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The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History
Grading Key =outstanding; = good; = fair;
***** ***
Book Reviews Making Medical Decisions: An Approach to Clinical Decision Making for Practicing Physicians, by Richard Gross, 119 pp, with illus, $18, Philadelphia, Pa, American College of Physicians (telephone: 800-523-1546, ext. 2600), 1999, ISBN 0-94312675-4
**** =excellent;
* = poor.
chondrial inheritance) . What sets this book apart from other texts with similar titles is that the author provides detailed templates and tables for the types of information to collect for specific familial medical issues. The 51 tables in the text include differential diagnoses for various disorders . Some sections deal with genetic risk assessment in relationship to assisted reproductive technologies. Discussions of privacy and confidentiality issues that are unique to the publication of pedigrees and case reports are also included. Strengths: In addition to extensive medical and genetic information, this book provides wisdom that can be gained only from years of clinical experience . These insights will be invaluable to genetic counselors, fellows just completing their training in medical genetics, and practicing medical geneticists. Deficiencies: Because there are some omissions in the tables of differential diagnoses, they should be qualified as nonexhaustive lists. It would also have been much more useful to include gene carrier frequency rather than disease prevalence in the table that lists genetic conditions common in particular ethnic groups. Recommended Readership: Novice genetic counselors or medical geneticists, other clinicians who are particularly interested in genetic disorders, or anyone planning to write an article that includes genetic information . Overall Grading:
Type of Book: A single-authored primer on medical decision making. Scope of Book: This concise, easily readable book covers the central concepts and methods of medical decision analysis. Contents: After a brief discussion of basic concepts (probability, odds, uncertainty), Dr Gross outlines an innovative approach to the calculation of the "action threshold" (the likelihood of disease above which a given treatment is more likely to improve the health of patients with disease than it is to harm healthy patients). Reversing the sequence used in prior texts on this topic, he then proceeds to a discussion of diagnostic testing analysis within the Bayesian framework (pretest probability, likelihood ratios, posttest probability). The next section presents 2 case examples (streptococcal sore throat and asymptomatic carotid bruit) that demonstrate how the methods may be applied effectively to everyday clinical decisions . The book concludes with a marvelously lucid introduction to "decision trees." Strengths: Dr Gross has taken a complex topic and rendered it accessible to a wide audience by the clarity and elegant simplicity of his teaching style. His novel approach to the calculation of the action threshold is sure to result in more effective teaching of these concepts and has the potential to increase their use considerably in clinical practice. Deficiencies: I noted no deficiencies. (The errors in the definitions of false-negative and false-positive rates in the glossary have been noted by the author and will be corrected.) Recommended Readership: All surgeons, internists, residents , and senior medical students would benefit from reading this book, as the principles are central to the routine practice of medical decision making. Overall Grading:
****
Noralane M. Lindor, MD, Department ofMedical Genetics, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minn
A Photoguide of Common Skin Disorders: Diagnosis and Management, edited by Herbert P. Goodheart, 469 pp, with illus, $69, Baltimore, Md, Williams & Wilkins (telephone: 800-6380672), 1999, ISBN 0-683-30257-4 Type of Book: A comprehensive, up-to-date clinical guide to the recognition and management of common dermatoses. Scope of Book: Intended as a reference source, this guide covers all the dermatologic conditions likely to be encountered in general medical practice . Contents: The text consists of 27 chapters divided into 5 parts. Part I reviews the principles of topical corticosteroid therapy and contains an excellent illustrated glossary. The glossary is a particularly important aid to recognizing primary dermatologic lesions and includes a review of characteristic cutaneous reaction patterns that help establish the diagnosis. Part 2 reviews common skin conditions. This section contains excellent illustrations and photographs with succinct descriptions of diagnostic and management principles for the most common skin conditions. Cutaneous manifestations of systemic . conditions are discussed in part 3, which includes excellent step-by-step management guidelines. In part 4, differential diagnoses are categorized by patient age, anatomic location, and geographic distribution in table form. This format will help any generalist get a "jump start" on the diagnostic dilemma that many skin rashes present. This section also includes
*****
John B. Bundrick, MD, Division ofArea General Internal Medi cine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minn
The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History, by Robin L. Bennett, 251 pp, with ilIus, $44.95, New York, NY, Wiley-Liss (telephone: 800-225-5945), 1999, ISBN 0-471-25154-2 Type of Book: A single-authored guidebook , best read "cover-tocover." Scope of Book: This text covers a broad range of medical disorders from the perspective of a geneticist. Contents: This book is a guide for collecting, verifying, and constructing family histories. It also includes current information on inheritance patterns, including mendelian and nonmendelian patterns (such as trinucleotide expansions, imprinting, and mitoMayo Clin Proc. 1999;74:849-850
**
849
© 1999 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
***** ***
Book Reviews Making Medical Decisions: An Approach to Clinical Decision Making for Practicing Physicians, by Richard Gross, 119 pp, with illus, $18, Philadelphia, Pa, American College of Physicians (telephone: 800-523-1546, ext. 2600), 1999, ISBN 0-94312675-4
**** =excellent;
* = poor.
