3
2 9 6 Book reviews Book reviews T h e Haoglobopathies: Techniques of IdautiOation (Clinical a n d Biochemical Analysis Series, Volume 6 ). B y Titus H . J . Huismanand J. H . P . Jonxis. (Pp. v + 449; illustrated; SFr. 140.) N ew York: Marcel Dekker. 1977. This book contains a very detailed de- -ption of t h e investigations o f th e haenmoglobinopathies, i n which th e authors a r e acknowledged authorities a n d have themselves developed many o f t h e techniques used. There is n o doubt that thisis a valuable reference book f o r those doing work i n t he field. T h e general haematologist will find i t useful f o r t h e appraisal f techniques, which would b e appropriate i n h i s laboratory. I a m sure that many w h o s ee patients with these diseases commonly will wish to have t h e book o n t h e shelf while others will find i t useful to look a t a library copy occasion- ally. Unfortunately, most o f u s will b e forced into th e latter category b y the price: SFr. 1 4 0 (£35). E . R . HUEHNS CilhuiIlImmunobiology, Volume 3 . Edited b y F . H . Bach an d R . . Good. (Pp. x x + 442; illustrated; £17-40.) N e w York, San Francisco, London: Academic Press. 1977. Conmprehensive Immunology, Immunology i n Medicine, Medical Immunology, a n d Cliiallmmunobiology-these a re t h e titles o f th e four books o f this genre published in t e space of a f e w months which this reviewer h a s personally received a n d i t i s hardly likely t o b e a n exhaustive list. A n y individual o r librarian contemplating t h e purchase o f books o f this sort is entitled t o a s k what i s distinctive o r indispensable about this particular one. T h e answer i s ,Very little', an d Clinical Immunobiology Volume 3 i s typical o f many such volumes. T h e fault lies n o t with th e contributors; there i s little evidence that theeditors have exerted a y influence o n t h e design o r objetives o f t h e final product. T h e reader might reasonably expect that a book with this title would help i n t h e interpretation of immunological problems m e t i n clinical pracdice. I n this respect some o f t h e con- tributions a r e excellent, such a s t h e eval- uation o f abnormal immunoglobulin patterns b y Hong, Franklin, Morell, an d others. T h e chapter b y Adkinson an d Lichtenstein o n t he assessment o f allergic states i s outstanding a n d perhaps t he best guide t o thisdifficult subject available. T h e majority o f the otherchaptersaremediocre reviews o f a variety o f subjects, such a s complement a n d autoantibodies, al l o f which duplicate what i s already available elsewhere. Predictably, t h e more t h e chapters enter the realms o f 'cellular immunology', t h e more tenuous is their link with clinical practice. N o t that these chapters a r e badly written; i t i s t h e absence of any uniformity of approach which i s so irritating. Some papers a r e pitched a t a very elementary level, f o r example, that on rheumatoid factors, while others, f o r example that o n cytotoxicity assays, a re highly sophisti- cated. T h e minute description o f techni- ques i n some b u t n o t a l l chapters i s completely pointless i n a volume whichhas no pretensions to being a 'method book'. 'Good soldiers, badly led' would b e a succinct comment o n this book. O n this reviewer's standard scale o n which 'Gell, Coombs, a n d Lachmann' equals 100%, this work scores around 1 5 % . A . M . DENMAN Biochemical Methods i n Medical Genetics. B y Sally Kelly (Pp. x i + 345; illustrated; $17.50.) Springfield, Illinois: Charles C . Thomas. 1977. This is very much a technical manual f o r thehospital biochemistry laboratory asked t o investigate t h e occasional f o r evidence o f a genetic disorder. T h e bulk of t h e text gives clear descriptions t o United States laboratories o f techniques f o r estimation o f enzymes associated with inherited metabolic disorders; i t does this well, a n d is t o b e complimented o n its clear, 'lab manual' style, with references t o th e literature f o r each procedure. A good index also helps. O f t h e general introduction (chapter 1 ) a n d t h e short notes o n each disease t h e less said t h e better. They range from grossly oversimplified t o inaccurate, bu t hopefully will not b e read i n a n y case b y th e technician rushed o perform t h e analysis. T h e purist would object t o t h e u s e o f both°F a n d ' C t o indicate tempera- ture, a n d inches a n d millimetres t o indicate length (sometimes in t h e same sentence!). Of more importance i s t h e constant reference t o commercial products a n d firms, which very much limits t h e book t o t h e American market; even s o , a list o f addresses of the companies mentioned would surely have been useful. I t wa s dis- appointing that i t w a s no t clear which enzyme assays couldbe performed o n cells cultured after amniocentesis. T h e section o n haemoglobinopathies is markedly weaker than the enzyme sections; I would hate t o think o f t h e staff of a small hospital attempting t o identify a n abnormal haemoglobin b y peptide mapping o n t h e basis of t h e short notes given here. I suppose th e conclusion i s that, f o r a l l i t s faults, at least the National Health Service i n Britain renders this book largely unnecessary-regional a n d national cen- tres handle most assays for rare diseases, an d since they are carried o u t relatively frequently they a r e carried o u t properly an d accurately. Would I bu y i t i f i t were not m y gift f o r writing this? I n t h e United States, yes, f o r its excellent clarity a s a practical manual; here i n t h e UK, I will u s e i t t o construct a nice practical for o u r students, b u t I doubt i f i t will b e much used i n laboratories o f medical genetics. R . WILLIAMSON The Shorter Bergey's Manual of Deter- minative Bacteriology, 8 t h Edition. Edited b y J . G . Holt. (Pp. x i v + 356; illustrated; $15.95.) Baltimore: T h e Williams & Wilkins Company. 1977. T h e Shorter Bergey has been prepared from material in Bergey's Manual o f Determinative Bacteriology, 8 t h edition, (hereafter, t h e standard Bergey) for 'students a n d laboratory workers w h o desire a more portable, less monetarily valuable compendium o f information use- f u l f o r th e identification o f bacteria'. It i s lighter i n weight an d lies flat, although i t i s really not robust enough f o r frequent u s e at the bench. It i s considerably cheaper than th e standard Bergey a n d a remark- able amount o f valuable material remains. T h e sections follow t h e same scheme o f 19 groupings o f bacteria, b u t i n t he Shorter Bergey keys t o families a r e distributed through t h e text a n d k e y features a r e highlighted-both practically helpful i n - novations. Descriptions o f families an d genera, tables o f differential characteristics o f species, an d a ll t h e excellent photo- graphs have been carried over. Species

