Injuries to the major branches of peripheral nerves of the forearm: By M. Spinner, md, Associate...
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250 Injury: the British Journal of Accident Surgery Vol. ~/NO. 3 Book Reviews 1975 Year Book of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Injuries to the Major Branches of Peripheral Nerves of Edited by F. J. MCCOY, MD. 9x4: in. Pp. 351. 1975. the Forearm. By M. SPINNER, MD, Associate Clinical Chicago, Year Book (London, Lloyd-Luke). fl3.75 Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Albert Einstein The Year Book series, now celebrating its 75th College of Medicine, New York. 10 x 7 in. Pp. 151, Anniversary, is a colossal publishing enterprise with 63 illustrations. 1972. Philadelphia, W. B. responsible for 21 separate volumes each year with the Saunders. f5.35. declared aim of ‘making available in detailed abstract form the essence of the best of the recent international This is a specialized, but thoughtful and useful, mono- medical literature’. Such an exercise is obviously profitable for the publisher, but what is its value to the reader? This volume, on plastic and reconstructive surgery, is a typical example of the Year Book ‘mix’ and is no better and no worse than its predecessors, with exactly the same virtues and vices. It contains abstracts of some 264 articles taken from 57 journals, two-thirds of which are North American. The 5 internationally established plastic surgery journals account for 50 per cent of the abstracts. Yet despite the impressive list of specialist source material, one could have wished for a more truthful interpreta- tion of the ‘international coverage’ claimed by the publishers. Although the Editors state that the material covered in this 1975 volume represents literature reviewed up to July, 1974, most of work referred to in the text was published in 1973, and is therefore really representative of work done in the early 1970s. The specialist plastic surgeon will certainly find in this book much to interest him (an article that he has overlooked or an illustration which he had forgotten), enough to irritate him (the inclusion of material which has nothing whatever to do with the subject) and several items to infuriate him. Your reviewer would include amongst these the verbosity of some of the abstracts, the very uneven literary style of the volume and the pointless comments made by some of the Associate Editors at the end of several of the abstracted graph in support of prompt primary nerve repair. There are helpful historical reviews of nerve injury and repair and of modern techniques using aids to ocular magnification which encourage optimal results and are still being developed. The author believes that success is best achieved through accuracy of funicular alignment, repair with the finest atraumatic suture, the use of minimal tension, and achievement of minimal scarring. His best results in his 15-year study were obtained in patients under 20 years of age. The recognition of characteristic pathological attitudes of the hand aids ideal treatment, which is the prompt primary repair of the affected nerve branches, and which avoid problems associated with secondary repair and the not very satisfactory expedient of primary tendon transfers. The book is well written and well arranged. On the three main nerves, each section opens with a descrip- tion of the anatomy; its significant variations and clin- ical applications are then described and followed by an account of the operative approach to the nerve. A brief summary concludes the book. A pleasant insertion is a section devoted to E. B. Kaplan’s trans- lation of Tinel’s paper on his signe du ‘ fourmillement ‘. Tinel’s views on the relationship of his sign to pain are interesting, and a critique of this modest man’s simple classic would have been a useful addition to the section. articles. Our colleagues in other specialties may find There are 63 photographs and drawings of con- it interesting to skio through the volume and see what siderable quality, and a good bibliography of 250 - . some of us are up to. As f&- readers of Injury, there is references. A small personal objection -is that the little interest in this particular Year Book. We will try unnecessary inclusion of names already in the sec- to keep them better informed in our own abstract tional reference lists makes the index appear more columns and at a somewhat cheaper price! comprehensive than it is. M. N. TEMPEST JOHN POTTER
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Transcript of Injuries to the major branches of peripheral nerves of the forearm: By M. Spinner, md, Associate...
250 Injury: the British Journal of Accident Surgery Vol. ~/NO. 3
Book Reviews
1975 Year Book of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Injuries to the Major Branches of Peripheral Nerves of Edited by F. J. MCCOY, MD. 9x4: in. Pp. 351. 1975. the Forearm. By M. SPINNER, MD, Associate Clinical Chicago, Year Book (London, Lloyd-Luke). fl3.75 Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Albert Einstein
The Year Book series, now celebrating its 75th College of Medicine, New York. 10 x 7 in. Pp. 151,
Anniversary, is a colossal publishing enterprise with 63 illustrations. 1972. Philadelphia, W. B.
responsible for 21 separate volumes each year with the Saunders. f5.35.
declared aim of ‘making available in detailed abstract form the essence of the best of the recent international This is a specialized, but thoughtful and useful, mono- medical literature’.
Such an exercise is obviously profitable for the publisher, but what is its value to the reader? This volume, on plastic and reconstructive surgery, is a typical example of the Year Book ‘mix’ and is no better and no worse than its predecessors, with exactly the same virtues and vices.
It contains abstracts of some 264 articles taken from 57 journals, two-thirds of which are North American. The 5 internationally established plastic surgery journals account for 50 per cent of the abstracts. Yet despite the impressive list of specialist source material, one could have wished for a more truthful interpreta- tion of the ‘international coverage’ claimed by the publishers. Although the Editors state that the material covered in this 1975 volume represents literature reviewed up to July, 1974, most of work referred to in the text was published in 1973, and is therefore really representative of work done in the early 1970s.
The specialist plastic surgeon will certainly find in this book much to interest him (an article that he has overlooked or an illustration which he had forgotten), enough to irritate him (the inclusion of material which has nothing whatever to do with the subject) and several items to infuriate him. Your reviewer would include amongst these the verbosity of some of the abstracts, the very uneven literary style of the volume and the pointless comments made by some of the Associate Editors at the end of several of the abstracted
graph in support of prompt primary nerve repair. There are helpful historical reviews of nerve injury and repair and of modern techniques using aids to ocular magnification which encourage optimal results and are still being developed.
The author believes that success is best achieved through accuracy of funicular alignment, repair with the finest atraumatic suture, the use of minimal tension, and achievement of minimal scarring. His best results in his 15-year study were obtained in patients under 20 years of age. The recognition of characteristic pathological attitudes of the hand aids ideal treatment, which is the prompt primary repair of the affected nerve branches, and which avoid problems associated with secondary repair and the not very satisfactory expedient of primary tendon transfers.
The book is well written and well arranged. On the three main nerves, each section opens with a descrip- tion of the anatomy; its significant variations and clin- ical applications are then described and followed by an account of the operative approach to the nerve. A brief summary concludes the book. A pleasant insertion is a section devoted to E. B. Kaplan’s trans- lation of Tinel’s paper on his signe du ‘ fourmillement ‘. Tinel’s views on the relationship of his sign to pain are interesting, and a critique of this modest man’s simple classic would have been a useful addition to the section.
articles. Our colleagues in other specialties may find There are 63 photographs and drawings of con- it interesting to skio through the volume and see what siderable quality, and a good bibliography of 250 - . some of us are up to. As f&- readers of Injury, there is references. A small personal objection -is that the little interest in this particular Year Book. We will try unnecessary inclusion of names already in the sec- to keep them better informed in our own abstract tional reference lists makes the index appear more columns and at a somewhat cheaper price! comprehensive than it is.
M. N. TEMPEST JOHN POTTER