chondrial inheritance) . What sets this book apart from other texts with similar titles is that the author provides detailed templates and tables for the types of information to collect for specific familial medical issues. The 51 tables in the text include differential diagnoses for various disorders . Some sections deal with genetic risk assessment in relationship to assisted reproductive technologies. Discussions of privacy and confidentiality issues that are unique to the publication of pedigrees and case reports are also included. Strengths: In addition to extensive medical and genetic information, this book provides wisdom that can be gained only from years of clinical experience . These insights will be invaluable to genetic counselors, fellows just completing their training in medical genetics, and practicing medical geneticists. Deficiencies: Because there are some omissions in the tables of differential diagnoses, they should be qualified as nonexhaustive lists. It would also have been much more useful to include gene carrier frequency rather than disease prevalence in the table that lists genetic conditions common in particular ethnic groups. Recommended Readership: Novice genetic counselors or medical geneticists, other clinicians who are particularly interested in genetic disorders, or anyone planning to write an article that includes genetic information . Overall Grading:
Type of Book: A single-authored primer on medical decision making. Scope of Book: This concise, easily readable book covers the central concepts and methods of medical decision analysis. Contents: After a brief discussion of basic concepts (probability, odds, uncertainty), Dr Gross outlines an innovative approach to the calculation of the "action threshold" (the likelihood of disease above which a given treatment is more likely to improve the health of patients with disease than it is to harm healthy patients). Reversing the sequence used in prior texts on this topic, he then proceeds to a discussion of diagnostic testing analysis within the Bayesian framework (pretest probability, likelihood ratios, posttest probability). The next section presents 2 case examples (streptococcal sore throat and asymptomatic carotid bruit) that demonstrate how the methods may be applied effectively to everyday clinical decisions . The book concludes with a marvelously lucid introduction to "decision trees." Strengths: Dr Gross has taken a complex topic and rendered it accessible to a wide audience by the clarity and elegant simplicity of his teaching style. His novel approach to the calculation of the action threshold is sure to result in more effective teaching of these concepts and has the potential to increase their use considerably in clinical practice. Deficiencies: I noted no deficiencies. (The errors in the definitions of false-negative and false-positive rates in the glossary have been noted by the author and will be corrected.) Recommended Readership: All surgeons, internists, residents , and senior medical students would benefit from reading this book, as the principles are central to the routine practice of medical decision making. Overall Grading:
****
Noralane M. Lindor, MD, Department ofMedical Genetics, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minn
A Photoguide of Common Skin Disorders: Diagnosis and Management, edited by Herbert P. Goodheart, 469 pp, with illus, $69, Baltimore, Md, Williams & Wilkins (telephone: 800-6380672), 1999, ISBN 0-683-30257-4 Type of Book: A comprehensive, up-to-date clinical guide to the recognition and management of common dermatoses. Scope of Book: Intended as a reference source, this guide covers all the dermatologic conditions likely to be encountered in general medical practice . Contents: The text consists of 27 chapters divided into 5 parts. Part I reviews the principles of topical corticosteroid therapy and contains an excellent illustrated glossary. The glossary is a particularly important aid to recognizing primary dermatologic lesions and includes a review of characteristic cutaneous reaction patterns that help establish the diagnosis. Part 2 reviews common skin conditions. This section contains excellent illustrations and photographs with succinct descriptions of diagnostic and management principles for the most common skin conditions. Cutaneous manifestations of systemic . conditions are discussed in part 3, which includes excellent step-by-step management guidelines. In part 4, differential diagnoses are categorized by patient age, anatomic location, and geographic distribution in table form. This format will help any generalist get a "jump start" on the diagnostic dilemma that many skin rashes present. This section also includes
*****
John B. Bundrick, MD, Division ofArea General Internal Medi cine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Rochester, Minn
The Practical Guide to the Genetic Family History, by Robin L. Bennett, 251 pp, with ilIus, $44.95, New York, NY, Wiley-Liss (telephone: 800-225-5945), 1999, ISBN 0-471-25154-2 Type of Book: A single-authored guidebook , best read "cover-tocover." Scope of Book: This text covers a broad range of medical disorders from the perspective of a geneticist. Contents: This book is a guide for collecting, verifying, and constructing family histories. It also includes current information on inheritance patterns, including mendelian and nonmendelian patterns (such as trinucleotide expansions, imprinting, and mitoMayo Clin Proc. 1999;74:849-850
**
849
© 1999 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
For personal use. Mass reproduce only with permission from Mayo Clinic Proceedings.