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2 9 6 B o o k r e v i e w s

B o o k r e v i e w s

T h e H a o g l o b o p a t h i e s : T e c h n i q u e s o fI d a u t i O a t i o n ( C l i n i c a l a n d B i o c h e m i c a l

A n a l y s i s S e r i e s , V o l u m e 6 ) . B y T i t u s H . J .

H u i s m a n a n d J . H . P . J o n x i s . ( P p . v + 4 4 9 ;i l l u s t r a t e d ; S F r . 1 4 0 . ) New Y o r k : M a r c e l

D e k k e r . 1 9 7 7 .

T h i s b o o k c o n t a i n s a v e r y d e t a i l e d d e -

- p t i o n o f t h e i n v e s t i g a t i o n s o f t h eh a e n m o g l o b i n o p a t h i e s , i n w h i c h t h e a u t h o r s

a r e a c k n o w l e d g e d a u t h o r i t i e s a n d h a v e

t h e m s e l v e s d e v e l o p e d m a n y o f t h et e c h n i q u e s u s e d . T h e r e i s n o d o u b t t h a tt h i s i s a v a l u a b l e r e f e r e n c e b o o k f o r t h o s ed o i n g w o r k i n t h e f i e l d . T h e g e n e r a lh a e m a t o l o g i s t w i l l f i n d i t u s e f u l f o r t h ea p p r a i s a l o f t e c h n i q u e s , w h i c h w o u l d b e

a p p r o p r i a t e i n h i s l a b o r a t o r y . I am s u r et h a t many who s e e p a t i e n t s w i t h t h e s ed i s e a s e s c o m m o n l y w i l l w i s h t o h a v e t h eb o o k o n t h e s h e l f w h i l e o t h e r s w i l l f i n d i t

u s e f u l t o l o o k a t a l i b r a r y c o p y o c c a s i o n -a l l y . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , m o s t o f u s w i l l b e

f o r c e d i n t o t h e l a t t e r c a t e g o r y b y t h e p r i c e :S F r . 1 4 0 ( £ 3 5 ) .

