RATHER unbelievably, it has been over 10 years since the first edition of this extremely popular ‘one-stop shop’ textbook on surgery and medicine in the horse was first published. This new edition, as well as incorporating an extensive revision of the original text, incorporates new chapters on wound management, critical care, anaesthesia and diagnostic imaging. Rather poignantly, the book includes what will be the final contributions of some sorely missed clinicians, including Barry Edwards, Martin Weaver and Grant Frazer, who all died subsequent to submitting their final texts. Their contributions to the book are a fitting tribute to their outstanding contributions to equine veterinary medicine and surgery in general.
The editorial team comprises five well-respected clinicians drawn from both practice and academia, but there are 35 individual contributors to the book, all internationally renowned experts in their field. The book is well illustrated throughout...]]>
IF you like lists and lots of them, you will find this new edition of the ‘Handbook of Veterinary Anaesthesia’ a useful text. It is a comprehensive reference guide to virtually everything ‘anaesthesia’, with short chapters that allow the reader to locate the required information. The authors have covered a large amount of the peri-operative period in the handbook's 30 chapters, providing an overview of all aspects of anaesthesia and analgesia of many species.
In parts, the list-styled layout proves hard to follow and makes extracting information problematic. In the introduction there is a plethora of definitions, some of which may be considered unnecessary, despite being more than comprehensive.
Throughout all of the chapters, useful facts and ‘cautions’ boxes are highlighted to allow the reader to digest important information more readily. These are an excellent way of scanning through the text and provide an...]]>
THE understanding of the working and functioning of the cells, organs and systems of the body and their interacting activity is the fundamental basis for the understanding of any biological process. The fifth edition of ‘Cunningham's Textbook of Veterinary Physiology’ sets out to formulate information to aid this understanding, specifically with students of veterinary science in mind.
Building on previous versions, the new edition of this book proposes to be an accompaniment to first-year students of veterinary-related subjects, but will also prove to be a useful aid to students of other, related, scientific disciplines where an overview or aspects of veterinary physiology is required.
The textbook is organised into distinct sections, with chapters focusing on the body systems and processes of key importance, and on the interactions between them, which embody the overall discipline of animal physiology. Given the diverse nature of this discipline,...]]>
THIS book is by leading and practising UK- and USA-based veterinary oncologists, with contributions from board specialists in medical oncology, radiation oncology, pathologists and diagnostic imagers. The authors of the majority of the chapters are well-known experts in their respective fields. The book is nicely split into sections and then into chapters. It is easy to find what you are looking for, be it some background science and explanation regarding cancer therapies, or information on a more specific tumour type.
The book begins with a discussion of the basic science and principles of oncology, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This is explained nicely but simply, and is well illustrated throughout.
The first section focuses on the basic science of oncology and may therefore be less useful to clinicians and more interesting to those seeking a greater understanding of tumour biology. The level is basic...]]>
THE earlier editions of this book have always had a prominent place on my bookshelf, as they were publications I liked to have near at hand to grab for a quick revision, clarification of a minor detail and also for learning something new.
In the preface, the authors indicate their remit was to produce a valuable aid to the clinician in practice and also to provide a textbook for veterinary students. Thus the earlier sections are obviously directed at setting the scene and outlining the fundamentals of toxicology, important calculations, and why detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of toxicity, absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion for toxicants or xenobiotics is critical for ensuring optimum management of cases. There are also excellent chapters devoted to approaches to history taking, appropriate sampling for use of the diagnostic and clinical laboratories and the importance of documentation for cases...]]>
THIS is a new American textbook that is designed to be a practical book, using colour photographs and diagrams to teach anaesthesia. It is aimed at veterinary surgeons, veterinary nurses and veterinary students wanting a ‘succinct and practical handbook’ rather than a comprehensive, theory-based textbook.
Being an American text, there are a few minor things that are not directly applicable to UK veterinary practice and the section on anaesthetic circuits is confusingly laid out and has some inaccuracies. The over-simplification of non-rebreathing systems would be confusing to students, as it does not differentiate between different types of non-rebreathing circuit. Another text would need to be read to gain a thorough understanding of anaesthetic circuits. Such, albeit minor, inaccuracies are found sporadically throughout the book; for example, the stated atipamezole dose is incorrect for cats.
The book is generally well laid out and easy to...]]>
THIS book is a very well-organised introduction to the discipline of veterinary dentistry and covers the basic information required to perform veterinary dentistry in general practice. The layout of each chapter is well thought out. There is a newly introduced outline at the beginning of each chapter, which provides the reader with an overview of the chapter content. The key terms to be used and the learning objectives to be achieved are also listed at the start of each chapter. This layout works well and gives the book an organised, easy-to-read structure that is conducive to learning. The worksheets at the end of each chapter then allow readers to assess their knowledge and retention of information.
The chapters are tightly written in a clear, concise style, with beautiful illustrations and well-structured clinical photographs that complement the text. In many instances in veterinary dentistry there...]]>
FOLLOWING the success of the excellent book, ‘A Victorian Veterinary Student's Diary’, the Granville Penn Press (an imprint of the Veterinary History Society) has released its second publication: ‘Twentieth Century Veterinary Lives’. Authored by Bruce Vivash Jones, a former president of the society, it is essentially a collection of veterinary biographies, enlivened by personal recollections. The overall aim is to place on record the achievements of prominent vets. Drawing on a range of obituary material and historical texts, it offers short accounts of the lives of 119 veterinary surgeons.
Deciding who is worthy of inclusion in such a volume is a problematic exercise. The author's declared principle of including only those who lived most of their lives in the 20th century is contravened on several occasions, with the inclusion of figures such as Sir Frederick Smith (1857-1929), Director General of the Army Veterinary Corps,...]]>
Edited by M. Christine Zink and Janet B. Van Dyke
484 pages, paperback, £62.99. Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.
ISBN 978 0 8138 1216 8
Simon J. Girling
376 pages, paperback, £39.99. Wiley-Blackwell. 2013.
ISBN 978 0 470 65917 5