- Email: [email protected]
Vision and Its Disorders
V O L . 66. N O . 4
BOOK REVIEWS
owner. Furthermore, the journal reader, who may himself be a book lover, will want to know something about the physical attributes of the book, the quality of the illustrations, the printing and binding, and, most important in a scientific treatise, whether an adequate index has been provided. What has been said refers in the main to the monographic-type book dealing with a single subject. Great difficulties for proper reviewing may arise with multi-authored or multi-subject books which a single reviewer may not be fully competent to judge. In such instances the wisdom of the editor plays a decisive role in selecting the proper reviewer or reviewers and in establishing the format of the review. Book reviewing is an art, but an art that can be learned. As does every art, it requires patience, enthusiasm for the work, and attention to detail. Hermann M. Burian
BOOK
REVIEWS
VISION AND ITS DISORDERS. Subcommittee on Vision and its Disorders of the National Institutes of Health, Bernard Becker, Chairman. Bethesda, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1967. Paperbound, 225 pages, glossary, 12 figures in black, and white $1.50. This is an unusual and very interesting monograph, the fourth in a series prepared on the neurological sciences. The prevalence of blindness and its cost are not often realized. In the United States—and comparable figures apply to all developed temperate countries— it is estimated that 3.5 million people are visually handicapped, nearly one million have a visual defect, and of these more than 400,000 are legally blind. The cost of this to the community is enormous ; the annual bill for direct aid is approximately $1 billion and the estimated deficit in earning capacity for the nation a further $1.4 billion. Unfortunately, despite the very considerable
757
amount of successful research accomplished during the previous two decades in both pathology and therapeutics, these figures are rising more rapidly than is the increase in population. Apart from humanitarian considerations an examination of the position is thus a matter of importance. A dramatic instance of what may be accomplished is seen in retrolental fibroplasia ; the discovery of its cause has saved 2,000 infants from blindness per annum and the nation $222 million each year in funds for their care and rehabilitation. The bulk of the monograph is concerned with a study of the many conditions, whether a deformity, disease or injury, which may cause visual loss or disability, each written shortly, simply and clearly by an acknowledged authority on the subject in the United States. These articles are excellent; the disease itself is described, recent clinical and fundamental research on the subject is outlined, but the most fascinating part of each contribution is a statement of the current clinical and pathologic problems still outstanding, with suggestions offered on further research which might clarify the position. These recommendations for further investigation should be a stimulus for all ophthalmologists. A final and interesting section deals with the rehabilitation of the visually impaired and handicapped. It would indeed be a good thing if a volume of this type were published every decade to encourage—or humiliate—the ophthalmologist and to stimulate financial support for research. Stewart Duke-Elder
PROGRÈS EN OPHTALMOLOGIE. Edited by Louis Paufique. Paris, France, Editions Médicales Flammarion, 1968. Clothbound, 488 pages, index, 145 figures in black and white. Under the able editorship of Prof. Louis Paufique, 16 topics are discussed entirely by French ophthalmologists, most of whom are connected with the ophthalmic faculties of
BOOK REVIEWS
owner. Furthermore, the journal reader, who may himself be a book lover, will want to know something about the physical attributes of the book, the quality of the illustrations, the printing and binding, and, most important in a scientific treatise, whether an adequate index has been provided. What has been said refers in the main to the monographic-type book dealing with a single subject. Great difficulties for proper reviewing may arise with multi-authored or multi-subject books which a single reviewer may not be fully competent to judge. In such instances the wisdom of the editor plays a decisive role in selecting the proper reviewer or reviewers and in establishing the format of the review. Book reviewing is an art, but an art that can be learned. As does every art, it requires patience, enthusiasm for the work, and attention to detail. Hermann M. Burian
BOOK
REVIEWS
VISION AND ITS DISORDERS. Subcommittee on Vision and its Disorders of the National Institutes of Health, Bernard Becker, Chairman. Bethesda, United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1967. Paperbound, 225 pages, glossary, 12 figures in black, and white $1.50. This is an unusual and very interesting monograph, the fourth in a series prepared on the neurological sciences. The prevalence of blindness and its cost are not often realized. In the United States—and comparable figures apply to all developed temperate countries— it is estimated that 3.5 million people are visually handicapped, nearly one million have a visual defect, and of these more than 400,000 are legally blind. The cost of this to the community is enormous ; the annual bill for direct aid is approximately $1 billion and the estimated deficit in earning capacity for the nation a further $1.4 billion. Unfortunately, despite the very considerable
757
amount of successful research accomplished during the previous two decades in both pathology and therapeutics, these figures are rising more rapidly than is the increase in population. Apart from humanitarian considerations an examination of the position is thus a matter of importance. A dramatic instance of what may be accomplished is seen in retrolental fibroplasia ; the discovery of its cause has saved 2,000 infants from blindness per annum and the nation $222 million each year in funds for their care and rehabilitation. The bulk of the monograph is concerned with a study of the many conditions, whether a deformity, disease or injury, which may cause visual loss or disability, each written shortly, simply and clearly by an acknowledged authority on the subject in the United States. These articles are excellent; the disease itself is described, recent clinical and fundamental research on the subject is outlined, but the most fascinating part of each contribution is a statement of the current clinical and pathologic problems still outstanding, with suggestions offered on further research which might clarify the position. These recommendations for further investigation should be a stimulus for all ophthalmologists. A final and interesting section deals with the rehabilitation of the visually impaired and handicapped. It would indeed be a good thing if a volume of this type were published every decade to encourage—or humiliate—the ophthalmologist and to stimulate financial support for research. Stewart Duke-Elder
PROGRÈS EN OPHTALMOLOGIE. Edited by Louis Paufique. Paris, France, Editions Médicales Flammarion, 1968. Clothbound, 488 pages, index, 145 figures in black and white. Under the able editorship of Prof. Louis Paufique, 16 topics are discussed entirely by French ophthalmologists, most of whom are connected with the ophthalmic faculties of