E . R . HUEHNS

C i l h u i I l I m m u n o b i o l o g y , V o l u m e 3 . E d i t e db y F . H . B a c h a n d R . A . G o o d . ( P p . x x +

4 4 2 ; i l l u s t r a t e d ; £ 1 7 - 4 0 . ) New Y o r k , S a n

F r a n c i s c o , L o n d o n : A c a d e m i c P r e s s . 1 9 7 7 .

C o n m p r e h e n s i v e I m m u n o l o g y , I m m u n o l o g yi n M e d i c i n e , M e d i c a l I m m u n o l o g y , a n d

C l i i a l l m m u n o b i o l o g y - t h e s e a r e t h e t i t l e s

o f t h e f o u r b o o k s o f t h i s g e n r e p u b l i s h e di n t h e s p a c e o f a f e w m o n t h s w h i c h t h i sr e v i e w e r h a s p e r s o n a l l y r e c e i v e d a n d i t i s

h a r d l y l i k e l y t o b e a n e x h a u s t i v e l i s t . Anyi n d i v i d u a l o r l i b r a r i a n c o n t e m p l a t i n g t h ep u r c h a s e o f b o o k s o f t h i s s o r t i s e n t i t l e d t o

a s k w h a t i s d i s t i n c t i v e o r i n d i s p e n s a b l ea b o u t t h i s p a r t i c u l a r o n e . T h e a n s w e r i s

, V e r y l i t t l e ' , a n d C l i n i c a l I m m u n o b i o l o g y

V o l u m e 3 i s t y p i c a l o f many s u c h v o l u m e s .T h e f a u l t l i e s n o t w i t h t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s ;t h e r e i s l i t t l e e v i d e n c e t h a t t h e e d i t o r s h a v e

e x e r t e d a n y i n f l u e n c e on t h e d e s i g n o r

o b j e t i v e s o f t h e f i n a l p r o d u c t . T h e r e a d e r

m i g h t r e a s o n a b l y e x p e c t t h a t a b o o k w i t h

t h i s t i t l e w o u l d h e l p i n t h e i n t e r p r e t a t i o no f i m m u n o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s m e t i n c l i n i c a lp r a c d i c e . I n t h i s r e s p e c t some o f t h e c o n -

t r i b u t i o n s a r e e x c e l l e n t , s u c h a s t h e e v a l -u a t i o n o f a b n o r m a l i m m u n o g l o b u l i np a t t e r n s b y H o n g , F r a n k l i n , M o r e l l , a n d

o t h e r s . T h e c h a p t e r b y A d k i n s o n a n d

L i c h t e n s t e i n on t h e a s s e s s m e n t o f a l l e r g i c

s t a t e s i s o u t s t a n d i n g a n d p e r h a p s t h e b e s tg u i d e t o t h i s d i f f i c u l t s u b j e c t a v a i l a b l e . T h e

m a j o r i t y o f t h e o t h e r c h a p t e r s a r e m e d i o c r e

r e v i e w s o f a v a r i e t y o f s u b j e c t s , s u c h a sc o m p l e m e n t a n d a u t o a n t i b o d i e s , a l l o f

w h i c h d u p l i c a t e w h a t i s a l r e a d y a v a i l a b l ee l s e w h e r e . P r e d i c t a b l y , t h e m o r e t h ec h a p t e r s e n t e r t h e r e a l m s o f ' c e l l u l a ri m m u n o l o g y ' , t h e m o r e t e n u o u s i s t h e i rl i n k w i t h c l i n i c a l p r a c t i c e . N o t t h a t t h e s ec h a p t e r s a r e b a d l y w r i t t e n ; i t i s t h ea b s e n c e o f a n y u n i f o r m i t y o f a p p r o a c h

w h i c h i s s o i r r i t a t i n g . Some p a p e r s

a r e p i t c h e d a t a v e r y e l e m e n t a r y l e v e l ,f o r e x a m p l e , t h a t o n r h e u m a t o i d f a c t o r s ,w h i l e o t h e r s , f o r e x a m p l e t h a t o n

c y t o t o x i c i t y a s s a y s , a r e h i g h l y s o p h i s t i -

c a t e d . T h e m i n u t e d e s c r i p t i o n o f t e c h n i -q u e s i n some b u t n o t a l l c h a p t e r s i s

c o m p l e t e l y p o i n t l e s s i n a v o l u m e w h i c h h a s

n o p r e t e n s i o n s t o b e i n g a ' m e t h o d b o o k ' .

