Book Review: Escourolle & Poirier Manual of Basic Neuropathology
Book Review: Escourolle & Poirier Manual of Basic Neuropathology
Gray F, De Girolami U, Poirier J, eds. Escourolle and Poirier Manual of Basic Neuropathology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004, 416 pp, $69.95.
Physicians-in-training will be delighted to have an updated, concise, well-written volume covering the essentials of modern neuropathology. This, the fourth edition, is the first written in English. Earlier editions were written in French and translated by the late Lucien Rubenstein, MD. During the years since the first edition in 1971, the text has evolved from a 2-author book to an edited, multiauthor, invited expert rendition. The text, however, has not lost its focus or value to individuals attempting to understand the diagnostic material of neuropathologists.
This is a short text. Brevity has taken precedence over clinical information, history, controversy, and references. The result is a consistently readable, expertly written, up-to-date book. It is not in any discernible manner a rewriting of earlier editions. With new authors come suitable new renditions of familiar topics plus some completely new material.
Although brief, the text is surprisingly complete. There were 11 chapters in the third edition; there are now 15. New chapters include prion diseases, acquired metabolic disorders, neuropathology of epilepsy, and diseases of the pituitary gland. The remaining chapters are devoted to basic pathology, neoplasms, vascular disease, degenerative diseases, infections, trauma, hereditary metabolic conditions, malformations and perinatal diseases, skeletal muscle, and peripheral nerve.
The chapters are organized in a pleasing way, and there are no evident omissions. An interesting organizational decision was the separation of (I think appropriately) the chapter on prion diseases from infections of the central nervous system. Each chapter contains well-digested essentials from a myriad of diseases known to neuropathologists. There is surprisingly little compromise of discussion except for the rarest of conditions. Also of note is a short appendix describing techniques including biopsy, tissue processing, and some special stains (with comments on artifacts). And to complement it all, the index is complete, of suitable length, and quite accurate.
One of the true strengths of the text is the illustrations. The gross photography and micrographs are extraordinary -- entirely updated to color. They are consistent in quality, ample for a short volume, judiciously selected, and tightly correlated with the text. Rare exceptions are micrographs of rarely used stains to illustrate minutiae suitable for a dedicated morphologist (eg, a Gallas silver stain demonstrating tufted and thorn astrocytes). I was surprised that an illustration of the types of cerebral hemorrhage depicting their location was described in the legend as showing the chief causes of cerebral hemorrhage.
The editors have done a commendable job of bringing consistency to the chapters. Generally, I think this was best accomplished when one of the editors was included as an author of the chapter. Notable exceptions to the consistency occur rarely. In the chapter on trauma, there is a discussion and table describing the recommended brain autopsy sampling and stains for evaluation of diffuse axonal injury (suitable for a neuropathologist). The chapter on degenerative diseases is written in a very traditional style -- summarization of major categories, classification of diseases, and relatively rigid reviews of gross and microscopic features for each class.
It is important to reiterate that the selected target is well met. To maintain brevity, as noted, all historic information is omitted. Citations are not included. Indeed, it is beyond the purpose of this text to function as a reference document. In place of citations is a brief bibliography at the conclusion of the book (unfortunately major topics are not represented here). Also missing are descriptions of the clinical aspects of the conditions. This serves the audience that I would most highly recommend this book to: physicians-in-training representing the neurologic diseases (neurosurgery, neurology, and psychiatry). Residents in pathology will find the brevity, completeness, and quality of illustrations strong, but they might lack the background to fill in the missing clinical descriptions.
Gray F, De Girolami U, Poirier J, eds. Escourolle and Poirier Manual of Basic Neuropathology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2004, 416 pp, $69.95.
Physicians-in-training will be delighted to have an updated, concise, well-written volume covering the essentials of modern neuropathology. This, the fourth edition, is the first written in English. Earlier editions were written in French and translated by the late Lucien Rubenstein, MD. During the years since the first edition in 1971, the text has evolved from a 2-author book to an edited, multiauthor, invited expert rendition. The text, however, has not lost its focus or value to individuals attempting to understand the diagnostic material of neuropathologists.
This is a short text. Brevity has taken precedence over clinical information, history, controversy, and references. The result is a consistently readable, expertly written, up-to-date book. It is not in any discernible manner a rewriting of earlier editions. With new authors come suitable new renditions of familiar topics plus some completely new material.
Although brief, the text is surprisingly complete. There were 11 chapters in the third edition; there are now 15. New chapters include prion diseases, acquired metabolic disorders, neuropathology of epilepsy, and diseases of the pituitary gland. The remaining chapters are devoted to basic pathology, neoplasms, vascular disease, degenerative diseases, infections, trauma, hereditary metabolic conditions, malformations and perinatal diseases, skeletal muscle, and peripheral nerve.
The chapters are organized in a pleasing way, and there are no evident omissions. An interesting organizational decision was the separation of (I think appropriately) the chapter on prion diseases from infections of the central nervous system. Each chapter contains well-digested essentials from a myriad of diseases known to neuropathologists. There is surprisingly little compromise of discussion except for the rarest of conditions. Also of note is a short appendix describing techniques including biopsy, tissue processing, and some special stains (with comments on artifacts). And to complement it all, the index is complete, of suitable length, and quite accurate.
One of the true strengths of the text is the illustrations. The gross photography and micrographs are extraordinary -- entirely updated to color. They are consistent in quality, ample for a short volume, judiciously selected, and tightly correlated with the text. Rare exceptions are micrographs of rarely used stains to illustrate minutiae suitable for a dedicated morphologist (eg, a Gallas silver stain demonstrating tufted and thorn astrocytes). I was surprised that an illustration of the types of cerebral hemorrhage depicting their location was described in the legend as showing the chief causes of cerebral hemorrhage.
The editors have done a commendable job of bringing consistency to the chapters. Generally, I think this was best accomplished when one of the editors was included as an author of the chapter. Notable exceptions to the consistency occur rarely. In the chapter on trauma, there is a discussion and table describing the recommended brain autopsy sampling and stains for evaluation of diffuse axonal injury (suitable for a neuropathologist). The chapter on degenerative diseases is written in a very traditional style -- summarization of major categories, classification of diseases, and relatively rigid reviews of gross and microscopic features for each class.
It is important to reiterate that the selected target is well met. To maintain brevity, as noted, all historic information is omitted. Citations are not included. Indeed, it is beyond the purpose of this text to function as a reference document. In place of citations is a brief bibliography at the conclusion of the book (unfortunately major topics are not represented here). Also missing are descriptions of the clinical aspects of the conditions. This serves the audience that I would most highly recommend this book to: physicians-in-training representing the neurologic diseases (neurosurgery, neurology, and psychiatry). Residents in pathology will find the brevity, completeness, and quality of illustrations strong, but they might lack the background to fill in the missing clinical descriptions.
