Book reviews. Annual Review of Neurc ... invertebrate studies. Most excellent and the main cI ... and this book makes neuirosurgical practical contribution to the.
Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 1979, 42, 673-676
Book reviews Annual Review of Neurc)science Vol- reprinted several times, an d is now ume 1 Edited by W. M. Cowan, Z. W. brought out as a third editicin. During Hall, and E. R. Kandez. ( Pp. 506; illus- this time it has become more than a trated; price not stated.) Annual Re- book for nurses. It is used widely by views: Palo Alto, Califorrnia. 1978. physiotherapists, radiographe rs, neuroNeuroscience has rapidly become the physiological and laboratory ttechnicians, most exciting growth are-a in science, and medical students. It iss an outthough this may not be aapparent from standing book of its type. I arm not sure the establishments of B,ritish univer- how long a textbook has to be in sities and hospitals where Ithe traditional circulation before it is acce pted as a departmental groupings aare slower to "classic" but there is no douubt that if break down than in the USA. Para- this book is not already a classsic, it will doxically, the proliferat.ion of new be soon. It is excellent value;and is well specialist journals increasses the prob- produced with simple and relevant lem of cross-fertilisation from related figures. It is highly recommerided. disciplines. For these rearsons this new L. S. ILLIS series of Annual Reviewss is welcome. Ihe Editorial Committee rregards neuroscience as including al l aspects or Neuro-ophthalmology: Cliniocal Signs neural structure and funcition, from its and Symptoms By Thomas J. Walsh. genetic determination to t]he highest ex- (pp. 285; illustrated; £15.75.' Lee and pression of its activity iIn human be- Febiger: Philadelphia, Henry Kimpton: haviour. The 16 chapterss in the first London. 1978. volume concentrate rathe Zr heavily on The author of this book ejects the invertebrate studies. Most of them are customary systematic approa ch to the excellent and the main cIriticism might study of neuro-ophthalmolog)y and prebe that it is sometimes d1ifficult to ex- fers to consider the subjec t on the tract the general princip]les applicable basis of clinical symptoms and signs. to one's own fields of interrest. A review Each chapter deals with a specific of reviews is of little hellp, but special symptom sign in the ft of a attention is drawn to the new methods monograph. This approach i orm s of some in neuroanatomy, and especially of value to the clinician faced with the marking active neurones, and to the practical decisions of c optical methods for monito ring neuronal diagnosis, and in this respect lifferential the book activity which offer wayss out of the is with such suabjects as difficulty of studying neuironal systems headache, diplopia, ptosis, Inystagmus simultaneously at the clellular level. and The text does not, There is no doubt that ti uis series will present a comprehensive revi ewhowever, of the provide a very valuable g the chapter on ga ze is re-zs going on in related arn eas of study, subject, markably short, and at and it will be essential in Ithe library of insufficient attention to tijmes pays important all neurobiological departmients. aspects-for example, quaantitative J. A. SIMPSON perimetry in the consideratio Fn of field defects. Occasionally the ai uthor expresses a very personal view, such as Neurology Third edition By Edwin his opinion that only a mod(erate perR. Bickerstaff. (Pp. 204 illustrated; centage of orbital tumours arn e revealed £4.95 hardback, £2.45 paperback.) in radiological studies and that palHodder and Stoughton: London. 1978. pation is more positive. On the other This book was originally written and hand, there is an extremely uiseful and published for nurses, and Ithe intention well-illustrated review of radliology in was to describe briefly thie nature of neuro-ophthalmology by anolther conneurological diseases in o ,rder to give tributor. The presentation is Nvery readnurses more insight and baackground to able, and this book makes a useful the neurological and rneuirosurgical practical contribution to the speciality cases that they were lookinjg after. Since without embracing its entiretyF. it was first published in 196 it has been R. M. M[CFADZEAN 673 r
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Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia By L. A. K. Bastiaensen. (Pp. 385; illustrated; price not stated.) Stafleu's Scientific Publishing Company: Leyden. 1978. Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) is a rare condition. Classification can be traced from nuclear ophthalmoplegia, through ocular myopathy (Kiloh and Nevin), to "ophthalmoplegia plus" (Drachman). It is argued here that "ophthalmoplegia
plus" is an entity on a basis of mitochondrial abnormality in cells of many organs despite its clinical diversity. Oculopharyngeal dystrophy emerges as a pure myopathy. The important association of CPEO with disorders of cardiac conduction is considered in detail, and the frequent link with pigmentary retinopathy (Kearns) is confirmed. The book is presented in thesis form. It includes an introductory chapter on eye muscle, a review of the history of the disorder, illustrated accounts of the various syndromes, and detailed tabulations of reported cases. There is no index. Various papers published by the author and his collaborators are reprinted as an appendix. The production is of high quality and the translation reads well. It can be recommended as a comprehensive review of work in this area and as a guide to the literature. BRYAN ASHWORTH
Fundamentals of Electroencephalography Second Edition By Kenneth A. Kooi, Richard P. Tucker, and Robert E. Marshall. (Pp. 249; illustrated; $20.00.) Harper and Row: Hagerstown. 1978. The second edition of this textbook is virtually identical in its format to the first edition of 1971. Co-authors of this edition now include R. P. Tucker and R. E. Marshall. The contents of the book have been updated where necessary to give a relatively superficial yet practical approach to the subject. References which appear at the back of each chapter are numerous. As the book is also intended for clinicians outwith the specialty, diagrams of the montages used would be more informative and readily understandable to those unfamiliar with the subject and its nomenclature. ANNE P. MCGEORGE