' G o o d s o l d i e r s , b a d l y l e d ' w o u l d b e a

s u c c i n c t comment o n t h i s b o o k . On t h i sr e v i e w e r ' s s t a n d a r d s c a l e o n w h i c h ' G e l l ,C o o m b s , a n d L a c h m a n n ' e q u a l s 1 0 0 % ,t h i s w o r k s c o r e s a r o u n d 1 5 % .

A . M. DENMAN

B i o c h e m i c a l M e t h o d s i n M e d i c a l G e n e t i c s .B y S a l l y K e l l y ( P p . x i + 3 4 5 ; i l l u s t r a t e d ;

$ 1 7 . 5 0 . ) S p r i n g f i e l d , I l l i n o i s : C h a r l e s C .T h o m a s . 1 9 7 7 .

T h i s i s v e r y m u c h a t e c h n i c a l m a n u a l f o rt h e h o s p i t a l b i o c h e m i s t r y l a b o r a t o r y a s k e d

t o i n v e s t i g a t e t h e o c c a s i o n a l s p e c i m e n f o re v i d e n c e o f a g e n e t i c d i s o r d e r . T h e b u l k o f

t h e t e x t g i v e s c l e a r d e s c r i p t i o n s t o U n i t e d

S t a t e s l a b o r a t o r i e s o f t e c h n i q u e s f o re s t i m a t i o n o f e n z y m e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h

i n h e r i t e d m e t a b o l i c d i s o r d e r s ; i t d o e s t h i sw e l l , a n d i s t o b e c o m p l i m e n t e d o n i t s

c l e a r , ' l a b m a n u a l ' s t y l e , w i t h r e f e r e n c e st o t h e l i t e r a t u r e f o r e a c h p r o c e d u r e .A

g o o d i n d e x a l s o h e l p s .O f t h e g e n e r a l i n t r o d u c t i o n ( c h a p t e r 1 )a n d t h e s h o r t n o t e s o n e a c h d i s e a s e t h e

l e s s s a i d t h e b e t t e r . T h e y r a n g e f r o m

g r o s s l y o v e r s i m p l i f i e d t o i n a c c u r a t e , b u t

h o p e f u l l y w i l l n o t b e r e a d i n a n y c a s e b yt h e t e c h n i c i a n r u s h e d t o p e r f o r m t h ea n a l y s i s . T h e p u r i s t w o u l d o b j e c t t o t h eu s e o f b o t h ° F a n d ' C t o i n d i c a t e t e m p e r a -

t u r e , a n d i n c h e s a n d m i l l i m e t r e s t o i n d i c a t el e n g t h ( s o m e t i m e s i n t h e s a m e s e n t e n c e ! ) .Of more i m p o r t a n c e i s t h e c o n s t a n t

r e f e r e n c e t o c o m m e r c i a l p r o d u c t s a n d

f i r m s , w h i c h v e r y much l i m i t s t h e b o o k t o

t h e A m e r i c a n m a r k e t ; e v e n s o , a l i s t o f

a d d r e s s e s o f t h e c o m p a n i e s m e n t i o n e d

w o u l d s u r e l y h a v e b e e n u s e f u l . I t w a s d i s -

a p p o i n t i n g t h a t i t w a s n o t c l e a r w h i c he n z y m e a s s a y s c o u l d b e p e r f o r m e d o n c e l lc u l t u r e d a f t e r a m n i o c e n t e s i s . T h e s e c t i o no n h a e m o g l o b i n o p a t h i e s i s m a r k e d l y

w e a k e r t h a n t h e e n z y m e s e c t i o n s ; I w o u l dh a t e t o t h i n k o f t h e s t a f f o f a s m a l l h o s p i t a la t t e m p t i n g t o i d e n t i f y a n a b n o r m a lh a e m o g l o b i n b y p e p t i d e m a p p i n g o n t h eb a s i s o f t h e s h o r t n o t e s g i v e n h e r e .

