Solomon, Lawrence M.

Taplin, David

Elsevier - Publisher Connector 

0022-202X/ 79/1302-0202$02.00/0 
THE JOURNAL 0'· I NVESTIGATIVE DERiI1ATOLOG"V, 73:202, L979 
Copyright © 1979 by The Williams & Wilkjns Co. 
REVIEWS OF BOOKS AND 
AUDIOVISU AL AIDS 
Lawrence M. Solomon, M.D. 
Review Editor 
Clinical Skin Microbiology, Raza Aly and Howard Maibach, Charles 
C T homas, Springtield, Ulinois, 1978 ( 133, pp, $14.50, 50 illustrations) 
The authors have attempted the difficult task of bridging the void 
between the worlds of Dermatology and Microbiology. This necessarily 
required a simplification of both subjects in order to make the book 
useful in both disciplines. T hus the clinical dermatologist will find the 
clinical aspects relatively unrewarding but will undoubtedly derive 
much enlightenment from the microbiology. The converse is likely to 
be true fo r microbiologists. 
The book contains 2 good chapters on basic laboratory methods, one 
on normal flora , and 3 on cutaneous viral infections. The chapters on 
Actin.omyces, Coryn.ebacteria and Mycobacteria are excellent. The 
sections on Staphylococci and Streptococci are marred by confusion 
over the etiology of "impetigo" which is lis ted under both organisms, 
and there is a notable lack of attention given to common community 
infections, which are predominantly streptococcal. 
T he chapter on gram negative bacteria covers most of the pathogens 
likely to infect the skin. T he color plates are excellent. 
Skin infections are a significant part of dermatological practice, and 
accurate diagnosis often depends on cultures. I particularly applaud the 
emphasis on appropriate primary isolation techniques, for which the 
clinician and nurse are usually responsible. 
For those who wish to know more about the other half of the clinical! 
laboratory team, this book is recommended, and long overdue. 
David Taplin 
Univ. of Miami 
Les Affections Dermatologiques en O.R.L. and Reparations 
Plastiques des Pertes de Substances Cutanees de la Face, 
Ed ited by P. Fleury et a i, Librairie ArneLLe, Paris, France 3 vol, 627 
pp, 300 Fr) 
These 3 paperbacks seemed to have much going against them. They 
are written in French, using the rich, often unknown (to Americans) 
terminology and classification of French dermatology; considering the 
sad state of the American dollar, they are expensive; they are written 
for the most pa rt by a team of French otolaryngologists and deal with 
cutaneous disease. Even their dermatologist colleagues who first were 
approached by the authors smiled skept ically about the undertaking. 
Yet the resu lt is an extremely well written, clear, conservative, and 
needed review of the dermatological aspects of otolaryngology . 
The authors review the cutaneous aspects of diseases of the head, 
neck, and mucosae, using a plethora of eponyms which, for the der-
matologist, should cause no difficulty. The first of the three volumes 
consists of text, the second is an atlas, the third is a concise, clear guide 
to the sUJ"glcal management of destructive lesions of the face . The text 
is we ll balanced with fu Uer treatment accorded the commoner disorders, 
such as basal ce ll epitheliomas. T he French have a penchant for 
"spli tting." This resul ts in a complex tOPOb'l"aphic classification which 
~ay confuse some readers but can offer unexpected moments of gallic 
Imagery. For example, the authors have classified cavernous hema-
giomas into numerous types, including the "Cyrano" angioma and the 
"Tapir" angioma, topographic involvements of t he tip of the nose and 
upper lip. 
. Al ~hough m~ch of the material contained in these pages will seem 
famIhm·, there IS ample discussion of the unusual and interest for the 
dermatologist, such as lipomas of the tongue, malignant embryonic 
tumors of the head and neck, dental sinuses, thyroglossal, laterocervical 
cysts and fistulae, branchia l arch ma lfo rmations, and their preauricular 
pits and tags. The management sections at times offer unfamiliar 
medication but for the most part are conservative and sensible. The 
concepts conce1"lling pathophysio logy and discussions of etiology 
thJ"oughout are current and free of dogma. 
I enjoyed reading this text and recommend it highly to both der-
matologists and otolaryngologists who can read French. 
Lawrence M. Solomon 
Chicago, Illinois 
Sexu ally-Transmitted Diseases, Robert C. Noble, Medical Exami-
nation Publishing Co., Inc., Gal·den City, New York, 1979 (1 66 pp, 
$8) 
202 
Vol. 73, NO.2 
Printed in U . S. A. 
In the in troduction of the book, Sexually- Tran.smitted Diseases, t he 
