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Writing for Health Professionals by Philip Burnard. Chapman and Hall, London, 1996, 2nd edn (ISBN 0 412 71980 0). 237pages. f14.99.

The blurb on the jacket ofjust about every manual on writing for health professions s tar ts off with a hack- neyed statement like the one on the cover of this book: ‘Writing is a n essential part of every health profes- sional’s job.’ It is not a n empty phrase but it is so self-evident and the need for advice is so widespread that this book has run to a second edition. As a reviewer, when you read in the‘ blurb on the back cover a quotation from your own review of the first edition, not unnaturally, you search out the original review to see if you were unreservedly flattering or if the publishers had selected a remark tha t denied a curate’s egg.

Being quoted somehow also gives you the right to be critical without the analgesic statements. In this case: Do the examples in this expanded edition support the existing chapters (on buying a computer and writing with it; keeping databases; and writing essays, theses, dissertations, arti- cles and books) and enhance them? Does the new material (about writing second editions and reviews and preparing a proposal for an edited book) help me to write this review and assist me with a project? And, indeed, has the author noted my criticisms and taken my advice?

According to the Italian corre- spondent of the Times Higher Education Supplement (January 3, 1997) Italian academics not only photocopy pages from books without permission but sell them to students as well. A nice little earner! If it would not breach the laws of copyright and plagiarism, I would photocopy the first chapter ‘Writing: The basics’ for students. It is a good beginning, about style of writing and use of jargon.

In the introduction, Dr Burnard admonishes would-be authors to write simply. But I don’t think he quotes Wittgenstein with a sense of irony: ‘What can be said at all can be said clearly and whereof one cannot speak thereof one must be silent.’ Thank heavens Dr Burnard’s prose is less tortured!

‘Writing: A personal view’, a new

chapter, dictates the style of the book. The author is a nurse-acad- emic who has written extensively on the writing process and the whole book is quite obviously his personal view written in a very personal way. It is, as they say of football matches, a book of two halves, but without any properly structured interval. The first half is detailed, even overly prescriptive, preparation to write and the second half is about writing different types of documents.

His prescriptive approach to computers is as irritating in this edition as in the first, given tha t the incompatibility between word processors is a s much if not more of a barrier than incompatibility between formats (ie I can read a variety of software files from IBM discs on my trusty Apple Power- Book tha t our up-graded Wind- ows-based university IBM computer refuses to acknowledge). His fixed personal view prevents him from presenting a good example of critical appraisal by offering pros and cons of different formats and applications.

Dr Burnard took my advice (?) and included a section on the bibli- ography-maker Endnote Plus but has hidden i t among Dictionaries and Utilities for when everything crashes in ‘Other programmes for the writer’ (page 17) when ‘Storing bibliographic references’ (page 72) is in the chapter on databases. Why spend all tha t time custom- ising a general database when reference managers do it for you? Endnote Plus reference cards allow you to input abstracts and notes without all the pfaff of setting up database fields. More than that, you can add a new reference to an article without upsetting the Vancouver numbering system (page 109) or the Harvard alphabetic listing. Tackled properly, his preferred customised database, Endnote Plus, and other reference and note managers would be discussed in one coherent chapter.

I feel very ambivalent about the book. On the one hand, the chapters on writing articles and particularly on referencing should be compulsory reading. On the other hand, trans- forming oral conference presen- tations to written articles is a conspicuous omission and some parts of the chapters on writing different types of documents are

more packing than content. Here, instructional guidelines are helpful but, for example, ‘Writing reviews’ does not provide seal advice to get you going. Such vagueness is a waste of trees.

Essentially, this is the same book- shelf manual as before with some enhancements and additions. To answer my own questions: Yes, the new examples support and enhance existing chapters. Some new mate- rial is helpful, some is not. As for taking my advice, tha t would be guessing! All in all, I can do no better than repeat that quotation on the back cover: ‘Readable and infor- mative ... a useful addition to the departmental bookshelf for novices to dip into as they feel the need to write.’

Anne Parry PhD MCSP DipTP

Winning The Publications Game How to get published without neglecting your patients

by Tim Albert. Radcliffe Medical Press, Oxford and New York, 1996 (ISBN I a5775 183 3). roo pages. €15.

Because the author is a good communicator and has experience of teaching the subject of his book, this compact volume is readable and instructive. Do not be put off by its title. I t is in fact not archly jokey.

Philosophically one should regret tha t in concentrating on scientific writing from the author’s view- point it does not sufficiently stress tha t the justification for scientific writing is to promote knowledge and help practitioners in a particular field. Indeed, Albert is cynically frank. There is no need to be embar- rassed tha t the most common motive for wanting to write is to advance your career, he reassures. ‘This is a fact of contemporary life. . . . Whether you approve of it or not is irrelevant.’ These sentiments are endorsed in the foreword by Dr Richard Smith, editor of the British Medical Journal.

