J Clin Pathol: first published as 10.1136/jcp.40.12.1491-d on 1 December 1987. Downloaded from

Book reviews 1491 Mesothelioma. Diagnosis and Management. astrocytomas, ependymomas, pineal Fetal and Neonatal Pathology. Ed Jean W CF Kittle. (Pp 106; £34.) Wolfe Medical tumours, etc., are then reviewed, but the Keeling. (Pp 590; 587 figs.; £99.) Springer. Publications Ltd. 1987. ISBN 0-8151- contributions are uneven and a central 1987. ISBN 0-387-16211-9. 5095-4. concept fails to emerge. Aspects of pathol- ogy, diagnosis, prognosis and therapy are This 28 chapter book edited by Jean Keeling This is a good little book which ironically briefly and haphazardly covered. provides a very clear and concise cover ofthe suffers from the preface and first two chap- The standard of illustration is high, as is subject but with particular emphasis on ters being sufficiently good to make it almost the price of the book. At £135 it is greatly common important problems facing a unnecessary to read the rest. The chapters overpriced. neonatal pathologist. It is a well set out book on imaging and treatment will be of value to PL LANTOS reflecting the editor's knowledge on the anyone reading for examinations but too subject. This book becomes available at a short for those who have to deal with cases. most opportune time because neonatal There is however a good up to date reference Immunopathology of the Skin. 3rd ed. Ed EH paediatrics is an expanding field, in part due list. Beutner, TP Chorzelski, V Kumar. (Pp 769; to rapid progression in prenatal diagnosis The pathology and epidemiology are £78.) John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 1987. ISBN and more sophisticated treatment of very dealt with very well, I have never read better. 0-471-84074-2. premature babies. It is questionable whether the price of £34 The first half of the book covers general represents good value for the 30 pages This is the third edition of a book which is important subjects with an excellent descrip- involved, especially as the information on regarded by many as standard reference text tion of how to perform a perinatal necro- diagnostic pathology is readily available in for those who practise diagnostic immuno- scopy, with an appendix on normal recent journals. dermatology and run immunofluorescence histology at different stages of development. DJ POLLOCK services for the diagnosis of bullous disease It discusses problems related to first and and lupus erythematosus. The book has second trimester of pregnancy and then steadily grown in size with successive continues with the latter half of pregnancy. editions and we now have a book divided I feel the first 15 chapters will be ofparticular into four main sections. The first is the guide help to those not as familiar with the subject Intracranial Tumors in Infancy and to diagnostic immunofluorescence, the and provide direction in tackling problems Childhood. Basic Research, Diagnosis and second contains a lot of new information of such as a fetus with a prenatal suspicion of Treatment. Progress in Experimental Tumor bullous diseases including information on congenital abnormality, a macerated still-by copyright. Research. Vol 30. Eds N Kageyama, K some of the rarer bullous diseases, the third birth or intrapartum asphyxia, just to Takakura, F Epstein, HJ Hoffman, L Schut. is devoted exclusively to connective tissue mention some. (Pp 374; £135.) Karger. 1987. ISBN diseases, and the fourth is devoted to a The second half of the book is system 3-8055-4436-7. mixed collection of dermatoses with orientated and covers, in detail, all the major important immunohistological findings. systems with the initial part of each chapter This is a disappointing book. The interest in This includes the wart virus immu- giving a quick description of the develop- childhood brain tumours is great, as they are nopathology, lichen planus, keratinocyte ment of those particular organs. the second commonest malignancy after the cytoplasmic antibodies, immunopathology I feel this book is an absolute necessity for leukaemia-lymphoma group. They also of graft versus host disease, and other prob- any department providing a neonatal present a wide histological spectrum and lems. pathology service and others involved in biological behaviour ranging from benign to The bulk of the book is written by the neonatal paediatrics will also find it a http://jcp.bmj.com/ the highly malignant. Some of them, includ- editors who express in the introduction their valuable reference. ing medulloblastomas and neuroblastomas, gratitude to Professor Jablonska. It is well HELENE C REES are capable of differentiation and thus could written but at this point in time it is interest- give a clue to their derivation and evolution. ing to speculate just how long immuno- Recent developments in molecular biology fluorescence rather than immunoperoxidase have shown oncogene expression in some of will remain the diagnostic laboratory tech- Yearbook of Hematology 1987. Ed JL these neoplasms: neuroblastomas and reti- nique for bullous disease and lupus Spivak. (Pp Wolfe 372; £34.) Medical Publi- on September 30, 2021 by guest. Protected noblastomas have been extensively studied. erythematosus. At present this is really a cations Ltd. 1987. ISBN 0-8151-8325-9. It is therefore surprising that this book historical accident and it will be interesting disappoints the reader's expectation and to see if over the next few years laboratories The Year Book series has been produced for does not do justice to an exciting field of do not move more to the permanent a number of years covering a wide range of neuro-oncology. The book is, in fact, a immunoperoxidase preparations. Similarly, medical topics. This is the first ofa new series collection of papers delivered at the First looking at the field of indirect immuno- dealing with haematology. The aim of the International Symposium on Paediatric fluorescence on serum samples, one wonders book is to provide scientists and clinicians Neuro-oncology, held in November 1985 in how far away we are from a radioimmuno- with a wide ranging survey of the world Toba, Japan. assay. literature relating to haematological topics. There is a section on basic research and a This book is useful and should be avail- The editor achieves this by selecting single chapter on pathology and classific- able for bench reference in the laboratory of multiple abstracts of original articles from ation. Under the section heading "General all those who carry out diagnostic immuno- medicaljournals and including expert assess- diagnosis and treatment", there is only a fluorescence on dermatological prepara- ment as to the importance and relevance of single paper on medical imaging. Major tions. each article. groups of neoplasms, medulloblastomas, RONA M MACKIE The papers are grouped in chapters which