a uthor states the book is wri tten for physicia ns, house staff, and clinical 
personnel, a nd I feel he has written a valuable book for these groups of 
people. It is not an in-depth textbook, bu t a ready, convenien t, anq 
complete source for the medical person evaluating a patient with a 
sex ua lly-transmitted disease (STD) . All practical, necessary informa_ 
tion is conta ined in the book for the basic evaluation and treatme n t of 
patien ts with STD's, but an adequate bibliography is also included for 
additional , more in-depth reading. 
The contents cover the field of STD's adequate ly, but it might have 
been valuable to spend some time discussing the importance of t he 
.asymptomatic form of gonorrhea in both the male, as well as t he 
'female. T his point is mentioned, but not emphas ized. 
Photographs m·e included, but ar e in black and wh ite and som e of 
the skin lesions ar e not well depicted withou t the use of co lor plates. 
I feel the book is a valua ble source for the office prac tit ioner who 
may see an occasiona l patient with an STD, but it will a lso be of 
pmticular valu e to medica l assistance and paramedical personne l who 
work with patients with STD's. Its size and soft cover ma ke it a 
convenient book to carry with the individual in cl inic work. This book 
is a va luable addition to the medical li terature. 
Stephen B. Webster, M.D. 
La Crosse, Wisconsin 
UV -A: Biological Effects ofUltt'aviole t Radiation with Emphasis 
on Human Res ponse to Longwave Ultraviole t , John A. ParriSh 
R. Hox Anderson, Frederick Urbach, and Donald Pitts, New York' 
Plenum Press, 1978, (262pp, $25 ) , 
At last there is a book devoted to the biological effects of UV-A, an 
unjustly neglected portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. Although 
UV-A is invisible to the eye and relatively ineffective in producing 
erythema of the skin, it may have important cellular effects. UV-A 
emphasizes the biological effects of longwavelength ul t raviolet radia-
tion on the skin and the eyes and includes practical chapters on Sources 
of UV -A, radiometry, therapeutic uses of UV -A and safety measures to 
protect against dangerous UV exposure. 
In th is thin book the authors have managed to review virtually all 
the important observations concerning the biological effects of UV-A 
The references are extensive (almost 700 cited) and include impor tant 
early studies of 40 to 50 years ago . The book includes numerous useful 
figures from the literature (such as t ransmission characteristics of 
optical filters, of human skin, and of the eye) as well as original 
contributions (relative importance of UV -A in sunburning; diagram_ 
matic presentation of the depth of penetration of diffe rent wavelengths 
in to the skin . There are lucid explanations ranging from why the sky in 
blue to why the Wood's lamp can differentiate epidermal from dermal 
pigmentation. 
Despi te the overall excellence of this book, there are some jarring 
inconsistencies. The style of writing shifts drastically between chapters. 
In contrast to the extensive references for most chapters, the difficult 
top ic of UV-A measurement is presented in telegraphic form with no 
references. Specific identification of materials which can be used for 
fil tering of radiation in experiments are listed including manufacturer 
and catalogue number. However, names of commercially available 
sunglasses which offer adequate UV protection for the eyes of the 
experimenter (such as NoIR, by Recreations Innovations, South Lyon, 
MI.) are not stated . 
This book represents the coming of age for the study of UV-A. The 
authors have carefully defined t he limits of present knowledge of UV-
A and thereby indicate areas where future investigation is needed. 
T he i.!" observation that "the scient ist . .. must be willing to admit that 
being asked to be an authority [on UV-A] does not, by 
definition, . . . increase one's base of information," is well taken. 
UV-A deserves a place beside The Biologic Effects of Ultraviolet 
Radiation. and Sunlight and Man. as a standard reference for studies 
of ultraviolet photobiology. 
Kenneth H. Kraemer, M .D. 
National Cancer Institute 
Bethesda, Maryla nd 


Clinical Skin Microbiology RazaAlyHowardMaibachCharles CThomas1978SpringfieldIllinois133$14.50, 50 illustrations 

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Clinical Skin Microbiology RazaAlyHowardMaibachCharles CThomas1978SpringfieldIllinois133$14.50, 50 illustrations

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