Symposium. Edited by Irvine H. Page, M.D. (Pp. 342+xii; illustrated. 63s.) Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1958.
1396 DEC. 6, 1958
REVIEWS
LIPIDS AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS Chemistry of Lipides as Related to Atherosclerosis. A Symposium. Edited by Irvine H. Page, M.D. (Pp. 342+ xii; illustrated. 63s.) Springfield, Illinois: Charles C. Thomas. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications. 1958.
This book is a manifestation of the great increase of interest in atherosclerosis. Various aetiological theories have been proposed, and one of the factors which has been incriminated is dietary fat. The possible aetiological importance of dietary fat and the experimental and clinical evidence for an association of hypercholesterolaemia with atherosclerosis have focused attention on lipid metabolism. The lipids are of major significance in the problems of atherosclerotic heart disease whether they are of primary or secondary aetiological importance. The time is ripe, therefore, for a concise but detailed account of the chemistry of the lipids in relation to atherosclerosis. This book fills the purpose admirably. It contains the proceedings of an international symposium held last year in the United States. The contents include chapters concerning the chemistry or metabolism of cholesterol, fatty acids, triglycerides, phospholipids, and sphingolipids. Perhaps chapters of greater medical interest are those concerning dietary fats and human lipid levels, unsaturated fatty acids in coronary disease, lipoprotein lipase and the nature of the lipaemia clearing reaction, lipoproteins, and the non-esterified fatty acids in plasma. For those not specifically interested in the problems of atherosclerosis this monograph will, as the title implies, hold limited attraction; for them it is sufficient to quote a statement of practical policy from I. H. Page's well-balanced introduction: " The evidence at present does not convey any implications for drastic dietary change, specifically in the quantity or type of fat in the diet of the general population on the premise that such changes will definitely lessen the incidence of coronary artery disease." For those actively studying atherosclerosis this book should prove most rewarding, and reference will often be made to it. M. F. OLIVER.
HYPNOTHERAPY Hypnosis in Health and Sickness. By Gordon Ambrose, L.M.S.S.A., and George Newbold, M B. B.Sc., M.R.C.S., M.M.S.A., D.R.C.O.G., D.C.H. (Pp. i9e. 15s.) London: Staples Press Ltd. 1957.
When the great Liston saw the inhalation of ether producing surgical anaesthesia for the first time at University College Hospital in 1841 he is said to have remarked, "This beats mesmerism hollow." And it has been one of the tragedies of mesmerism and of hypnosis since then that, although sometimes very useful treatments, they have so often turned out to be only temporary palliatives for a wide range of ailments, for some of which better and more specific treatments are always in the process of being discovered. But exponents of hypnotism have never been backward in pressing its therapeutic virtues, and this has resulted in wave after wave of enthusiasm for mesmerism or hypnosis, always followed by profound disillusionment when it has become practised on too wide and indiscriminate a scale. This particular book seems to be written more for the lay reader than the general practitioner and medical specialist. Note its style: " The cerebellum, which lies behind and below the cerebrum, is divided into two hemispheres," etc. Special care is therefore necessary to avoid the raising of false treatment hopes in the lay mind. But when we turn to such chapters in this book as " Disorders of Women and Hypnotherapy" we find the possibilities of hypnosis discussed in such varied conditions as delayed menstruation, amenorrhoea, pseudocyesis, functional uterine bleeding, dysmenorrhoea, sterility, the menopause, psychogenic leucorrhoea, pruritus vulvae, and so on. And in the field of the neuroses claims are made that hypnosis may help certain patients with anxiety states, depressions, hysterical personalities, obsessional compulsive illnesses, psychosomatic
BMAsU MtEDICAL JOURNA~L
illnesses, and post-herpetic neuralgia. There are other special chapters on " Hypnosis in Midwifery " and " Hypnosis in Children." A final chapter on "Other Uses of Hypnosis" includes dentistry, obesity, smoking, homosexuality, alcoholism, and sport, and the uses of hypnosis in helping to pass examinations and as an aid to members of the theatrical profession. Few normal, neurotic, and especially hypochondriacal people will fail to find at least one of their complaints, and its treatment by hypnosis, discussed in this book. It is a conscientious and sincere attempt to discuss the possibilities of hypnotic treatment in a whole variety of conditions, and in terms understandable to the ordinary reader. But the general impression left in the lay mind, as it was in the reviewer's, may prove to be an exaggerated one as to the possibilities of hypnotherapy in so many of life's very varied ills. WILLIAM SARGANT
SURGICAL MANAGEMENT Principles of General Surgical Management. By H. A. F Dudley, F.R.C.S.E., with the assistance of B. C. Paton, M.R.C.P.E., I. F. MacLaren, F.R.C.S.E., I. B. Tait. F.R.C.S.E., and G. F. Murnaghan, F.R.C.S., F.R.C.S.E With a foreword by John Bruce, C.B.E., T.D., F.R.C.S.E. (Pp. 203 +viii; illustrated. 27s. 6d.) Edinburgh and London: E. and S. Livingstone. 1958. This book has been written for house-surgeons, and it contains a deal of practical information set out in a most readable manner. Like some of the better books of its type, it can be read with advantage by those who are more senior. The pre- and post-operative treatment of patients is considered in a sensible manner, with particular reference to the more common complications and their prevention. There is special consideration of abdominal operations and those on the urinary tract, post-operative thrombo-embolism. and parenteral therapy. A chapter is also devoted to investigative work. The author admits to the expression of dogmatic opinion, and in a book of this kind it may well be a virtue. This book would help the surgical dresser in appreciation of his patients, and the house-surgeon who possessed its knowledge would be useful indeed. It can be stronglv recommended. E. G. MUIR.
MATURITY AND BEHAVIOUR Physical Maturing and Behaviour at Adolescence. By J. IM. Tanner, M.D.. D.Sc., D.P.M. (Pp. 45; illustrated. 2s. 6d.) London: National Children's Home. 1958.
This is the 1958 National Children's Home Lecture, one of a series devoted to child welfare. It is based largely on material drawn from Dr. Tanner's book Growth at Adolescence (Oxford, 1955). Perhaps the only point which calls for comment is a welcome emphasis on the significance of developmental age in relation to educational achievement. The fact that chjldren who mature early appear to be intellectually a little ihOre advanced than those who mature late has some bearing on the reliability of a classification based on an examination at fixed age, such as the 11-plus. T. McKEOWN A recent report in this Journal drew attention to the prevalence of tuberculosis in domestic animals. Those wishing to learn more of this subject will find it well discussed in Tuberculosis in Animals and Man-A Study in Comparative Pathology (Cassefl and Co. Ltd., 5 gns.), by Dr. John Francis, professor of veterinary preventive medicine in the University of Queensland. About one-third of this book of 380 pages is given up to the subject of bovine tuberculosis. The next section of the book, the longest, describes tuberculosis in animals other than bovines (including wild animals), and there is a final chapter comparing the pathology and epidemiology of tuberculosis in animals and man. The book is well illustrated, and contains a list of about 600 references.
