Journal of Infection (I988) I6, 313-315

B o o k r e v i e w s

z987 Year Book of Infectious Diseases. Francis P. Tally, Ed. (Pp. 284; £34.oo.) Yearbook Medical Publishers, Chicago, I987. Distributed by Wolfe Medical Publications, London.

For those unfamiliar with the genre, the Year Book series is a very particular form. It consists of brief summaries o f ' K e y ' publications from a range of journals. Many of the. papers have, in addition, a short annotation by one of the expert editors.

This is only the second appearance of a Year Book of Infectious Diseases. It covers the period to July I986 and is intended to keep one abreast of the literature but it was already I8 months old by the time I saw it.

The subject matter is divided into 1I chapters; the number of papers chosen in each section range from just four in the chapter on nosocomial infections, to 66 in the chapter dealing with bacterial infections. Other topics covered include the acquired immune deficiency syndrome, sexually transmitted diseases, paediatric infections, and infections in the compromised host. There are just over 2oo annotations altogether. The papers have been well chosen : there is a good mix of basic science versus clinical medicine as well as primary literature versus review articles. The annotations are most helpful when reading outside one's own field of interest. Some of the comments have a certain informality. Reviewing a paper on the antimalarial drug qinqhaosu, the writer notes: 'Th i s drug, used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries, is for real ! '

It seems to me that one could use this book in several ways. One might consult the subject index to learn what is new in a particular area, or else start with the list of authors to follow the exploits of one's colleagues. Finally, one could read whole sections as a means of catching up on developments in unfamiliar areas of the speciality.

' Current awareness' facilities are a rapidly growing area of medical publication and to some extent the choice is a matter of personal preference. I f the Year Book format appeals, then this b o o k - and its annual successors- is for you.

Jonathan Cohen

Food Poisoning and Food Hygiene. B. C. Hobbs and D. Roberts. (Pp. 372; £11.95.) Edward Arnold, London, 1987.

The fifth edition of this book comprehensively covers the causes of food borne diseases and the main aspects of hygiene involved in their prevention. It is up to date, well researched and in the main easy to read. There is a good chapter on elementary bacteriology and a clear account of the ways in which the various types of food poisoning may arise. This is accompanied by several helpful diagrams. Basic epidemiology includes a small section on outbreak analysis and on reporting systems. There are also brief descriptions of several outbreaks of food poisoning with a useful summary of recent ones.

Among many informative chapters there is one on microbiological standards; this mentions some of the problems, including those of sampling. Emphasis is placed on education and, for those wishing to teach others, there is an outline of lecture material which also provides a resum6 of many of the preceding chapters.

The book is well indexed and, although there are few specific references in the text,