Surgeon" comes out very well-t1ier.e is a wealth of fact ancl infc~rrnatiorl. One has a few minor criticisms. I t is a pity that, having stated that a bruise is tec,hnically not a wound, bruises are thc first typc of' wounds to be discussed (p. 170); tlie conversion of urine etllanol levels to blood values is dealt wit11 very superficially a t p. 377. This reviewer feels sorne unease a t the fairly frcqtient implication that the Police Surgeon should offer care to his subjects; it is submitted, for example, that, if emergency treatrrlent is to be given a t the scene of a vehicular accident, then the doctor has been summoned in his rolc of general practitioner and not of Police Surgeon.

A strong editorial hand is shown by the evenness of the Chapters in quality. The book is dcscribcd in thc acknowledgements as a "labour of lovc" and, throughout, thcrc is a scnsc of afcction and cleclication to the s~.il~jecl. I t deserves great success.

J. K. MASON

HARE HAIR

Guide to the Identification of Animal Fibres H. 3f. rlpplqard (Leeds, ll/oul It~tfustries Keseczrch Association, 1978, 124b,b., L8.00,

Not many, if any, experienced forensic biologists will need an introduction to this book which has heen on the shelves of Forellsic Science Lahnratorics sincc the first edition was published in 19f-i0. Tl'herr remains a marked paucity of reference works on animal fibres, the subject of this review having been accepted by and largc as the standard rcfcrcncc work in many laboratories for several years.

The second edition follows exactly the sarrie layout as the first edition. Thc first section covcrs the struct~lral details of the fihre types alphal>ctically placed in tabular f'oi,rn. Perhaps more in the way of a true key is t.0 be pi,rfrrred in a book of this tvpc although with a little practicc one can rapidly screen all the fibre types listed. Excellent photographs illustrarc whole mounts, cross-sections arid scale patterns. I t is, of course, esserltial to lje at~lt. to corrtyare questioned hairs, after preliminary identification, with known animal hairs from a reference collection. The best of' photographs is no substitute fbr the real thing. Five riew fihres (chinchilla, giianaco, iriousr, wolf; yak) have h e n arlded it1 arl attempt to cover "all the animal fibres most likely to be encountercd". HOW- cvcr, an animal as common as the English hog mcrits only onc photograph as against seven photographs for h e pirie rnarten arid rlir~c for the seal.

Since there is a dearth of books containing an in-depth treatment of animal fibres this cvcrgrccn publication should maintain its position a t the top n S (he trer and maybe even increase its present not inconsiclerable following-. Unfortun- ately it would appcar that the stiff hard back version has givcn way to a cheaper hut more vutncrablc paper back cdition which cannot hope to srirvive the multiple Elandling likely- to be given it by forensic scientists.

M. FIIZ.I.H

.4 ME'I'ALLED ROAD TO TOXICITY

Clinical Chemistry and Chemical Toxicology of Metals Stanley S. h'rora~rr (Anisterrlam, Elsar~i~7,'~Vorth-Hollatld Hiornedtrt~l l ' r~ss , 1977, 398pp., L20)

This book (Volume 1 of a series called "Developmcnts in Toxicology and F,nvironmcntal Scicncc") is a selection of papers prcscntcd at a Symposi~im heId in March 1977 in Monte Carlo. I t was a f'c~rurn ILII, tlie interchange atlcl disse~riinatiori of current information on the clinical chemistry and toxicology of mctals, bringing togcthcr physicians and scientists from differeilt ciisciplines to preseen( a broad ar~ct balanced pcrspcctivc. Withir~ the limitations that. i t is a collection of research pap-rs, it has erribraced clinical and cpidemiological

case histories, sturlics of ccllular mechanisms, cnvironmcntal st~ldics and thc chernical analysis of tissue and body fluids. Such material, widely distributed throughout the scientific literature has bccn lvcll surveyed in thc tcxts of the eleven plenary leclux*es.

Inevitably tllucl-1 experimental work is corltirled to anir~lals but usef'uI hurrlan case histories of non-fatal chronic and acute poisonings for lead, zinc, cadmium, rrirrcury, nickel arid additional elements are given, the analytical stuclies therefore applying to blood and urine rather than tissue samples. Of value to the forensic toxicologist is the description of the course of a poisoning of which he sres but lhe final product if death ensues.

The growlh of the rnulti-element analysis of tissue in cases of sudden cleath as a screen for possible mctal involvement increases the probability of detecting an unusual level of an elcmcnt which is not of direct relevance in the case. The detection of gold in rheumatoid patients is an example, and hupefully this volumc will aid thc interpretation of such difficult cases.

This securely-bound and indexed volurne lias been well printed with good reproduction of the original typewritten manuscripts. I t is a useful addition to the laboratory dealing with fatal mctallic poisonings from time to time, partic- ularly cvhere the investigator hits needed to think morc dccply about some puzzling cases of unexplained sudden death.

JOHN LOCKE

Ah- OLD k'KIEZIL, KE?'UKNS

Homicide Investigation 3rd Ed. LP 2iL1uy?te Sriyrltr (Sprincqjield, Ill., C . C. Thon~as; 1977, 416pp., inrle.~, $19.50)

Dr. Snyder celebrates his eightieth birthday this ycar, and his book, in its third edition, is thirty. Both seer11 to Lr hvraririg runarkably well. "Snydcr" is written for coroners, police officers and other investigators, arid caters very well for its intended readers. The explanations are carefully and lucidly given, lay terms are uscrl whcrcver possible, and the advice which is given is always sound.

Thc specialist forcnsic scientist and pathologist would, of course, seek their detailed information elsrwher~e, but could still rcacl this book with profit, if only for the overview of the different problems faced by investigators in the U.S.A.

There are 20 cliapters, which covcr t11c standard causes of unnatural death. They are all adequate for the dt.clar.ed purpose of the book. 'The style is simple and familiar without being "racy". The boxed epigrams stand out clearly, and erripliasise tlic don'ts as much as, if not more than, thc do's.

The book is lavishly illustrated. Some of thr black and white prints arr obviously old friends-the cars and clothing revive memories of Eliot Ness and the Untuuchablcs. Howcver, they make their point clearly, and thcl-cforc justify their retention. The quality of the nlonochroine is excellent. The colour plates show some variation in tone, but achicvc their purpose.

I enjoyed reading thc book. I would have liked more detililecl articles on the battered child, abortion, infanticide and concealinent of birth. These are minor quibbles. Thc standard of production is high, no misprints jarred the cye, and t h r indcx is ;recur-ate.

This book will corltirlue lo en,joy success in the U.S.A. Huw well i t sells elsewhere will depend upon the price, but provided that is not excessive, it will bc a wo~.thwliile acldition to the libraries of police training collcgcs, law clepartrnerits, and some iridividual investigators.

M. GREEN