The practice of large animal surgery

BOOK REVIEWS

example would be reference to the crop in Figs 173 to 175 (candidiasis) and another would be reference to the comb in fowl pox (Fig . 96) . The index is comprehensive and, apart from the cross references in the text, provides reference to lesions in the liver (39 illustrations), the lung (11) and the kidneys (23) and also to causal agents and other items . There are very few errors in the text but 'histopathologically' is mis-spelt (Fig . 96) and `64' should follow `Liver, bronzing' on page 114 . It is hoped that this is only the first of a number of editions of this atlas, which can be thoroughly recommended to those wishing to understand poultry pathology . F. T . W . JORDAN

The Practice of Large Animal Surgery

Edited by P . B . Jennings Eastbourne : W . B . Saunders . 1984 . 2 vols . 1233 pp . £120 .00 . A text-book with 30 contributors, presented in two volumes each costing £60, might reasonably be expected to be comprehensive but paradoxically this new publication is rather too comprehensive to be entirely satisfactory in its present format . In his preface, the editor explains that it is intended for practitioners who might wish to change from small animal to large animal work in mid-career . He has, therefore, aimed to provide an account of systematic operative surgery supplemented with fairly lengthy chapters on physiology, surgical anatomy, restraint and aspects of nutrition which are not always directly relevant to the surgical sections . That is not to say that the nonclinical chapters are in any way inadequate but rather that some are inappropriate in this kind of text. Moreover, the fact that the sections of direct surgical interest are distributed throughout both volumes makes it impossible to economize by purchasing only one . The surgical chapters are generally comprehensive and well written, allowing for individual variation in style, and some, such as the sections on large animal orthopaedics and the equine digestive system, are outstandingly good . It is pleasant to find most references detailed in the text but one or two sections, to their detriment, rely only on references presented as further reading . Except for the chapter on bovine male urogenital surgery, the equine contributions are generally better than those devoted to cattle, and purchasers should be aware that much of the material on

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urogenital surgery is already covered in a recently-published text-book by two of the same authors . For future editions the editor, who has himself written a most interesting section on surgical infection, might consider whether this text would be more attractive as a single volume of more exclusively surgical interest . There is certainly scope for condensing the subject matter by eliminating duplication of material, such as aspects of neoplasia and anaesthesia which are touched on by several contributors . He should also rigorously review the illustrations, many of which seem to have been included without consideration of their real value or necessity . This is an expensive book with many excellent chapters but with rather too much elementary or non-clinical material for it to be recommended without reservation . H . PEARSON

Pet Loss and Human Bereavement

Edited by W . J. Kay, H . A . Nieburg, A . H . Kutscher, R . M . Grey and C . E . Fudin . Eastbourne : Holt Saunders/Ames : Iowa State University Press . 1984 . 198 pp . £19 .50. The difficulties that both the pet owner and the veterinary surgeon face when confronted with death and grieving have been widely discussed in the last five years . Pet Loss and Human Bereavement is a collection of essays and papers presented at a symposium that was entirely devoted to this subject . Discussion of bereavement can be difficult for many people . As veterinary surgeons we are trained to behave competently in tense situations, to initiate standard procedure in a cardiac arrest, to act rationally when confronted with a terrified and aggressive animal . We are trained to suppress some of our natural reactions . This attitude shows itself in much of the writing in this book, where the authors find it necessary to justify with medical jargon and with science a subject that is both emotive and unscientific . Sometimes the verbal baggage of the essayists becomes downright silly as when one author describes having `more friends' as having a `more elaborate relational network' . This defect, however, is more than offset by sensible and sensitive chapters by Sally Walshaw on the veterinary nurse's role in consoling bereaved clients and Jacob Antelyes on why veterinary surgeons behave the way they do .