Ask the Doctor. Hypertension By Vincent Friedewald. Pp. xiv + 120. R59.95. Kansas City:Andrews and McMeel. ISBN 0-8362-7022-3.How to Survive in Anaesthesia*By P Neville Robinson and George M Hall. Pp. xi + 172. £22.00.1997. London: BMJ. ISBN 0-7279-1066-3.Epidemiology. A Manual for South Africa* Edited by J M Katzenellenbogen, G Joubert and S S Abdool Karim. Pp. 295. R120. 1997. Cape Town: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-571308-7

Gordon, Peter C

Milne, F J

Rautenbach, P G D

English

AJOL - African Journals Online

studente nie, maar ook deur sy tydgenote. Sy boekOperative Cholangiography word vandag beskou as een vandie klassieke werke in hierdie veld.Soos blyk uit sy publikasies, het hy duidelik ook 'n wyebelangstelling gehad in 'n veld ver buite die vakgebied wathy so uitmuntend bemeester het. Sy navorsing oor dieAnglo-Boereoorlog en sy eie volksverlede het wyebelangstelling in kultuurhistoriese kringe uitgelok.Dr. Schulenburg was een van die vooraanstaande chirurgein Suid-Afrika en sekerlik ook in die internasionale sfeer. Asmens het hy respek afgedwing: ferm, streng, maar toginnemend, eg mensliewend sonder 'n sweem van neer-buiging, altyd bereikbaar in uur van nood en getrou tot diedood aan sy ondergeskiktes. Hy het akademiese envakkundige volmaaktheid bereik sover dit moontlik is in diegeneeskundige sin. Dit is egter sy wysheid en insig en dievermoe om die weloorwoe ervaring van jare oor te dra aanandere wat werklik hierdie beskeie sendelingseun van Wes-Transvaal laat uittroon het as 'n akademiese reus.Waar ons harte met innige leedwese uitgaan aan die familiewat mekaar met soveel toewyding bystaan, deel onseweneens graag in die vreugde van 'n kosbare nagedagtenis.Wilfred Gordon MassinghamSeymourOr G Riemer of Matatiele writes:Gordon was born in Matatiele on 20 January 1916, one offive children. He went to school in Matatiele, King EdwardHigh School, then to Michael House, where he matriculated in1933, and then UCT, where he qualified in 1940. He did hishousemanship at Somerset Hospital in Cape Town and FrereHospital in East London, after which he returned to Matatielewhere he practised as a GP until his death on 26 February1997. He in fact returned to Matatiele to do a locum andnever left! He married Jessie Forster, also from Matatiele in1946 and they had two children. Aside from a short period ofeducation, he was always a Matatiele man - in fact he wasborn and died in the same room of the family residence.Gordon was a man of many interests and his knOWledgeabout non-medical subjects was legend. On one family tripto Zimbabwe his son was piloting a small aircraft, andGordon, who had never flown before, asked his son wherethey were heading. On being told they were going to Harare,he looked around at the sun and various features and saidhe thought they were going in the wrong direction. He wasright and his son had to change course! He had a greatinterest in the outdoors, and loved nature, birds andastrology. One interest was grafting unusual plants andflowers, which he would then plant. He was a great walker,initially in the hills and mountains and latterly every eveninghe would be seen walking the golf course after work. Hewas also a great reader, especially of history, politics andreligion. He served on many committees, including RoadSafety, the 1820 Settlers and the local SANTA and Hospitalboards.In his own inimitable way he was not scared to tackleanyone on any subject, be they expert or not, and moreoften than not would come out on top.Jessie Seymour died in 1985 and in 1990 he marriedIsobel Raw. Gordon himself bore his final illness, a very_ Volume 8 No. 1 January 1998 SAMJdisfiguring one, with his usual stoicism and, until shortlybefore his death, was still seeing patients.To Isobel and to his son Michael, and daughter, Pippa,and their children go our sympathies and our gratitude forthe life of a man who certainly was not the ordinary 'man inthe street!'BooksAsk the Doctor. HypertensionBy Vincent Friedewald. Pp. xiv + 120. R59.95. Kansas City:Andrews and McMeel. ISBN 0-8362-7022-3.As the title indicates, this slim book is written expressly forthe patient with hypertension. Americans are among themost health conscious people in the world and have beensubjected to a barrage of information on hypertension sincethe early seventies. The mass media approach has haddefinite benefits in terms of declining mortality rates fromstroke and coronary artery disease, but there is recentevidence (NHANES Ill) that even in 1995 only 60% ofpatients are aware that they have hypertension and only25% have their blood pressure controlled below 140/90mmHg. Hence there is real need for ongoing education ofthe community in general and the patient in particular.This book is directed at the literate patient. In South Africait could be used by care givers, both doctors and nurses, toexplain many of the myths and realities about hypertension toindividual patients, as well as form the basis for groupeducation. The content is largely based on the JointNational Committee recommendations published in 1993(JNCV) and the author faithfully follows theserecommendations with the exception of those concerning thepreferred antihypertensive drugs. The author discusses all themajor classes as potentially equal drugs of first choice,perhaps anticipating the JNC VI recommendations which areabout to be published. Apart from this bias, the information isscientifically solid and put across in a readable fashion. Thedrug brand names are American, but generic names are givenand there is a useful chapter entitled 'What can you do tohelp. control the cost?' This puts drug costs, costs of bloodtests and lifestyle modification into perspective. Each chapteris concluded with a section called 'It's your turn' whichhighlights the questions commonly asked by patients. Thereare useful chapters on 'What is hypertension? What can youdo for yourself?' and on special populations, such aschildren, people suffering with diabetes mellitus andpregnancy. There is a very practical chapter on home bloodpressure monitoring, what instruments to use and how toevaluate the home readings.