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Vel Cum Pondere: Un Archivio di Famiglia
Pathology (1986), 18, pp. 487-488
BOOK REVIEWS
Current Therapy in Hematology/Oncology 1985-1986. Edited by MICHAEL C. BRAIN AND PAUL P. CARBONE. B. C. Decker/Mosby. $84.95. ISBN 0-941158-38-1. 302 pp. As outlined in the preface the aim of this book is to "enable practising physicians to benefit from the experience of expert clinicians and investigators in managing patients with hematological and malignant diseases". The extensive list of contributors reads like a "who's who" of Hematology/Oncology, with contributors drawn predominantly from North America, United Kingdom and Europe. Each of the chapters is short, well set out and easily read, with the author's suggested approach to therapy, including preferred drugs and dosages, and the order of use of alternative treatment modalities. As well as chapters related to specific disease entities, there are separate chapters on Red Cell Transfusion, Platelet Transfusion, Bacterial, Viral and Fungal Infections in the Compromised Host, the Principles of Cancer Management, Renal Complications of Cancer, Hypercalcemia of Malignant Disease, Pain Control in the Cancer Patient, Communicating with the Patient, Receiving Chemotherapy, and Cancer Prevention. The table of contents apart from being divided into two major groupings "Hematology" and "Oncology" would be better organised alphabetically to facilitate easy reference, or sub-grouped to indicate the nature of the sub-grouping and arranged alphabetically within sub-headings. The value of the book would be enhanced by including a few references to important recent reviews relating to the topic without greatly increasing the size or cost of the book. For a relatively small book (302 pages) that should be updated every 2 yr, it is expensive at $84.95 recommended retail price. Perhaps consideration could be given to producing it in a soft cover form at a more acceptable price. The contents of the book certainly fulfill the aim as stated in the preface and I would recommend it as being very useful to any practising physicians, surgeons or family practitioners who are involved in the care of patients with Hematological and Oncological disorders.
Roger D. Scurr
Vel Cum Pondere: Un Archivio di Famiglia. OLGA MARCACCI
MARINELLI. Grafica Perugia, 1985.
This book is a collection of selected letters from the correspondence of Lucio Severi, Professor of Pathology in the University of Perugia. Reading it has brought back many memories of my time as a young pathologist pursuing an academic career in Milan and Siena. In Italy - at least until I left the country, in 1969 - University Pathology (Italians, like the Germans, identify Pathology with Anatomical Pathology) was the queen of the medical disciplines, with practically no training in any of the medical specialities which did not have a pathology component, and Pathology was identified with the personality of the Professor of Pathology. He was a key personality in the Faculty, together with the physician and the surgeon, and no appointment was made either in the University or for Pathologist positions in public hospitals without his participation on the selection committee and his concurrence. As a consequence, pathologists were only trained in the Universities. After completion of the medical course and five years or more postgraduate training in a University Department, all of which were also service Departments for major hospitals, the Pathologist sat for national examinations for the' 'libera docenza" a title equivalent to that of the German "Privat Dozent" which included a discussion of his scientific papers (a minimum of twenty papers was
usually necessary), an autopsy, a histopathological examination and a lecture to the students. Paramount for success in the exams was the presentation by the Professor with whom the candidate had worked to the examining board. This was also composed of three University Professors. But it was especially in determining the eligibility to a chair that the Professor's charisma, personality and the "school" to which he belonged exerted a fundamental role. This eligibility was assessed by a group of five Professors of Pathology, voted into the group by all Professors of the Medical Faculties in the country, and it was mainly those who had an assistant as a candidate or belonged to the same "school" of the candidate, who submitted their names for election. Since the group only met when three chairs were vacant, the examining board often split in a 3:2 majority ratio, the selected candidates being practically always pupils of members in the majority group. Although in no case was a person appointed who did not have a good scientific training and a large scientific production, for success the candidate also needed to belong to a powerful school. Since I left, things have changed (but not because I left!), but it is on this background that the personality of the Italian University Professors of the 1940-1960's should be looked at, and the correspondence of Lucio Severi be understood. Lucio has undoubtedly been one of the most intelligent, modern and productive Professors of Pathology in Italy, differentiating himself from most of his colleagues because of his interests that extended beyond the welfare of the Department to that of the whole University, and for having always fostered close personal, Departmental, and University relations with scientists in other countries, especially in the British world. These three interests of Lucio Severi: that devoted to the academic, political aspect of his discipline; that of maintaining contacts with other Scientists and members of the political world; and that of fostering the recognition of his Department and of his University - are the reasons of the correspondence reported in the book. Some of the letters are in English, but most are in Italian, especially those, more interesting and personal, which deal with Italian academic problems, and I am afraid that in this country few pathologists could read them, and very few would be able to appreciate them in their academic and political context. The book is beautiful, and it is completed with a reproduction with comments (unfortunately in Italian) of a collection of parchments, and of letters and papers of the XVI-XX centuries from the collection of Lucio Severi.
Edmondo P. Guli
Monographs in Clinical Cytology, Volume 2: The Cell in Health and Disease. JOHN K. FROST, 1986. Karger, Basel. 314 pp, 172 figures and 7 tables. Second, revised edition. ISBN 3-8055-4150-3.
