BOOK REVIEWS

P R I N C I P L E S O F E L E C T R O N I C S I N M E D I C A L R E S E A R C H . 2nd Edit ion. By D.W. HILL, M.SC., VH.D., F.INST.P., E.I.E.E. London, Butterworths, 1973. Price $23.10.

THIs BOOK, written in Dr. Hill's concise, reference style, is a very well organized sum- mary of electronics in medical research. It begins with the fundamentals of magnetism and electrostatics, and proceeds through D.C. circuits and A.C. circuits to present semi- conductor devices, and their safe use in medical electronics. The presentation is thorough in its wide coverage, but not deeply explanatory like a textbook. The emphasis is on the practical rather than the theoretical aspects of electronics.

I recommend this book to all personnel involved in medical electronics and engineering, from technician to engineer. Anaesthetists will need a grounding in basic physics, and some practical experience with the terminology and hardware of electronics in order to appreciate this book. J.D.

P R I N C I P L E S O F I N T E N S I V E CARE. E.R.J. EMERY, A.K. YATES AND P.J. MOOR- HEAD. 1973. Engl ish Univers i ty Press. 167 pages, price $4.9,5.

YET ANOTHER BOOK has appeared on the suhject of intensive care. This book outlines the practical and the underlying theoretical principles of the subject and is directed at medical, paramedical and nursing personnel involved in this type of work. The descrip- tions of the problems are dealt with by major body systems in this book. It begins with a short chapter on general considerations which include the organisation of staffing, the physical layout and the general milieu which is required to provide intensive care. Descriptions of the function of the various hody systems, the methods of monitoring and the management and correction of major disorders follow.

The systems considered are the cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, nervous system, haematological and metabolic. Separate chapters are devoted to poisonings and to nutritional support.

The final chapter is a description of nursing procedures commonly carried out in intensive care units, followed by a series of appendices outlining usual doses of commonly used drugs, emergency trays available, blood gas determinations, normal values. A fairly extensive list of suggested further reading and description of recording charts kept in intensive care are included.

This book is small enough that it is able to maintain the status of a handbook and would fit nicely into the pocket of the resident's uniform. I feel that it would have value for residents and for libraries of hospital anaesthetic departments and intensive care units as a ready reference for brief reviews of common problems and the method in which they can be handled. A.A.S.

A D V A N C E S I N R E S P I R A T O R Y CARE A N D PHYSIOLOGY. T.B. CALDW]ELL AND F. MOYA. 1973, Charles C. Thomas. 362 pages, price $16.75.

Tins BOOK is based on the proceedings of a Postgraduate Seminar in Anaesthesiology and reflects art at tempt at this seminar to bring together clinicians and scientists working in the field of respiratory physiology and respiratory care. The multiple authors in the book

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represent a wide variety of backgrounds from pure physiological research to active clinical service, many of the speakers having sufficient in both fields to bring together the latest concepts from the laboratory and to point out their significance in the management of the seriously ill patient. There are 24 authors, all of them outstanding in their field of activity. The book is divided into 5 parts, the first part being devoted to physiology of respiration and worthy of the attention of every practicing anaesthetist.

The second part is devoted to advances in inhalation therapy. This section covers the organisation of departments of inhalation therapy and the type of service which they may provide and discusses the rational use of aerosol therapy, oxygen therapy and other modes of treatment.

The third section of the book is a look into the future by such noted individuals as John Severinghaus, Duncan Holoday and Jerome Modell, who discuss the treatment of hypoxia, the use of lung lavage, prolonged extracorporeal circulation, hyperbaric oxygen, oxygen toxicity, oxygenation by liquid breathing. These are particularly interesting sub- jects and represent the most recent thinking as to the direction of therapy for the future.

Part four is a good outline of the challenge of prolonged mechanical ventilation and again should be reviewed by everyone dealing with a patient on the ventilator.

Part five is devoted to advances in acute eardiopulmonary resuscitation and presents the most recent advances in the field, with important suggestions for improving the provision of acute eardiopulmonary resuscitation.

I would reeommend this book for anaesthetists at all levels of experience and training. A.A.S.

C H I N E S E A C U P U N C T U R E . DR. W u WEI-P'ING. Dr. J. Lavier 's French Edition. Trans la ted by Philip M. Chancellor. 1973, The British Book Centre Inc. 191 pages. Price $10.00.

Tins is a modern condensed English translation of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, written originally by Dr. Wu Wei-P'ing, a physician who practices acupuncture in China. The Chinese edition was written originally as a text for acupuncture students, and with current increasing interest in the technique in the Western World, this book will give readers some idea of the terminology, cultural background, sites, and techniques avail- able. Dr. Lavier has incorporated modern translations from two other historical books on acupuncture, but has neither attempted a hypothesis of the mechanisms involved, nor given a resume of the various research projects being conducted internationally. TO any- one interested in this ancient art, this book is recommended as an introduction. R.J.E.