* Book titles marked may be ordered directly fromMASA Multimedia, Book Department, Private BagX1, Pinelands, 7430, tel. (021) 531-3081,fax (021) 531-4126, e-mail masact@iafrica.comSAMJI s 9 d mF J MilnePeter C GonionP G D RautenbachBooks receivedThe receipt of these books is acknowledged, and this listing mustbe regarded as sufficient return for the courtesy of the sender.Books that appear to be of particular interest will be reviewed asspace permits. The Journal does not publish unsolicited reviews.1997/8 Lifestyle Food Index for South African Consumers.Edited by Jacqui Greenop and Valda Strauss. Pp. xx + 716.R34.95. Bedfordview, Gauteng: Demeter Publications (Pty) Ltd.ISBN 0-620-20432-X.Refugee Health. An Approach to Emergency Situations.• ByMedecins Sans Frontieres. Edited by Germaine Hanquet. Pp. 380.£5.85. Basingstoke, Hampshire: MacMillan Education Ltd. 1997.ISBN 0-333-72210-8.Pain Relief in Labour.· By Robin Russell, Mark Scrution andJackie Porter. Edited by Felicity Reynolds. Pp. ix + 252.Illustrated. £11.00. London: BMJ. 1997. ISBN 0-7279-1009-4.The New Dictionary of Medical Ethics.• Edited by Kenneth MBoyd, Roger Higgs and Anthony J Pinching. Pp. xii + 285.£11.00. London: BMJ. 1997. ISBN 0-7279-1001-9.Nitrogen Oxides. • 2nd edition. Environmental Health CriteriaNo. 188. Pp. xxiv + 550. SwFr92/US$82.80. Geneva: WHO. 1997.ISBN 92-4-157"188-8.Di-n-butyl Phthalate.· Environmental Health Criteria No. 189.Pp. 205. SwFr42/US537.80. Geneva: WHO. 1997.ISBN 92-4-157189 6Xylenes.· Environmental Health Criteria o. 190. Pp. xvi + 147.SwFr30/US$27. Geneva: WHO. 1997.ISB 92-4-157190X.Acrylic Acid.· Environmental Health Criteria No. 191.Pp. xviii + 106. SwFr27/US$24.30. Geneva: WHO. 1997.ISBN 92-4-157191-8.Rame Retardants: A General Introduction.• EnvironmentalHealth Criteria No. 192. Pp. xvii + 133. SwFr29/US$26.10.Geneva: WHO. 1997. ISBN 92-4-157192-6.A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities. By Jan Bondeson. Pp. ix +250. Illustrated. £10.95. London: I B Tauris Publishers. 1997.ISBN 1-86064-228-4.Epidemiology for the Uninitiated•• 4th edition. By 0 Coggon,Geoffrey Rose and 0 J P Barker. Pp. 69. £11.00. London: BMJ.1997. ISBN 0-7279-1102-3.making the manual user friendly has been achieved by alogical layout and clear, simple language. It is refreshing tofind a text on epidemiology focusing on local conditions andI was pleasantly surprised to find a chapter devoted to theethical aspects of epidemiological research. With theemergence of democracy in South Africa, and a developinghuman rights culture, this chapter is both necessary andtimely.The manual, a refinement of material gathered over manyyears, takes the reader from the process of protocoldevelopment to specific content areas as diverse asenvironmental epidemiology and health economics. Certainstatistical concepts could do with further exposition, but onemust credit the editors with the fact that they acknowledgethis and the comprehensive bibliography (chapter linked)goes a long way to compensate for shortcomings in the text.This manual is highly recommended to any person with alimited knowledge of epidemiology or venturing into the fieldfor the first time.Overall it is an informative book, well written and factual,pleasantly brief and inexpensive (R59.95), but in SouthAfrica, apart from a small cross section of the hypertensivepopulation, it is better directed at doctors and nurses whowill use the information to educate their own patients.This book has been written for newtrainees in anaesthesia and contains awealth of core anaesthetic information.It is not intended to replace a basicanaesthetic textbook. Although the textis didactic, it is laid out in an easy toread manner with numerous summaryboxes to highlight key points. It is a pitythat more illustrations were not used.The book is divided into threesections. The first part concentrates onairway management, vascular access,choice of intravenous fluids, the anaesthetic machine andmonitoring. The second part discusses various anaestheticcrises and complications, whilst the third part considersanaesthetic aspects relevant to some of the commonsurgical specialities. It also covers preoperative evaluationand principles of regional anaesthesia. Omissions in a bookof this size are inevitable. There is for instance no mention ofthe anaesthetic management of the diabetic or hypertensivepatient and no mention of the porphyric patient.The book is recommended for trainee anaesthetists orundergraduates in anaesthesia and will not break thebudget. It will make a useful addition to the library of anyhospital training medical students in anaesthesia or newtrainees to the speciality. It will also be useful foranaesthetists preparing for the Diploma in Anaesthesia.How to Survive in Anaesthesia*By P Neville Robinson and George M Hall. Pp. xi + 172.£22.00.1997. London: BMJ. ISBN 0-7279-1066-3.Epidemiology provides a vitalbackground to the work performed byboth students and workers in the healthcare field, but it often presents adaunting challenge to those who havelittle or no experience of epidemiology.This comprehensive, multi-authormanual attempts to address thisproblem.The editors opted for acomprehensive introduction toepidemiology presented in a practical format. The aim ofEpidemiology. A Manual for South Africa*Edited by J M Katzenellenbogen, G Joubert and S S AbdoolKarim. Pp. 295. R120. 1997. Cape Town: Oxford UniversityPress. ISBN 0-19-571308-7.SAMJ Volume 88 No. 1 January 1998

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