This second edition closely follows the format of the 1969 edition. The first section defines the relationship of cellular morphology to biological behaviour. The morphological characteristics of the nucleus are next analyzed during the states of biological activity defined as euplasia, retroplasia, proplasia and malignancy. The morphology of functional differentiation is reflected mainly in the cytoplasm and a variety of normal and atypical forms, including squamous and glandular differentiation, metaplasia and malignancy, are subjected to critical analysis. The rewritten edition expands towards the latest technology for analyzing the cell, a new section examining the fine structure of the cell especially by the technique of electron microscopy and relating the
BOOK REVIEWS
Current Therapy in Hematology/Oncology 1985-1986. Edited by MICHAEL C. BRAIN AND PAUL P. CARBONE. B. C. Decker/Mosby. $84.95. ISBN 0-941158-38-1. 302 pp. As outlined in the preface the aim of this book is to "enable practising physicians to benefit from the experience of expert clinicians and investigators in managing patients with hematological and malignant diseases". The extensive list of contributors reads like a "who's who" of Hematology/Oncology, with contributors drawn predominantly from North America, United Kingdom and Europe. Each of the chapters is short, well set out and easily read, with the author's suggested approach to therapy, including preferred drugs and dosages, and the order of use of alternative treatment modalities. As well as chapters related to specific disease entities, there are separate chapters on Red Cell Transfusion, Platelet Transfusion, Bacterial, Viral and Fungal Infections in the Compromised Host, the Principles of Cancer Management, Renal Complications of Cancer, Hypercalcemia of Malignant Disease, Pain Control in the Cancer Patient, Communicating with the Patient, Receiving Chemotherapy, and Cancer Prevention. The table of contents apart from being divided into two major groupings "Hematology" and "Oncology" would be better organised alphabetically to facilitate easy reference, or sub-grouped to indicate the nature of the sub-grouping and arranged alphabetically within sub-headings. The value of the book would be enhanced by including a few references to important recent reviews relating to the topic without greatly increasing the size or cost of the book. For a relatively small book (302 pages) that should be updated every 2 yr, it is expensive at $84.95 recommended retail price. Perhaps consideration could be given to producing it in a soft cover form at a more acceptable price. The contents of the book certainly fulfill the aim as stated in the preface and I would recommend it as being very useful to any practising physicians, surgeons or family practitioners who are involved in the care of patients with Hematological and Oncological disorders.
Roger D. Scurr
Vel Cum Pondere: Un Archivio di Famiglia. OLGA MARCACCI
MARINELLI. Grafica Perugia, 1985.
This book is a collection of selected letters from the correspondence of Lucio Severi, Professor of Pathology in the University of Perugia. Reading it has brought back many memories of my time as a young pathologist pursuing an academic career in Milan and Siena. In Italy - at least until I left the country, in 1969 - University Pathology (Italians, like the Germans, identify Pathology with Anatomical Pathology) was the queen of the medical disciplines, with practically no training in any of the medical specialities which did not have a pathology component, and Pathology was identified with the personality of the Professor of Pathology. He was a key personality in the Faculty, together with the physician and the surgeon, and no appointment was made either in the University or for Pathologist positions in public hospitals without his participation on the selection committee and his concurrence. As a consequence, pathologists were only trained in the Universities. After completion of the medical course and five years or more postgraduate training in a University Department, all of which were also service Departments for major hospitals, the Pathologist sat for national examinations for the' 'libera docenza" a title equivalent to that of the German "Privat Dozent" which included a discussion of his scientific papers (a minimum of twenty papers was
usually necessary), an autopsy, a histopathological examination and a lecture to the students. Paramount for success in the exams was the presentation by the Professor with whom the candidate had worked to the examining board. This was also composed of three University Professors. But it was especially in determining the eligibility to a chair that the Professor's charisma, personality and the "school" to which he belonged exerted a fundamental role. This eligibility was assessed by a group of five Professors of Pathology, voted into the group by all Professors of the Medical Faculties in the country, and it was mainly those who had an assistant as a candidate or belonged to the same "school" of the candidate, who submitted their names for election. Since the group only met when three chairs were vacant, the examining board often split in a 3:2 majority ratio, the selected candidates being practically always pupils of members in the majority group. Although in no case was a person appointed who did not have a good scientific training and a large scientific production, for success the candidate also needed to belong to a powerful school. Since I left, things have changed (but not because I left!), but it is on this background that the personality of the Italian University Professors of the 1940-1960's should be looked at, and the correspondence of Lucio Severi be understood. Lucio has undoubtedly been one of the most intelligent, modern and productive Professors of Pathology in Italy, differentiating himself from most of his colleagues because of his interests that extended beyond the welfare of the Department to that of the whole University, and for having always fostered close personal, Departmental, and University relations with scientists in other countries, especially in the British world. These three interests of Lucio Severi: that devoted to the academic, political aspect of his discipline; that of maintaining contacts with other Scientists and members of the political world; and that of fostering the recognition of his Department and of his University - are the reasons of the correspondence reported in the book. Some of the letters are in English, but most are in Italian, especially those, more interesting and personal, which deal with Italian academic problems, and I am afraid that in this country few pathologists could read them, and very few would be able to appreciate them in their academic and political context. The book is beautiful, and it is completed with a reproduction with comments (unfortunately in Italian) of a collection of parchments, and of letters and papers of the XVI-XX centuries from the collection of Lucio Severi.
Edmondo P. Guli
Monographs in Clinical Cytology, Volume 2: The Cell in Health and Disease. JOHN K. FROST, 1986. Karger, Basel. 314 pp, 172 figures and 7 tables. Second, revised edition. ISBN 3-8055-4150-3.
This second edition closely follows the format of the 1969 edition. The first section defines the relationship of cellular morphology to biological behaviour. The morphological characteristics of the nucleus are next analyzed during the states of biological activity defined as euplasia, retroplasia, proplasia and malignancy. The morphology of functional differentiation is reflected mainly in the cytoplasm and a variety of normal and atypical forms, including squamous and glandular differentiation, metaplasia and malignancy, are subjected to critical analysis. The rewritten edition expands towards the latest technology for analyzing the cell, a new section examining the fine structure of the cell especially by the technique of electron microscopy and relating the