Contributions are collected in three parts, under the headings of

social relations, individual struggles and ideology. In the ®rst, the

thread uniting the eight chapters is mental health and ill-health as

social construct. Here Joseph Berke writes of his early work with

R. D. Laing, the founding of Arbours and of this organization's

ongoing project to offer a humane therapeutic alternative to orthodox

psychiatry. Elsewhere Jeffrey Schaler critiques what he sees as the

despotism of institutional psychiatry, whilst Ben Davidson writes

with passion on dissent within and without the nursing profession.

More intimate and individual accounts are found in Part 2.

Contributors offer their personal experiences and re¯ections, each

an illumination of particular ethical struggles. How, asks Karla

Boyce, can black mental health nurses assert their and their black

clients' identities and needs? And what may be the consequences of

engaging in such a struggle? In recounting her experiences of

working with women mental health service users in London, Dawn

Thibert re¯ects not only on the dif®culties she encountered in

establishing a separate space for women, but also on how she came

to feel misunderstood by the two (male) editors of this book when

attempting to present her thoughts and activities.

I especially enjoyed the ®nal section, in which nine chapters are

devoted to the teasing out in particular contexts of the ideological

forces at play in contemporary mental health care. Steve Melluish, a

clinical psychologist, outlines the combination of individual therapy

and sociopolitical action associated with community psychology.

Hugh McKenna and James Brown address the ethics of quality

assurance. As with Vincent Deary's account of the ideological

underpinnings of three leading `brands' of therapy, here is a

convincing presentation of the sociopolitical dimension to favoured

touchstones of contemporary psychiatric care and service organiza-

tion.

There is much else in this book besides the little described above.

My only recommendation must be: read it.

Ben Hannigan BA, RMN, RGN, DPSN (CPN),

Cert Couns Skills

Lecturer in Community Health Studies

University of Wales College of Medicine

Heath Park

Cardiff

Nursing: A Knowledge Base for Practice (2nd edn) A. Perry

(ed.). 1997. Edward Arnold, London. Pp. 346. ISBN 0-340-63188-0.

Price £14.99

Like the ®rst edition of this book, the newly published second

edition aims to provide a resource text book for undergraduate/

post-basic students. The text consists of 10 chapters which have

been updated and revised to give the reader a range of topics that are

covered in most nursing curricula. For example, there are chapters

on the subjects of health promotion, curriculum development and

research, as well as chapters covering the more traditional topics of

biological sciences, psychology and sociology.

I was delighted to read Kim Manley's chapter on `Knowledge for

nursing practice' but disappointed to see that the core topic of

nursing theory was included last and not ®rst in the book.

The author states that although this is an educational text it is also

a scholarly work which explores and debates contemporary issues in

nursing. This book does provide an excellent introduction to all the

issues that are covered, placing each topic ®rmly in the arena of

nursing. However, readers would need to refer to specialist texts for

in-depth information. For example the chapter `Caring ± the nature of

a therapeutic relationship', does not mention key nursing theorists

such as Leminger and Watson, who are world authorities on this

subject.

Given the scope of this book I would suggest that it is a sound

investment for all undergraduate/post-basic nursing students.

Certainly all health care libraries should stock several copies of this

second edition in order to meet the demand I am sure it will

generate.

Anna Biley RN, DipN, MSc, BRCP

Staff Nurse/Lecturer

Lecturer Practitioners in Action by Lathlean J. 1997. Butter-

worth Heinernann. Pp. 177. ISBN 0-7506-2449-3. Price £15.99

The number of lecturer practitioner roles has increased signi®cantly

over the last decade in all areas of nursing, midwifery and health

visiting. To the outsider the role may often seem vague, complex

and diverse. However, this book seeks to redress this.

The principal focus of this book is a longitudinal study which

attempts to understand the role of the lecturer practitioner. The

researcher conducted an in-depth study of six lecturer practitioners

over a three-year period. A survey of the views of students and

colleagues working with these individuals was also conducted as well

as a general survey of other lecturer practitioners in the researcher's

particular institution.

This book follows a clear and readable sequence. For example the

author puts the study into context by describing the evolution of the

lecturer practitioner role, that is, around policy changes and new

approaches to education. There is a chapter that details the research

method, followed by further chapters which present the ®ndings,

identify problems with the role and ®nally a discussion of the future

potential for developing the lecturer practitioner role.

This book should be of value to a wide audience of nurses

involved in practice, education and policy, as well as to students who

may be seeking to study research texts. Certainly this book should

be in all healthcare libraries as it is essential reading for all lecturer

practitioners, as well as those seeking to inform future developments

in this ever changing and challenging role.

Anna Biley RN, DipN, MSc, BRCP

Staff Nurse/Lecturer

Georgeton

Cardiff

Professional Discipline in Nursing, Midwifery and Health

Visiting (3rd edn) by Reg Pyne. 1997. Blackwell Science, Oxford.

Pp. 272. ISBN 0-632-04086-6. Price £15.99

In this new edition of his now well-known text, Reg Pyne continues

his sterling work in elucidating the central issues of professional

self-regulation of nursing. This text is brought up to date to cover

topics of current interest and employs a number of devices for

stimulating reader interest.

