BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS OF THE COMPLEX HAND AND FOOT. Rheumatology: An Annual Review, Vol.11. 3rd Congress and General Assembly of the European Rheumatoid Arthritis Surgical Society (ERASS), Heinola, June 27-29, 1985, Publisher: S. Karger, AG P.O. Box, Ch-4009 Basel. Editor: F. W. Hagena, Munchen. Price: U.S. $98.50. Pages: 190.

The Review published in the October 1987 issue of the Journal of Hand Surgery, was prepared by Mr. Stewart H. Harrison.

SINGLE SURGICAL PROCEDURES-41. A Colour Atlas of Joint Replacement of the Wrist and Hand. D. C. Ferlic, M. L. Clayton and J. L. Clayton. Wolfe Medical Publications, London. 1987. ISBN: 0723410518. Price: E17.00.

This book has been produced as part of the Single Surgical Procedures Series published by Wolfe Medical Publications Ltd. and has attempted to provide a clear and concise guide to the important surgical steps in the replacement of the metacarpophalangeal joint, the proximal interphalangeal joint and the trapezium. These are in fact descriptions of the silastic implant but contain an excellent section on the rehabilitation.

The layout of the book is extremely easy to follow and there is no doubt that a great deal of care has gone into the presentation of the maximum amount of information with the minimum number of words so that each caption is a wealth of information.

I thought in the copy that I read the quality of the photographs wasn’t quite up to the Wolfe very high standard and one or two were a little dark. However, this is a minor criticism as I feel the content of the book is deceptively simple and I would recommend that this book be used as an aide memoire for those surgeons who perform these operations relatively infrequently, and for those surgeons whose practice includes a significant number of these implants. This book is an excellent adjunct for the Registrar or Senior Registrar in his learning programme.

I find that Ferlic and Clayton have produced an excellent book that I would be pleased to have on my shelf and I would recommend that those who contemplate replacing the MCP, PIP or trapezium joints would be well advised to read this excellent book but, having said that, perhaps not feel too upset if their technique differs slightly.

One only slight criticism that I would make is that there is a picture of what Ferlic calls a “moderately bad hand” which I would regard as being a possible good candidate for synovectomy.

This book carries no detailed explanations but each statement is based on obviously wide experience. I would recommend the book very highly.

J. K. Stanley

VOL. 13-B No. 1 FEBRUARY 1988

THE PARALYSED HAND (BOOK 2): HAND AND UPPER LIMB SERIES Editor: Douglas Lamb. Publisher: Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, London, Melbourne and New York. 1987. Price: f42.00. Pages: 250. ISBN: 044303298X. This 250-page book is the second of a series of hand surgery publications commissioned and produced by Churchill Livingstone. Mr. Lamb has drawn together several well known authors to provide a comprehensive and authoritative review of the management of paralytic conditions in the hand.

The first section deals satisfactorily with evaluation, anatomy and pathophysiology. The second section deals with the common causes of paralysis. I found this section particularly valuable because the presentations include conditions whose management is less familiar to most surgeons. There are excellent concise chapters on brachial plexus injuries (obstetric as well as traumatic), tetraplegia, spasticity and leprosy, as well as the more common palsies arising from nerve division and compression.

Dr. Brand’s chapter on the biomechanics of tendon transfer will be a most valuable source of reference to the surgeon who occasionally transfers tendons. I think the decision to include a chapter on the management of pain in a presentation on paralysis was sensible and Dr. Omer’s contribution is informative and well referenced. The book closes with a chapter on the role of the therapist in the paralysed hand. If there is a criticism of this chapter, it must be that the contribution is too short! All chapters in the book are concise, but 12 pages of text seemed inadequate for such an important aspect of the management of the paralysed hand.

The book is easy to read. Not only is the presentation of the text and illustrations attractive, but the literary style of its multinational authors allows the information to be assimilated readily. I think this book, and indeed the series, is likely to sell well and I would recommend it to any surgeon with a strong interest in hand surgery, both for individual or library use.

Frank D. Burke

ORTHOPAEDICS: The Principles and Practice of Musculoskeletal surgery and fractures. Editors: S. P. F. Hughes, M. K. D. Benson, C. L. Colton. Publisher: Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, London, Melbourne and New York. 1987. Pages: 1077. This book fills a gap between the smaller undergraduate textbooks of orthopaedic surgery and the multi-volume, multi- author heavyweights. The contributors were asked to ‘isolate the principles that guide them in decision-making in orthopaedic surgery’ and the editors have succeeded in their aim of ‘linking basic science with diagnosis and treatment’. This approach fits in well with the arrangement of material, which is according to tissue, rather than the arrangement by region employed in most textbooks. However, the special features of the hand, the child’s lower limb and the spine are acknowledged by separate chapters for these areas.

The strengths of the book are its solid foundation in the scientific basis of orthopaedic surgery and the excellent

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