The author describes his text as ‘one of those motivational books’, He divides the process of writing into ‘ten easy steps’, and offers advice in short, progressive chapters with brief notes on what should have been learnt. The advice is sensible and simple (‘only one message per article’, for instance) and extends

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to practical problems of modern scientific writing, like relationships with co-authors.

‘Och laddie, you’ve got to have impact in tha t first paragraph, in the first word if ye can,’ was the Scottish editor of the Dartmouth Chronicle’s first advice to cub reporter Derek Lambert, quoted in Don’t Quote M e . . . But. Editors of the B M J (and Physiotherapy) and their assessors and their readers take the same view. As Albert states: ‘As a general principle the first sentence should act as a hook. If readers don’t read the first sentence, then they are unlikely to read the second’. He does go on to point out that the first sentence in a scientific paper gives the back- ground to the ‘story’ ra ther than

(as with popular journalism) its essence.

This manual seeks to cover all points, including setting out refer- ences and acknowledgments, and how to write an abstract and the title. (‘Wait until your article is complete before even thinking about writing the title.’)

The final sections deal with coping with acceptance and coping with rejection. For the encourage- ment of those who have to face the latter, Albert might usefully have included the rejection slip which Jimmy Young’s agent received early in his career: ‘We regret to have to inform you that, in our opinion, Mr Young will never be broadcasting material.’

Laurence Dopson

Understanding the Human Body by Phil Tate, Rod R Steeley and Trent D Stephens. Mosby Year Book Inc, St Louis, Missisippi. Available through McGra w Hill, Shoppen Langers Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3PN, 1994 (ISBN 0 8106 71973). 416pages. f16.99.

Much more than a textbook, Under- standing the Human Body provides a problem-based self-learning frame- work for students to gain a thor- ough understanding of the subject matter. Throughout the book, major conceptual themes emphasise the relationship between structure and function of the body and the regu- lation of homoeostasis. Parcels of information are presented followed by testing and retesting by a variety of mechanisms to ensure tha t knowledge gained is consolidated.

The chapter structure is consis- tent and colour-coded to facilitate student learning. Each chapter frontispiece has a list of key terms (pink titling) to be covered in the text, and a list of objectives which are learning goals, directing students to focus on the key issues presented in the chapter.

Tables, clearly identified by their biscuit-coloured headings and yellow background to the text, are often directly related to one or more of the chapter objectives. For example, in chapter 7, objective 7 requires listing of the major muscle groups of the body with the function of the main muscle of the group. Tables on pages 104,107,108 and

110 identify main muscle groups and actions of the muscles of the head and neck, trunk, upper limb and lower limb respectively. In chapter 13, tables on pages 214 and 218 relate to objectives 4 and 5 .

Explanatory texts, which the authors describe as understanding essays, are identified by a green disc and the page numbers on which they appear are given. These provide more detailed examination of the important topics studied in the chapter and may include clinical applications, for example an expla- nation of pain mechanisms, diabetes or an outline of disorders of muscle tissue.

Self-tests (predict) are found at various points in the text, marked by a yellow disc. They present problem-based questions of vary- ing complexity on the immediately preceding concept covered, and are designed to use analysis, synthesis and evaluation to enhance under- standing and help consolidate knowledge. They also help students answer the concept review ques- tions a t the end of the chapter. Answers are presented in appendix B to enable students to check the accuracy of learning.

Illustrations are in colour, well drawn, relate closely to the text and bear explanatory captions that are clear and relevant.

The page layout is varied, which stimulates readers to assimilate the type of knowledge presented. For

example, the main text is two columns to the page on a white background, whereas the explana- tory texts are printed in three columns on a green background. Initially, the number of colours used could be distracting, but their value is soon recognised. For the reader with understanding of the basic text, perusal of the green texts will broaden understanding.

At the end of each chapter, the summary indentifies the concepts covered, followed by content review where questions presented require a systematic summary of the chapter content and a concept review in which the application of concepts studied is required. Finally, two types of self-test are presented; the first is statement matching and the second, sentence completion. The answers to these are given in appendix C.

The range of content meets the needs of students in health care professions, covering not only the traditional range of anatomy and physiology required but also consid- ering the basics of biochemistry and genetics with a final chapter on infectious diseases. The glossary presents clear descriptions of the terms presented in the text, with pronunciation assistance for the majority of the words listed.

The level of detail presented will not satisfy the specialist know- ledge required in any clinical area. However, the purpose of the book is to give understanding of the func- tion of the human body and I have seen no other text that accomplishes this mission so effectively. It would be of particular benefit t o potential students for whom English is not their first language.

Although the book is well con- structed, with pages firmly attach- ed to the spine, the cover is rela- tively flimsy and would readily be damaged with frequent use. Despite this, I consider it would be of use to all students entering healthcare courses, providing them with a thorough background know- ledge which will support the more specialised information required in several areas. Supplementary texts, overhead projection acetates and videos which support the text can be purchased separately.

Marian E Tidswell MA FCSP ONC DipTP

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