I s u p p o s e t h e c o n c l u s i o n i s t h a t , f o r a li t s f a u l t s , a t l e a s t t h e N a t i o n a l H e a l t h

S e r v i c e i n B r i t a i n r e n d e r s t h i s b o o k l a r g e l yu n n e c e s s a r y - r e g i o n a l a n d n a t i o n a l c e n -

t r e s h a n d l e m o s t a s s a y s f o r r a r e d i s e a s e s ,

a n d s i n c e t h e y a r e c a r r i e d o u t r e l a t i v e l yf r e q u e n t l y t h e y a r e c a r r i e d o u t p r o p e r l ya n d a c c u r a t e l y . W o u l d I b u y i t i f i t w e r en o t my g i f t f o r w r i t i n g t h i s ? I n t h e U n i t e d

S t a t e s , y e s , f o r i t s e x c e l l e n t c l a r i t y a s a

p r a c t i c a l m a n u a l ; h e r e i n t h e UK, I w i lu s e i t t o c o n s t r u c t a n i c e p r a c t i c a l f o r o u r

s t u d e n t s , b u t I d o u b t i f i t w i l l b e muchu s e d i n l a b o r a t o r i e s o f m e d i c a l g e n e t i c s .

R . WILLIAMSON

T h e S h o r t e r B e r g e y ' s M a n u a l o f D e t e rm i n a t i v e B a c t e r i o l o g y , 8 t h E d i t i o n . E d i t e d

b y J . G . H o l t . ( P p . x i v + 3 5 6 ; i l l u s t r a t e d$ 1 5 . 9 5 . ) B a l t i m o r e : T h e W i l l i a m s &

W i l k i n s C o m p a n y . 1 9 7 7 .

T h e S h o r t e r B e r g e y h a s b e e n p r e p a r e d

f r o m m a t e r i a l i n B e r g e y ' s M a n u a l oD e t e r m i n a t i v e B a c t e r i o l o g y , 8 t h e d i t i o n( h e r e a f t e r , t h e s t a n d a r d B e r g e y ) f o' s t u d e n t s a n d l a b o r a t o r y w o r k e r s who

d e s i r e a m o r e p o r t a b l e , l e s s m o n e t a r i lv a l u a b l e c o m p e n d i u m o f i n f o r m a t i o n u s ef u l f o r t h e i d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f b a c t e r i a ' . I t i

l i g h t e r i n w e i g h t a n d l i e s f l a t , a l t h o u g h i t ir e a l l y n o t r ob u s t e n o u g h f o r f r e q u e n t u s e

a t t h e b e n c h . I t i s c o n s i d e r a b l y c h e a p e rt h a n t h e s t a n d a r d B e r g e y a n d a r e m a r k -

a b l e amount o f v a l u a b l e m a t e r i a l r e m a i n s .T h e s e c t i o n s f o l l o w t h e s a m e s c h e m e o

1 9 g r o u p i n g s o f b a c t e r i a , b u t i n t h e S h o r t e r

B e r g e y k e y s t o f a m i l i e s a r e d i s t r i b u t et h r o u g h t h e t e x t a n d k e y f e a t u r e s a r e

h i g h l i g h t e d - b o t h p r a c t i c a l l y h e l p f u l i nn o v a t i o n s . D e s c r i p t i o n s o f f a m i l i e s a n d

g e n e r a , t a b l e s o f d i f f e r e n t i a l c h a r a c t e r i s t i c so f s p e c i e s , a n d a l l t h e e x c e l l e n t p h o t o -g r a p h s h a v e b e e n c a r r i e d o v e r . S p e c i e

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r e v i e w s 2 9 7

c r i t i c a l d i s c u s s i o n , a n d s o m et h e a p p e n d i c e s a n d i n t r o d u c t o r y

a r e a b s e n t , a s a r e i n d i v i d u a lo f t h e a u t h o r s o f t h e

s e c t i o n s . W h e r e r e l e v a n t , t h e

a d d e n d a a n d c o r r i g e n d a i s s u e d a s a

t o t h e s t a n d a r d B e r g e y h a v ei n c o r p o r a t e d .

