PROGRESS IN SURGEXY, vol. 8. Edited by M. Xllgower, S. E. Bergentz, R. Y. Calne, and U. F. Gruber, Base1 and New York, 1970, S. Karger AG, 146 pages. Price $13.20. This volume of Progress in Surgery is concerned with ethical problems of organ transplantations, suture materials in surgery, vagotomy and drainage procedures, and intraoperative blood flow measurements with xenon and with electromagnetic flowmeters. Several contributors wrote the seven sections of this small monograph. Although only a portion of the volume is concerned with cardiovascular problems in surgery, students and surgeons, especially those studying and doing cardiovascular surgery, will find this to be a useful addition to the series on progress in surgery. VENOGKAFHY 0~ THE INFERIOR VENT CAVA ~XD xTs BRANCHES. By Ernest J. Ferris, M.D., Florencio ,4. Hipona, M.D., Paul C. Kahn, M.D., Ervin Philipps, M.D., and Jerome H. Shapiro, M.D., Baltimore, 1969, The Williams h Wilkins Company, 229 pages. Price $16.00. Fi ve radiologists have described very well venography for the cardiologist, surgeon, and peripheral vascular physician. They have discussed diseases of the inferior vena cava and its tributaries (technically, veins do not have branches). They have discussed anatomy and anomalies, techniques, interpretation of films, extrinsic to intrinsic obstruction, and selective venography of the tributaries. The illustrations and photographs of the roentgenograms are numerous and good. The text and legends of illustrations are clear. The presentation is from the practical clinical roentgenologic point of view. The book is well organized and useful. 1 ACUTE MYOCARDI~L INFARCTION AND COROEARY EARE UNITS, 288 pages, price $9.75. 2. PHYSICAL DIAGNOSIS IN CARDIOVASCULAR DrsEASE, 362 pages, price $13.75. 3. CURRENT STATUS OF DRUGS IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, 262 pages, price $9.75. Edited by Charles M.D. New York, 1969, Grune & K. Friedberg, Stratton, Inc. Periodically Dr. Charles Friedberg, editor of Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, publishes as books the papers of several issues of the Journal for the convenience of those who do not subscribe to his journal. This practice is a good one. The titles of these separate monographs listed above consist of bound symposia-type papers on these
subjects gathered from previous issues of Progress l;n Cardiovascular Diseases. They are three monographs contributed to by various individuals interested in the respective subjects. The monograph, therefore, represents current concepts of the various contributors. The monographs are good, as is the Progress of Cardiovascular Dr’seases, which is published regularly to which one may subscribe. Those who receive the issues of the Journal regularly and who keep them will not need the monographs unless he wishes these nicely bound books. They are good monographs which should interest all cardiologists, internists, and trainees of all. stages of learning.
VECTORCARDIOGKAPHY. A Programmed introduction. 3y Louis Lemberg, M.D., and Agustin Castellanos, Jr.? M.D., New York, 1969, New Century Education Division of Meredith Corporation, 206 pages. Price $10.00. This manual by Lemberg and Castellanos on vectorcardiography is intended for beginners. The authors briefly define a vector and the concept of the vectorcardiogram (VCG). Their recordings are with the Frank reference system for electrode placement. Even though this reference frame was used, the principles discussed apply satisfactorily to the other systems proposed for recording the VCG. The manual is profusely illustrated and the text consists of brief explanations of tracings associated with sentences to be completed by the reader. Thus, the manual is more of an instructional type rather than a text book. Beginners can find this manual useful provided, however, that they realize that it presents vectorcardiography in a condensed and simplified fashion as viewed by the authors and it is rep!ete with errors. Their discussions on per&infarction block is somewhat arbitrary even though based on concepts existing in the medical literature. Furthermore, the authors frequently refer to specific intervals of time in the QRS loop from its beginning (p. 124). Anyone actively engaged in vectorcardiography knows that so much of the QRS loop is “lost” in the halo that extremely rarely can the onset of any loop of the VCG be timed. Again, on p. 4, item 9, they refer to the vector as pointing toward a unipolar lead. The authors probably intend to say the vector points toward the chest electrode. In 9a they state “a unipolar lead placed on the epicardial portion of the free left ventricular wall . . . .I’ They probably mean unipolar electrode placed on the left ventricle. Such statements throughout the manual are technically incorrect and reflect very careless writing and thinking. It is excellent to simplify