Ó 1998 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 7, 567±570

568 Book reviews

Professional discipline is a subject which is vital to the practice of

professional nursing. As an often abstract debate, there is always the

risk that professional self-regulation will be seen as a `dry' topic.

However, Mr Pyne is still evidently passionate on this subject and

this is communicated to the reader through his writing, making the

book interesting and easy to read. The text is well referenced and

provides many suggestions for further study as well as more detailed

sources of reference.

Mr Pyne's book is notable for the fact that it is a comprehensive

exploration of all of the facets of professional self-regulation in

nursing. The content of the book is virtually encyclopaedic, which

will enhance the usefulness of the book not only as a textbook but

also as a reference book. The UKCC's guidance documents are

reproduced in the book as appendices. It would have been useful if

the text of the primary legislative documents such as the Nurses,

Midwives and Health Visitors Act, 1979 could have been similarly

included. The law in relation to self-regulation in nursing and

midwifery, current mechanisms for the operation of self-regulation,

and current and potential developments in these ®elds are all

explored in detail along with other relevant perspectives. All

through the text illustrative case studies are included to clarify

practical implications of the theoretical topics introduced. The

whole text is based on the premise that the function of professional

self-regulation is the protection of the public. While this must

remain a given, it would have been interesting to investigate in more

detail how functions such as promotion of the well being of the

practitioner might enhance efforts towards ensuring the safety of the

public.

The second part of the book contains a range of fascinating case

studies of real cases referred to the UKCC Professional Conduct

Committee to outline how the practice of self-regulation occurs in

reality. Many of these are sobering. In a later section the decisions

for each case are included. It is mildly cumbersome to have the case

descriptions and the accounts of the decisions separated in the book,

That said, however, these case studies are gripping to read and will

be of great value in the teaching and learning of nursing students

and quali®ed practitioners.

Overall, this text is attractively presented and is published in a

practical paperback format. The text is clear and the graphics

pleasing and easy to use. I would strongly recommend Mr Pyne's

new edition of this classic text as an invaluable part of the

professional library of anyone engaged in the nursing professions.

Jim Richardson BA, RGN, RSCN, RNT

Lecturer in Nursing Studies

University of Wales College of Medicine

Heath Park

Cardiff

Nutritional Requirements of Infants and Young Children by

Joyce M. Thompson. 1997. Blackwell Science, Oxford. Pp. 256.

ISBN 0-632-04891-3. Price £15.99

In editing this new textbook on nutrition in childhood, Ms

Thompson has done a great service for all healthcare professionals

working with children and young families. Nutrition in childhood is

of fundamental importance in the promotion of child health and also

as the foundation of future adult health. The eating habits of

children are very often of concern for young parents and many

requests for information in this area are addressed to children's

nurses and health visitors.

Much comment has been directed recently towards what is

regarded as a relative paucity of attention to nutritional matters in

today's nursing curricula. There may be a grain of truth to this

given the overcrowded nature of the curriculum and also the relative

lack of teaching and learning materials on this topic. Most nurse

education programs will emphasize the importance of the student

locating and utilizing information independently. While there is a

wide range of information in the form of, for example, government

guidance on infant and child nutrition, this has tended to be rather

scattered in nature and not always easily accessible to the student.

Also, nutritional guidance has been subject to rather frequent

alteration as our understanding improves and as recent develop-

ments such as the rise in the incidence of food poisoning and the

attention devoted to this in the popular media. This has meant that

it is crucial that the factual information used by the student is up to

date. This text goes a good way towards providing solutions to these

problems.

Ms Thompson has composed this book from contributions by a

very wide range of practising dieticians, health visitors and other

nursing professionals. This is apparent in that the content of the

book is strongly orientated towards issues arising from the real

world of work with children and young families. A problem solving

approach is advocated and a question and answer format used to

explore some of those areas that are of most concern to children.

The text re¯ects an unequivocal commitment to breast feeding as

the ideal source of nutrition for infants and then provides the

information required by healthcare professionals to maximize their

efforts in promoting breast feeding. Anything that can be done to

help us to improve on our rather dismal record in this area is

signi®cant. It might have been useful if the role of the UNICEF

Baby Friendly Initiative, as a strategy for improving breast feeding

rates, had been explored in the book in a little more depth. The

important issue of cultural norms as a factor in families' choices with

regard to childhood nutrition receives good coverage in this book,

although the concept of culture could have been interpreted rather

more widely than simply in terms of ethnic origin.

This book on childhood nutrition is comprehensive in its

coverage. It is rich in content and a variety of approaches are used

in providing factual information. It is, in places, mildly dogmatic

and a little more discussion of controversial issues would have

improved an already admirable text. This book will be of great use

to all healthcare professionals working with children and young

families.

Jim Richardson BA, RGN, RSCN, RNT

Lecturer in Nursing Studies

University of Wales College of Medicine

Heath Park

Cardiff

The language of injury: comprehending self-mutilation by

Gloria Babiker and Lois Arnold. 1997. Pp. 162. ISBN 1-05433-

2341. Price £12.99

The authors of this source book are a health service clinical

psychologist and a sociologically orientated voluntary sector worker.

Written for a wide audience of health, social services and voluntary

Ó 1998 Blackwell Science Ltd, Journal of Clinical Nursing, 7, 567±570

Book reviews 569