than the majority of the newer medical dictionaries, of which there are several (e.g., International Dictionary of Medicine and Biology [John Wiley & Sons, 19861 and Churchill’s Illustrated Medical Di&onay [Churchiil Livingstone, 19891). But uersonallv I shall continue to refer to those which I already have on my shelves; I suspect that will also apply to most other readers after a brief perusal of this most unusual tome. G. C. Cook
1Books Received 1 Health Education in the Control of Schistosomiasis. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1990. 61 pp. Price SW. fr. 11. US $8.80 (in develo&na countries. SW. fr. 7.70). ISB’N 92:4-154407-4. - ” ‘This manual, which is intended principally for use by primary health workers, focuses on the ways in which health education can complement...control measures.’ [Available in English; French and Spanish versions in preparation.] The WHO Environmental Health Criteria Series. Geneva: World Health Organization, 1991. 56 pp. Price not applicable. A catalogue of the 122 publications in this series up to 12 September 1991. WHO/PAHO Informal Consultation on Intestinal Protozoal Infections. Mqxjco, 21-23 October 1991, Geneva: World Health Organization, 1992. 42 pp. Unpublished mimeographed document no. WHOICDSIIPII 92.2. Obtainable from Dr L. Savioli, WHO I’rogramme on Intestinal Parasitic Infections. Division of Communicable Diseases, World’Health drganization, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. SEAMIC Health Statistics 1990. Tokyo: International Medical Foundation of Japan, 1992. 2 16 pp. Price not stated. ISBN 4-930783-62-3. Obtainable from Southeast Asian Medical Information Centre, International Medical Foundation of Japan, Tokyo Kaiji Building No. 6, 7-2 Shimbashi 4-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105, Japan. Veterinary Public Health, parts 1 and 2. OZE Scientific and Technical Revue. 10 (41. 899-1216 r19911 and 11 (1). 1-316 [1992]. Price ErF 175, US $32 ahd FrF 185, US’S 34 respectively. ISBN 92-9044-298-o and 92-9044-299-9.