I n t h e S h o r t e r B e r g e y , t h e r e f e r e n c e s t o

a n d m e t h o d s , a n d p a g e

i n t h e k e y s t o g e n e r a , i m p l y

e s s t o t h e s t a n d a r d B e r g e y , a n d t h o s e

o p u r c h a s e t h e c h e a p e r v o l u m e mays o m e f r u s t r a t i o n i n t h i s . A c l i n i c a l

l a b o r a t o r y w i l l d o w e l l t om a i n l y o n a m a n u a l s u c h a s C o w a n

d S t e e l ' s I d e n t i f i c a t i o n o f M e d i c a l

i n v e s t i n g , i f p o s s i b l e , i n t h eB e r g e y f o r r e f e r e n c e o n m a t t e r s

d i s p u t e a n d f o r u n u s u a l a n d d i f f i c u l t

D . C . E . SPELLER

e G r a n u l o c y t e : F u n c t i o n a n d C l i n i c a le d i t e d b y T . J . G r e e n w a l t a n d

A . J a m i e s o n . P r o g r e s s i n C l i n i c a l a n dR e s e a r c h , V o l . 1 3 . ( P p . x i i i

3 4 1 ; i l l u s t r a t e d ; $ 3 0 . ) New Y o r k :

R . L i s s . 1 9 7 7 .

b o o k i s t h e p r o c e e d i n g s o f t h eN a t i o n a l Red C r o s s 8 t h

S c i e n t i f i c S y m p o s i u m h e l d i n M ay

I t d r a w s t o g e t h e r t h e e x p e r i e n c e o fe m a j o r , p r e d o m i n a n t l y A m e r i c a n ,

e n g a g e d i n t h e s t u d y o f t h ea n d t h e c l i n i c a l a p p l i c a t i o n o f

t r a n s f u s i o n s . T h e i n i t i a lc o v e r , i n s o m e d e t a i l , t h e b e -

i o u r o f b o t h n o r m a l a n d a b n o r m a lf r o m d i f f e r e n t i a t i o n a n d

f r o m t h e marrow t o t h e i r f u n c t i o n sl e u k o t a x i s , p h a g o c y t o s i s , a n d b a c t e r i a l

A f t e r a s h o r t s e c t i o n b e a r i n g w i t -t o t h e f a c t t h a t m a t u r e g r a n u l o c y t e s

e a t p r e s e n t e x t r e m e l y d i f f i c u l t t o s t o r er p r o l o n g e d p e r i o d s , t h e f i n a l t h i r d o f t h e

i s c o n c e r n e d w i t h some a s p e c t s o fa n d t r a n s f u s i o n o f n o r m a lA l l t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s s e e m

o f t h e v a l u e o f s u c h t r a n s -a n d t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f t h i s s e c t i o n

n o t s o much i n t h e a n s w e r s g i v e n a s i ne f a c t t h a t t h e r i g h t q u e s t i o n s a r e b e i n g

T h e s e i n c l u d e t h e c o n c e r n w i t h

c o l l e c t i o n m e t h o d s , p a r t i c u l a r l yl e u k a p h e r e s i s w h i c h a t p r e s e n t

i n s i g n i f i c a n t g r a n u l o c y t e d a m a g e .

a d d i t i o n , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o know hows e l e c t t h o s e p a t i e n t s f r o m w h om

t r a n s f u s i o n i s m o s t l i k e l y t o

j u s t i f y t h e e x p e n s e a n d l a b o u r i n v o l v e d i nt h e i r c o l l e c t i o n a n d w h a t i n f l u e n c e , i f a n y ,

t e s t i n g f o r h i s t o c o m p a t i b i l i t y a n d l e u c o -c y t e a n t i b o d i e s h a s o n t h e c l i n i c a l e f f e c t i v e -n e s s o f t h e s e c e l l s . I n t h i s s e c t i o n I f o u n d a

c o n t r i b u t i o n o n n e u t r o p h i l a n t i g e n s b y

L a l e z a r i p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t e r e s t i n g .A s i n g l e v o l u m e d e a l i n g , a s t h i s d o e s ,

w i t h o u r c u r r e n t u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t h eg r a n u l o c y t e f r o m b o t h e x p e r i m e n t a l a n d

c l i n i c a l v i e w p o i n t s i s t i m e l y . I t s u f f e r sf r o m t h e i n e v i t a b l e p r o b l e m s o f p u b l i s h -i n g a c o n f e r e n c e p r oc e e d i n g s i n t h a t t h e r ei s s o m e d u p l i c a t i o n o f i n f o r m a t i o n w h i l e

o t h e r a s p e c t s a r e i n a d e q u a t e l y c o v e r e d .

