1
700 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY APRIL, 1975 panded. It outlines treatment from a disease- classified viewpoint instead of from the drug- classified presentation previously provided. The essential format of this edition has not changed from earlier ones. Chapters are devoted to the pharmacology of individual agents, considered alphabetically. Both the photographs and the diagrams continue to be excellent. Each one clarifies the subject pre- sented. The text can be used as a reference text or as a safe and rewarding way to learn the subject of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics. The book is remarkable in that a student or resident will find the material so informative that he will be stimulated to con- tinue learning more concerning pharmacol- ogy with a feeling of being well grounded in the fundamentals. No doubt the patients of such a practitioner will be fortunate. IRVING H. LEOPOLD L'ELECTRO-DIAGNOSTIC DES AFFECTIONS RÉ- TINIENNES. By J. François, A. De Rouck, E. Cambie, and A. Zanen. Paris, Masson et Cie, 1974. Paperbound, 494 pages, in- dex, 195 black and white figures. $34.40 This text is a good synopsis of the forms of electrical activity recorded from the ret- ina and their use in the clinical situation. Particularly excellent are the reviews of the early receptor potential, the electroretino- gram, and the electro-oculogram which make up the first half of the book. The chapters on these three topics are succinct and provide a thorough distillate of the literature, both clinical and basic. Although each of these tests possesses features which are as yet undefined, these areas of uncertainty are well presented and the reader is made aware of those aspects requiring further studies. The last half of the book, however, does not approach the standard of the first half, since the authors present a cursory survey of the various generalized retinal degenera- tions, the congenital functional abnormali- ties, macular degenerations, atypical forms of retinitis pigmentosa, and a potpourri of disorders, arranged in a random manner. Perhaps this portion of the book suffers when compared with two other much better- organized clinical works covering similar material, Les Heredo-Degenerescences Chorioretiennes, by Franceschetti and as- sociates, and the Hereditary Dystrophies of the Eye, by Deutman. While many of the illustrations are ex- cellent (especially those reproduced from other articles), the electroretinograms pre- sented as personal observations are often poor, overcrowded with tracings, and they do not give sufficient information in the legend, often lack a calibration signal, and in many instances contain faulty portions of the record in the area of interest. Despite these criticisms the overall impres- sion of the book is favorable because of the excellent early sections and the superb bib- liography. Little in the recent literature has escaped the authors' notice and for this type of compendium one must be grateful. The book is in French, which may limit its audi- ence in the United States ; one only wishes it were translated into English. RONALD E. CARR CURRENT CONCEPTS IN CATARACT SURGERY. SELECTED PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD BIENNIAL CATARACT SURGICAL CONGRESS. Edited by Jared M. Emery and David Paton. St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1974. Clothbound, 431 pages, table of contents, index, 241 black and white figures. $29.50 The Welsh Cataract Surgical Congress has become a standard medical meeting. The many topics and speakers, the candid opinions, and the vigor of attack and defense of opinions make the meeting a sparkle. Rather than a passive audience there are hundreds of eager surgeons awaiting the op- portunity to describe the variations in tech- nique which they have found effective. This book thus provides the comments of

L'Electro-Diagnostic des Affections Rétiniennes

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700 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY APRIL, 1975

panded. It outlines treatment from a disease-classified viewpoint instead of from the drug-classified presentation previously provided.

The essential format of this edition has not changed from earlier ones. Chapters are devoted to the pharmacology of individual agents, considered alphabetically. Both the photographs and the diagrams continue to be excellent. Each one clarifies the subject pre­sented. The text can be used as a reference text or as a safe and rewarding way to learn the subject of ocular pharmacology and therapeutics. The book is remarkable in that a student or resident will find the material so informative that he will be stimulated to con­tinue learning more concerning pharmacol­ogy with a feeling of being well grounded in the fundamentals. No doubt the patients of such a practitioner will be fortunate.

IRVING H. LEOPOLD

L'ELECTRO-DIAGNOSTIC DES AFFECTIONS RÉ­TINIENNES. By J. François, A. De Rouck, E. Cambie, and A. Zanen. Paris, Masson et Cie, 1974. Paperbound, 494 pages, in­dex, 195 black and white figures. $34.40

This text is a good synopsis of the forms of electrical activity recorded from the ret­ina and their use in the clinical situation. Particularly excellent are the reviews of the early receptor potential, the electroretino-gram, and the electro-oculogram which make up the first half of the book. The chapters on these three topics are succinct and provide a thorough distillate of the literature, both clinical and basic. Although each of these tests possesses features which are as yet undefined, these areas of uncertainty are well presented and the reader is made aware of those aspects requiring further studies.

The last half of the book, however, does not approach the standard of the first half, since the authors present a cursory survey of the various generalized retinal degenera­tions, the congenital functional abnormali­ties, macular degenerations, atypical forms

of retinitis pigmentosa, and a potpourri of disorders, arranged in a random manner. Perhaps this portion of the book suffers when compared with two other much better-organized clinical works covering similar material, Les Heredo-Degenerescences Chorioretiennes, by Franceschetti and as­sociates, and the Hereditary Dystrophies of the Eye, by Deutman.

While many of the illustrations are ex­cellent (especially those reproduced from other articles), the electroretinograms pre­sented as personal observations are often poor, overcrowded with tracings, and they do not give sufficient information in the legend, often lack a calibration signal, and in many instances contain faulty portions of the record in the area of interest.

Despite these criticisms the overall impres­sion of the book is favorable because of the excellent early sections and the superb bib­liography. Little in the recent literature has escaped the authors' notice and for this type of compendium one must be grateful. The book is in French, which may limit its audi­ence in the United States ; one only wishes it were translated into English.

RONALD E. CARR

CURRENT CONCEPTS IN CATARACT SURGERY. SELECTED PROCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD BIENNIAL CATARACT SURGICAL CONGRESS. Edited by Jared M. Emery and David Paton. St. Louis, C. V. Mosby, 1974. Clothbound, 431 pages, table of contents, index, 241 black and white figures. $29.50

The Welsh Cataract Surgical Congress has become a standard medical meeting. The many topics and speakers, the candid opinions, and the vigor of attack and defense of opinions make the meeting a sparkle. Rather than a passive audience there are hundreds of eager surgeons awaiting the op­portunity to describe the variations in tech­nique which they have found effective.

This book thus provides the comments of