Nwse Edurotmn Todny (1987) 7, 246-249 0 Longman Group UK Lwl 1987

BOOK REVIEWS

Vocational and Personal Adjustments in Practical Nursing 5E Becker & Fendler

Blackwell Scientific Publications

1986 2OOpp Illus ISBN: 0801605733 Ll3.50

This is an attractive looking American book in its

5th Edition. The layout is good. It is easy to scan

and there is good use of headings and graphics.

Objectives are set out for each chapter and each

ends with a section on study help tips for the

reader/student. The bibliography is current but pro-

bably items will be difficult to obtain in Britain.

Some very interesting topics are covered, e.g.

history and trends in nursing, religious culture and

ethnic groups. Others, whilst interesting, do not

easily make the transatlantic jump: i.e. code of ethics

and legal aspects of nursing.

It does attempt to cover a vast area and as a

result some aspects are inevitably dealt with in a

very superficial way. This may reflect my own desire

to see something helpful on nursing care models and

also on self evaluation which it purports to address.

In view of the possible increase in time of future

students of nursing in educational settings, will we

need a British equivalent of this kind of book? I

think, perhaps, we will and this could provide a

useful model for a British author.

JEAX HEATEI

MEd BA RCN SCM

The Cambridge Diet J Marks & A Howard

MTP Press

1986 112pp ISBN:O-85200-9763

If you are interested in learning more about the

Cambridge Diet then this is the book to read. It is a

well-referenced, readable review of ‘all’ that is

known about this very low calorie diet. The book is

aimed at practitioners (e.g. doctors) and deals with

the medical aspects of the diet in detail. The authors

are experts on the diet - the inventor and developer,

and medical consultant.

The first third of the book is given over to a

discussion on the causes and general problems as-

sociated with obesity, together with the forms of

treatment available, followed by a detailed consider-

ation of this diet. The evidence for its success is clear

from the text. The system of supplying the diet, via

Cambridge counsellors, and the rationale for doing

246

it, is clearly explained (the counsellors do make a

small profit but in return give advice and motivate

the dieter). I was reassured to read that any profits

from the commercial production of the diet are fed

into the Howard Foundation - a charitable trust

supporting biomedical research.

The authors obviously have great faith in the diet:

certainly the text is convincingly written and heavily

referenced. It is up to the individual reader to see if

they too are convinced.

ROSAMCND A HERBERT

MSc BSc SR.N

Cancer: A Guide for Patients and their Families Chris and Sue Williams

John Wiley

1986 341pp Illus ISBN: 0-471L91017~1 k6.50

While the title of this book suggests the provision of

general information about cancer for patients and

their families, the contents reveals a very detailed

textbook approach. Chris Williams’ previous book,

All about Cancer - A Practical Guide To Cancer

Care, has been well used and appreciated by health

professionals, particularly those working in oncology

units. Cancer charities and others have directed the

enquiring cancer patient to that text also. This book

is a development of the original but retains the text-

book style.

Although well written and full of useful infor-

mation, most enquiring patients and relatives only

want answers to their specific questions. This book

would be a useful addition to an oncology unit’s

bookshelf for patients and relatives to refer to. It

would also form a useful addition to the reference

section in public libraries, where many patients go

for help. I do not see individual patients buying a

copy unless they are interested in cancer per se and

want a detailed text on it.

It is very well presented with clear text and some

useful anatomical drawings. However, I do not think

the reproduction of X-rays is appropriate or useful

for this kind of book. The contents and index are

good and the general appearance is colourful and

eye-catching, although the illustration on the cover

seems both unclear in its messagexand inappropriate

for the comments.

I would recommend this book as a reference work

for the enquiring patient and for health professionals

needing information on cancer, its diagnosis, treat-

ment and outcome. This reasonably priced paper-