P a r t s o f i t make f o r r a t h e r h e a v y r e a d i n g ,a n d t h e m e t h o d o f d i v i s i o n a c c o r d i n g t os u b j e c t i s n o t e n t i r e l y l o g i c a l . H o w e v e r ,

t h e s p e e d o f p u b l i c a t i o n i s s u c h t h a t i t w i l ln o t b e t o o o u t d a t e d y e t , a n d i t c ou l d b e

u s e f u l f o r t h o s e i n t e r e s t e d i n g r a n u l o c y t e sw a n t i n g i n f o r m a t i o n o n w o r k o u t s i d et h e i r own i m m e d i a t e f i e l d . T h e r e m a y ,

h o w e v e r , b e c h e a p e r w a y s o f o b t a i n i n g t h es a m e i n f o r m a t i o n .

J . A . RU S SELL

R e c e n t A d v a n c e s i n H a e m a t o l o g y N o . 2 .E d i t e d b y A . V . H o f f b r a n d , M. C . B r a i n ,a n d J . H i r s h . ( P p . x i i + 4 7 8 ; i l l u s t r a t e d ;£ 1 6 - 0 0 . ) E d i n b u r g h , L o n d o n , New Y o r k :C h u r c h i l l L i v i n g s t o n e . 1 9 7 7 .

T h i s s u b s t a n t i a l l y e n l a r g e d s e c o n d e d i t i o no f t h e s u c c e s s f u l R e c e n t A d v a n c e s i nH a e m a t o l o g y n ow h a s t h r e e e d i t o r s a n d 3 5

c o n t r i b u t o r s . I t c o m p r i s e s a h i g h - p o w e r e dr e v i e w o f m a j o r a d v a n c e s i n h a e m a t o l o g ys i n c e t h e f i r s t e d i t i o n a p p e a r e d i n 1 9 7 1 .T h e t o p i c s s e l e c t e d i n c l u d e e i g h t c h a p t e r so n o n c o l o g y , s i x on h a e m o s t a s i s , a n d f o u ro n t h e r e d c e l l ; a d d i t i o n a l c h a p t e r s d e a lw i t h l e u c o c y t e s , s t e m c e l l s , a n d b o n e m a r -

row t r a n s p l a n t a t i o n .T h e b o o k i s a n i m p o r t a n t s o u r c e o f

r e f e r e n c e f o r t h e e s t a b l i s h e d h a e m a t o l o g i s t

a n d s e n i o r t r a i n e e . T h e e d i t o r s a n dc o n t r i b u t o r s h a v e a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l r e p u -

t a t i o n a n d d e a l w i t h t h e i r a r e a s o f s p e c i a l i s ti n t e r e s t t o a h i g h a n d u n i f o r m s t a n d a r d o fp r e s e n t a t i o n . The t e x t i s p a c k e d w i t h

i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h i n a v e r y e f f i c i e n t l a y o u t ,a n d t h e r e i s a n e x t e n s i v e b i b l i o g r a p h y .S e v e r a l o f t h e c h a p t e r s a r e p a r t i c u l a r l yu s e f u l i n b r i n g i n g t o g e t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n

w h i c h h a s n o t p r e v i o u s l y b e e n a v a i l a b l e i nr e v i e w f o r m .

C o n s i d e r a b l e p r e v i o u s k n o w l e d g e a n d a

l o t o f c o n c e n t r a t i o n a r e r e q u i r e d t o g a i nmaximum b e n e f i t f r o m t h e t e x t ; t h e e f f o r t

i s w o r t h w h i l e , h o w e v e r , b e c a u s e o f t h ei m p o r t a n c e o f t h e t o p i c s p r e s e n t e d a n dt h e - c a l i b r e o f t h e c o n t r i b u t o r s .

J . S T U A R T

B a s i c T e c h n i q u e s i n D i a g n o s t i c H i s t o -

p a t h o l o g y . B y A l e x a n d e r K e n n e d y . ( P p .x + 1 1 7 ; i l l u s t r a t e d ; £ 3 - 5 0 . ) E d i n b u r g h ,L o n d o n , New Y o r k : C h u r c h i l l L i v i n g -s t o n e . 1 9 7 7 .

