Physiotherapy November 2001/vol 87/no 11

609Book reviews

Constable Publishers, London 2001 (ISBN 1 84119 395 X). Illus. 240 pages

edited by Thomas McCracken £25This anatomy atlas has been produced to provide a greaterawareness of the structure of the human body to thepopulation at large. This it does extremely well.

The introduction includes an explanation of how the images were created, a brief history of anatomicalillustrations leading up to the visible human project, and astatement on why three-dimensional computer imagery hasparticular advantages over its two-dimensional rivals. Thereis also a section on how to use the book, describinganatomical planes and descriptors.

The principal theme of this book is to provide a basicinsight into human anatomy, through the use of illustrationsfrom the visible human project combined with a writtenoverview of the structure of different organs and tissues.

The book is clearly written and well presented. Thematerial is organised into logical sections which are easy tofollow. The information appears reasonably up to date, while

the illustrations have been developed from the latesttechnology. This atlas is ideally suited for its intendedreaders.

The index is standard and a glossary is included fornewcomers to anatomy.

This book is not aimed at, nor indeed suited tophysiotherapists. It is well structured for the needs of thegeneral public as an introduction to anatomy. The pictureshave minimal labelling, and the layers of regions tend to bemainly of the superficial structures.

The large format of this book is excellent, as is the size ofthe illustrations. The quality throughout is of a very highstandard in terms of the hardback cover, quality of thepaper, size of the print and reproduction of the illustrations.

Considering the quality of the presentation of the book ingeneral it is not expensive at the price asked.

This book would be a valuable addition to the holdings ofpublic libraries and the general public, but is notappropriate for the individual who needs thorough anddetailed pictures of the human anatomy.

Sigismund SollyB(phty) M(phty) RGN MCSP

New Atlas of Human Anatomy

Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford2001, 3rd edn (ISBN 0 7506 4577 6). Illus. 243 pages

edited by Judith Boscheinen-Morrin and W Bruce Connolly£27.50

Edited by an Australian hand therapist and an associateprofessor of hand surgery, this book is intended as a guidefor the non-specialist and succeeds in its aim of providing aclear and simple overview of a specialist subject.

Out of the 18 chapters in this third edition, four cover newtopics: peripheral nerve entrapment, soft tissue conditions,the wrist, and free tissue transfer. Pre-existing chapters have been effectively updated to keep pace with the rapidlychanging fields of hand surgery and therapy and are wellpresented, allowing quick and easy reference.

Abundant and clearly labelled illustrations supplementchapters that are concise and logically laid out and whichcontribute to a compact but mainly thorough and easy-to-handle book. Inevitably some sections are a little too brief;for example, the chapter concerning assessment fails tohighlight the importance of understanding the patient'sspecific work/ADL requirements. Psychological and funct-ional assessment sections do not include standardised formsof assessment, though a comprehensive section on sensibilitytesting follows.

More emphasis is rightly placed in this edition on patientself-reliance early in the rehabilitation process. Physio-therapists may, however, be disappointed by the absence of

any mention of joint mobilisation techniques or the place of electrophysical agents other than TENS in hand therapy.

Chapters on tendon repairs and transfers includeexcellent explanations of functional anatomy. The rationalebehind a variety of treatment protocols is described andmany useful problem-solving ideas are offered. Sectionsdealing with peripheral nerve injuries and entrapmentinclude nerve gliding exercises that will be familiar to

The Hand Fundamentals of therapy

Oedema, wrist posture and restriction of finger movementdue to external fixation can make finger flexion difficult.This is a stabilised extrinsic interphalangeal joint flexionexercise shown in ‘The Hand’