BOOK REVIEW

Practical Biochemistry in Clinical Medicine by Prof. R. L. Nath, M.Sc., Ph.D. , Academic Publishers, Calcutta, 2nd Ed. 1990, pages 488, Price Rs. 65.00.

The clinical laboratory has assumed gradually an important role in the practice of medicine. This is as a result of the development of methods for the determination of the very low levels of substances present in blood etc. Such methods, devised by a great number of scientists, have established clinical chemistry as an indispensable aid to the study of pathological conditions. The present trend toward increasing use of laboratory investigations is most conspicuous in the field of clinical biochemistry. Certainly, the future development in medicine rests largely on the discoveries of laboratory tests and determinations.

We all are aware that clinicians sometimes find it impossible to correlate the laboratory results with the clinical conditions of patients. In such an instance they begin to doubt the laboratory results. This points to an ever-increasing need for accurate laboratory data. It is obvious that an improvement in the technical background of laboratory staff will do much to achieve more accuracy in their analysis.

The need for a text in clinical biochemistry giving detailed procedure, right from preparations of reagents and standardization of solutions to collection of blood, etc. samples, their preservation and handling of various equipments, their maintenance, has been urgent for some time. There was no completely suitable practical book on biochemistry and this, I am sure, was felt quite acutely by the author.

This book, which is in its 2nd edition, is a commendable attempt to teach the students, technicians and to assist the teachers in a clinical laboratory to apply their training in basic chemistry to clinical chemistry in order to perform the analysis intelligently rather than machanically. The author has incorporated an exhaustive number of investigations in each chapter and each investigation is followed by its relevant significance.

Two important techniques not included in the book are the use of radioisotopes in biochemistry and details of radioimmunoassays. The reason, I guess, might be that these involve expensive equipments which a large number of laboratories in our country cannot afford.

It is hoped that the need for such a book will be met by this present volume.

The book by Prof. Nath is a very useful guide in every clinical biochemistry laboratory.

U. Sitarama Acharya Manipal