T h i s i s n o t a n o t h e r h i s t o l o g i c a l ' c o o kb o o k ' . I t i s c o n c e r n e d w i t h h i s t o p a t h o l o g ys p e c i m e n s b e f o r e t h e c u t t i n g a n d s t a i n i n gs t a g e s - d o c u m e n t a t i o n , r e c o r d i n g o f g r o s sf i n d i n g s , a n d t h e b e s t m e t h o d s f o r f i x a t i o na n d s e l e c t i o n o f t i s s u e b l o c k s f o r a l l t y p e so f m i c r o s c o p i c a l e x a m i n a t i o n . T h e c u t - u po f s u r g i c a l s p e c i m e n s i s d e s c r i b e d i n s o m ed e t a i l , a n d a l t h o u g h m o s t t e c h n i q u e s a r e

w e l l a c c e p t e d , t h e a u t h o r a d m i t s t h a t n o ta l l w i l l b e a p p r o p r i a t e t o e v e r y l a b o r a t o r y .T h e s e l a b o r a t o r y p r a c t i c e s a r e i n h e r i t e d b yj u n i o r t e c h n i c i a n s a n d t r a i n e e p a t h o l o g i s t sf r o m t h e i r t e a c h e r s b y w o r d o f m o u t h , b u ta s l a b o r a t o r y s t a f f s h a v e g r o w n , c o m -m u n i c a t i o n h a s b e c o m e m o r e d i f f i c u l t , a n dt h e r e i s a r e a l n e e d f o r t h i s b o o k . I f e v e r y

e m b r y o t e c h n i c i a n a n d p a t h o l o g i s t r e a d s

t h i s b o o k i n t h e f i r s t w e e k o f c o n c e p t i o n ,i t w i l l a v o i d w a s t e o f t i m e a n d t i s s u e a n dw i l l p r e v e n t l a b o r a t o r y e r r o r s . A s t r o n g l yr e c o m m e n d e d e v e n i n g ' s r e a d i n g .

R . A . B . DRURY

B l o o d G r o u p S e r o l o g y . T h e o r y , T e c h n i -q u e s , P r a c t i c a l A p p l i c a t i o n s , 5 t h e d i t i o n .By K a t h l e e n E . B o o r m a n , B a r b a r a E .

' l q . d d , a n d P . J . L i n c o l n . ( P p . 4 9 5 ;i l l u s t r a t e d ; £ 1 2 - 0 0 . ) E d i n b u r g h , L o n d o n ,New Y o r k : C h u r c h i l l L i v i n g s t o n e . 1 9 7 7 .

T h e f i f t h e d i t i o n o f ' B o o r m a n a n d D o d d 'h a s a c q u i r e d a t h i r d a u t h o r , Dr P . J .L i n c o l n , a n d h a s d r o p p e d i t s f o r m e r t i t l e' A n I n t r o d u c t i o n t o B l o o d G r o u pS e r o l o g y ' ; r i g h t l y s o , t h i s i s no i n t r o -

d u c t i o n . I t p r o v i d e s m o r e t h a n s u f f i c i e n ti n f o r m a t i o n , p a r t i c u l a r l y r e g a r d i n g s e r o -l o g i c a l t e c h n i q u e s , f o r a n y t e c h n i c i a n o r

s c i e n c e g r a d u a t e w o r k i n g i n a b l o o d t r a n s -f u s i o n l a b o r a t o r y , o r a n y p a t h o l o g yt r a i n e e s t u d y i n g f o r t h e f i n a l o f t h eMRCPath i n h a e m a t o l o g y a n d b l o o dt r a n s f u s i o n . A f t e r a s o m e w h a t s h a k yb e g i n n i n g t h e a u t h o r s d e s c r i b e , i n w e l c o m ed e t a i l , t e c h n i q u e s t h e y h a v e f o u n d r e l i a b l ei n a l i f e t i m e o f e x p e r i e n c e i n t h i s f i e l d . I t i sn o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t t h e f o r e n s i c a s p e c t so f b l o o d g r o u p w o r k a r e p a r t i c u l a r l ya u t h o r i t a t i v e , b u t s o i s t h e c h a p t e r on