Media Reviews

Textbook of Intensive Care

edited by D.R. Goldhill andP.S. WithingtonArnold, London, 2001, 912 pages,£45 á 00, ISBN 0 412 60130 3(paperback), £95 á 00, ISBN0 412 81400 5 (hardback).

This textbook contains a wide range ofinformation about the critically illpatient. This is not a book of proceduresor a cookbook for intensive care profes-sionals. Each chapter is as unique as theauthors presenting the information. Onechapter may give intimate details whileanother may share only brief tidbits ofknowledge. Overall, broad informationis given with the attention to signi®cantfacts. The chapters are laid out in such away to give professionals a little know-ledge with a yearning for more.

This text is organized into sectionscontaining chapters focused on resusci-tation and transportation, generalconsiderations, infection, nutrition,systems review, trauma, obstetrics,paediatrics and practical procedures.I commend the editors for acknowled-ging the expertise of many health careprofessionals such as physicians, nurses,respiratory therapists, nutritionists anda variety of professors. However, this isnot a handy dandy pocket guide. Thisresource book could be used in thehome, of®ce, school, hospital or inten-sive care unit. It would be a valuableasset for any student as it has a little bitof something for everyone. It is basicenough for beginners yet in-depthenough for advanced professionals

Judy A. CrinerUniversity of Texas Health Centre, USA

Proposal Writing, 2nd editionby Soraya M. Coley and Cynthia A.ScheinbergSage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA,USA, 2000, 100 pages, £13á99, ISBN0 761 91960 0 (paperback), £29á00ISBN 0 761 91959 7 (hardback).

In the second edition of his brief yetcomprehensive text it is the authors' aimto guide students and inexperiencedresearchers through the process ofsubmitting a successful researchproposal. Gaining research funding beingthe marker of success. At a time whenfunds for research activities are becomingincreasingly scarce this text also hasmuch to offer the more experienced grantapplicant. This second edition draws onthe further opinions of those teachinggrant writing, experienced grant writersand funding bodies. In addition, theauthors have incorporated a new chapteron programme development, whichexplores the theoretical concepts andresearch aspects of writing a proposal.Much of the emphasis in this text is on thecurrent situation in the United States ofAmerica but this does not weaken thecontent for those in other settings. Manyof the underpinning principles remain thesame irrespective of location. The key tothis text is the emphasis placed on theneed for effective communicationbetween the applicant and the funder.A successful grant application is des-cribed as a process of two-way commu-nication, initiated by the funder, andconcluded by the researcher when the®nal report is submitted to the fundingbody. I doubt there is any researcher,novice or experienced, who would notlearn something from this text that mightstrengthen future applications.

Leslie GellingUniversity of Cambridge, UK

The Biology of Disease, 2nd edition

edited by Jonathan Philips Paul Murrayand Paul KirkBlackwell Science, Oxford, 2001,323 pages, £19á95, ISBN 0 632 05404 2.

This is a multiauthored text with over50 contributors. Nevertheless, theauthors have done an excellent job ofmaking very diverse material conform toa standard and user-friendly style. Thebook is composed of 24 short chaptersand 34 case studies. Unlike many booksin this genre, the psychosocial aspects ofdisease are considered near the begin-ning. Otherwise the text gives disease afairly standard treatment coveringin¯ammation, immunity, infection andcancer.

The presentation of the material takesa reasonably `no frills' approach, typicalof books published on the UK side of theAtlantic. However, the line drawingswhich accompany the text are clear andinformative and are all that is necessaryto explain the material. The book,whilst not explicitly aimed at any group,would be very suitable for medicalstudents but senior nursing studentswould have much to gain as wouldpostregistration specialist nurses. Thematerial may be too advanced for ®rstyear nursing students because consider-able prior knowledge of biology isrequired to appreciate the contents.The authors are to be congratulatedfor producing this second edition of avery popular and useful text. Thisshould be a key text in nursing adultbranch programmes.

Roger WatsonMedia Reviews Editor

Ó 2001 Blackwell Science Ltd 805