J. Anat. (1984), 138, 2, pp. 371-381 371Printed in Great Britain

Book Reviews

Kranielle Computertomographie. By M. NADJMI, U. PIEPGRAS and H. VOGELSANG.(Pp. xii +474; 490 figures; DM 390.) Stuttgart and New York: Georg ThiemeVerlag. 1981.

This volume is an atlas of computer scans through the head which is profusely illustrated -many ofthe figures contain several scans. The introductory section gives a general account of themethod and of its application to the head, illustrated by scans through normal individuals. Themajority of the book considers the available material from a pathological viewpoint withsections on aneurysms, arteriovenous anastomoses, trauma to the head, and with a very largechapter on intracranial tumours. This is followed by chapters on developmental disorders,degenerative diseases, neuropaediatrics and finally a chapter on the orbit.The text is written in German and is of substantial length: most of the illustrations are com-

puter scans but there are frequent radiographs and occasional illustrations of specimens, someof the latter in colour. There are 694 references, the most recent from 1979.

This atlas would be of use to anyone who has to interpret abnormal cranial scans, even ifthey were unable to follow the German text.

A. J. PALFREY

Die Plazenta des Menschen. Edited by V. BECKER, T. H. SCHIEBLER and F. KUBLI.(Pp. xiv + 537; 353 figures; DM 280.) Stuttgart and New York: Georg ThiemeVerlag. 1981.

Teaching about the placenta has long been regarded as an important part ofany anatomy courseand this has perhaps led to an over-emphasis on those aspects of our knowledge of the placentawhich are of greatest interest to the anatomist. This book does something to redress that balance,since anatomical and histological aspects are covered in 120 pages and the subsequent 120 pagesconsider the physiology of the organ. There is then a section ofsome 130 pages which considersthe pathology of the placenta; the remainder of the book is devoted to clinical considerations.The text is entirely in German but is freely illustrated with both optical and electron micro-

graphs and there is much tabulated information. Each chapter is written by separate authors,but most authors contribute to more than one chapter. The references for each chapter are givenseparately, but they are numerous, mnost being to work published between 1960 and 1978. Thebook is therefore a valuable review fqr anyone who is able to read the German text, but oflimited value to those who lack that skill.

A. J. PALFREY

Atlas ofSectionalHuman Anatomy. By J. G. KORITKE and H. SICK. (Vol. 1; Pp. xx +165; Vol. 2; Pp. xx + 151; £115 set.) Baltimore, Munich: Urban & Schwarzen-berg. 1983.

In this atlas, the body has been illustrated by photographs of sections in the coronal, sagittal andtransverse planes. Only the more distal parts of the upper limb, and the lower limb distal to thethigh have been omitted. All the photographs are elucidated by line tracings in which theprincipal structures have been labelled according to a system explained by the authors. The workis in two volumes, the first dealing with the head, neck and thorax, and the second with theabdomen and pelvis. Since the magnifications of the specimens in the different planes of sectionare of necessity different, a plastic sheet with a series of scales is provided. Each of the scales isappropriate to one or more of the listed sets of sections, and can be checked against a fixed scaleat the foot of each right-hand page. Using the scale, the true size of the section can be readilyassessed. Some of the transverse sections of the head and upper part of the neck are at true bodysize.

This is a comprehensive set of sections for anyone who requires a three dimensional view of

the head and trunk for investigative purposes. As the legends to the line tracings are in a simplecode, it is essential to employ the appropriate index for the volume concerned, where theanatomical term relative to the code letters and numerals can be read off. The index is suppliedas a small soft covered booklet for each of the two volumes, and is lodged in a pocket at the backof the book, along with the plastic conversion sheet. It is necessary to spend a little time incomprehending the carefully written section on Materials and Methods on pages xiv-xvi, andDirections for Use on page xvii before attempting to use the atlas. With the information fromthese two sections, the index will supply all the necessary assistance for comprehending thestructural content of each segment illustrated.

There can be no hesitation in recommending these two volumes both to anatomists for teach-ing purposes and to clinicians who wish to become more proficient in interpreting the appearancesencountered in C.T. scans, N.M.R. and ultrasound investigations.

A. W. S. KERR

Clinical Anatomyfor Medical Students. By RICHARD S. SNELL. 2nd edition. (Pp. xi +886; 515 figures; U.S. $29.75.) Boston: Little, Brown. 1981.

This is a general textbook of topographical anatomy, arranged regionally in the order thorax,abdomen, pelvis, upper and lower limbs and concluding with the head and neck. At the end ofeach section there are one or two pages of clinical problems, briefly stated, and at the end of thebook there are concise answers to these problems. There are many illustrations, all drawn simplyrather than realistically, and about half of these have limited colour, again bold rather thanrealistic. There are also some half-tone illustrations, some of the living body and others of arepresentative series of radiographs, but the reproduction of these half-tones leaves a good dealto be desired.A concise textbook, such as this, must always include a number ofapproximations, which may

be interpreted by the informed reader as inaccuracies. There seem to me to be many examplesof this process in this text, and they are not all the approximations which I would have chosen,but equally none seems to be of dramatic importance. Again, in the illustrations, there are manyinstances in which I cannot agree with some of the detail but again no single item is of funda-mental significance.

There is therefore little to distinguish this text from a number of other similar books whichare currently available, and there is no doubt that it has proved popular with students. But atleast in this medical school there is no doubt that an undue proportion of those who use thisbook have failed to achieve the required standard - an observation which I find difficult toexplain.

A. J. PALFREY

The Johns Hopkins Atlas of Human Functional Anatomy. Edited by GEORGE D.ZUIDEMA. 2nd edition. (Pp. x+ 115; 53 plates; £5.95 paper, £10.50 cloth.)Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press. 1981.

In his preface to this second edition the editor writes: "The book itself is designed to presentbasic anatomy to students ofmedicine and the allied health professions " and later "The result...should serve as a useful handbook and departure point for the detailed study of anatomy." It isdifficult to choose representative examples but the central nervous system receives 4 plates con-taining 11 figures and about 3500 words; the lymphatic system has 3 plates of 9 figures andabout 600 words. Thus both text and illustrations only cover a very limited amount of material,and may indeed qualify as 'presenting basic anatomy' and 'serving as a departure point'.Many of the illustrations are in full colour, with the use of conventional colour such as yellow

for nerves and green for lymph nodes. The text is contributed by more than twenty present andformer members of the staff of the department at Johns Hopkins and manifests a considerableemphasis on the functional aspects of the subject so that topographical description is reduced toa minimum.The decision whether to recommend this type of book to students is of course a matter for the

individual teacher but my own view is that it sets a standard which is far below that required ofmedical students. There are some students who would find both text and illustrations helpful,but too many would be misled into a belief that this book forms a sufficient basis for theirstudies.

A. J. PALFREY

372 Book Reviews