The A-2 of Disability, by Pat Saunders. Crowood Press, Marlborough, 1989 (ISBN 1 85223 136 XI. Illus. 352 pages. €8.95.

This is a chattier book than the well established Directory for Disabled People and combines essays on care for people with various problems with a list of relevant equipment, or organisations where specialist information may be sought. It is easy to quarrel with the comparative amounts of space given to each subject, but a book which offers important information in an accessible form to people who simply do not know where to turn must be welcomed. A useful book for patients and their families - for the professional it is mainly an indicator of where to seek in-depth information.

Measuring Disability: Assessment of different scales and methods. The Society of Public Health, 31 Battye Avenue, Huddersfield HD4 5PW, 1989. 28 pages. €1.50 post free.

This booklet contains longish summaries of papers presented at a conference in April 1989 organised by the Society of Public Health in conjunction with the Society for Research in Rehabilitation and the Medical Disability Society. It includes four pages giving a paper on ‘Different perspectives in physiotherapy’ by Dr C J Partridge PhD FCSP.

The Nurses’ Dictionary, revised by Christine Booker BSc SRN SCM RNT. Faber and Faber, London, 1989 (ISBN 0 571 15312 7) 30th edn, 472 pages. f2.99.

Dictionaries are notoriously difficult to evaluate but any volume which has reached its 30th edition must be regularly updated and meeting a need. Although it is small in area (about 4 x 6 inches) its many pages and substantial paper mean that it can hardly be called pocket-size. However, with more than 1,000 new entries and complete revision it must serve most purposes and until there is a dictionary specifically for physio- therapists it could be € 3 well spent.

Physiotherapy: Code of safe practice. Department of Health, PO Box 5013, Wellington, New Zealand, 1989 (ISBN 0 477 04552 9). 42 pages. NZS6, post free surface mail.

This document is a major review of a 1980 code, prepared by several physiotherapists, an engineer, a radiation scientist and a medical physicist. It defines minimum standards of safety in physiotherapy practice, and is intended t o aler: physiotherapists to potential hazards and ensure a safe therapeutic work environment. General guide lines are followed by sections on handling patients, apparatus, electrical and heat modalities, hydrotherapy, and respiratory apparatus and treatments. The code is endorsed by several pages of

references. It is suggested that it should be mandatory reading for all new staff, and should be read and signed twice a year by all staff working in physiotherapy.

Roles and Functions of the Physiotherapist. Department of Health, PO Box 5013, Wellington, New Zealand, 1989 (ISBN 0 477 04566 9). 59 pages. NtS13.50, post free surface mail.

A national workshop held in 1987 agreed methods of approach to a definition of physiotherapy, when all participants took responsibility for the initial development of a section related to their area of expertise. An editorial committee circulated drafts and redrafts for extensive consultation to build an information base intended to help clarify the core competencies and skills which distinguish physiotherapy from other professions. It has sections on clinical and non-clinical work, and one for the physiotherapy assistant.

The preamble begins: ‘The practice of physiotherapy is both an art and a science. Physiotherapists promote a state of health and well being by restoring and maintaining optimum body function, functional independence, and relief of pain. They may use education, psycho-social approaches, exercise, manual therapies or the physical properties of heat, light, sound and water to achieve the goal.’

WCPT Visit t o Africa 1989. World Con- federation for Physical Therapy, 16/19 Eastcastle Street, London W1N 7PA. 16 pages. Illus. Limited copies free of charge.

In February this year the president, 2nd vice-president and secretary-general of WCPT visited four member organisations in Kenya, Zambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

They found the organisations were making good achievements, often within health policies which did not give much practical or financial support, but they needed help in various areas.

Recommendations are made in which WCPT as a whole and individual physio- therapists from other countries who visit Africa or are able to offer experience and hospitality elsewhere can help.

Two or three pages w i th several photographs are devoted to each country and both problems and progress are vividly described.

British Standard 2838: Examination and general treatment couches: Part 1. Specification for fixed height couches. British Standards Institution, London, 1988 (ISBN 0 580 16598 1). Diagrams. 10 pages.

Requirements are specified for materials and basic design and performance of couches. It also makes recommendations for information to be supplied by a purchaser to a manufacturer or supplier. The CSP was represented on the committee which prepared this standard.

British Standard 5724: Medical electrical equipment: Part 2. Particular requirements for safety: Section 2.10. Specification for nerve and muscle stimulators. British Standards Institution, London, 1988 (ISBN 0 580 16814 X). Diagrams. 18 pages.

This standard covers equipment for application of electric currents via electrodes in direct contact with the patient, for diagnosis and or therapy of neuromuscular disorders. It deals with various types of hazard, including human errors, and accuracy of operating data. The CSP was represented on the technical committee which prepared this standard.

NHS Handbook, edited by Barbara Connah and Susan Lancaster. Macmillan Press for the National Association of Health Authorities, London (4th edn), 1989 (ISBN 0 333 48444 4). 240 pages. f13.95.

The main addition to this edition of the handbook is a summary of the working papers published by the Government soon after the White Paper. It also includes a number of new subjects to illustrate how the NHS relates to other organisations such as universities and local authorities. The handbook has also been restructured in an attempt to make it easier for the general public to use.

Management Handbook. Association of District and Superintendent Chartered Physiotherapists, 1988. 53 pages.

A management source book for newly appointed superintendents, this is part of a package prepared for its members by the ADSCP. It is not intended to solve all problems but to indicate where the answer may be found. The book is spiral bound to allow for frequent updating. The team who prepared the book were Ann Hunter, Jean Mackintosh, Helen Bristow and Elizabeth Freeland.

Children’s Foot Health Register 1989/1990. 84-88 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3ED.

In the next few weeks a third of the children in this country will be damaging their feet for life, according to the publishers of this register of more than 1,000 shoe shops which stock children’s shoes in full- and half-sizes and four width fittings, and have a policy of employing trained staff. UK parents are fortunate in having three manufacturers who produce an adequate range of shoes for children. The main warning is to shop early before some sizes are sold out.

550 Physiotherapy, September 1989, VO/ 75, no 9