'The use of the gymnastic ball in neurology'. Supper will be available at 8 pm in the clinical staff room on the first floor of the physiotherapy department, at f2 .50 per head, payable on the night, but numbers would be appreciated. RSVP to Mrs Dorothy Toyn (hon secretary), 12 Warren Terrace, Bengeo, Hertford, Herts SG14 3JE (tel 0992 589781). Non-members welcome. Newsletters were sent to LHPOSA members in March, and the secretary would like to hear from any member who has not received their copy, or from any ex-Londoner who would like to join the Association.

Bradford Hospitals School of Physiotherapy: Retirement of Mr F J Thomason MCSP DipTP. On Saturday May 18 at 2 pm, a presentation is to be made to 'Tom' to mark his retirement. Anyone wishing to contribute to a gift or attend the presentation should contact Mr P Yung, principal, School of

Physiotherapy, Bradford Royal Infirmary. Please send donations to the 'F J Thomason Retirement Fund'.

The summer ball 1991 will be held at the Bankfield Hotel, Bingley, on June 17 at 7.30 pm. Tickets f17.50 from Susan Phelps, School of Physiotherapy. Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD9 6RJ. Please send SAE.

West Middlesex University Hospital School of Physiotherapy (1978-81 set): Anyone interested in a ten-year reunion? Please contact David Newman and Railton Munn, 4 Hulse Road, Southampton SO1 2JX (tel 0703 330387).

St Thomas' Physiotherapy Students: (October 1968 set): An informal reunion has been arranged for the above set at The White Hart, Whytham, Oxford, on Saturday, June 29, 12.30 pm. Contact Jane Sills (n6e Whitehead), 25 Hockley

Books in Brief Help at Hand: The home carers' survival guide, by Jane Brotchie. Bedford Square Press, London, 1990 (ISBN 0 7199 1282 2). 146 pages. f6.95 or €7.82 by post from Plymbridge Distributors Ltd, Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PZ.

More than six million people in Great Britain, it is estimated, care for people who are ill, frail or disabled, and because of their isolation many of them do not know how much help is available or how to obtain it. This book provides a guide to sources of practical help and encourages carers to accept it.

A major theme also running through the book concerns the feelings of the carers towards their charges and about their own attitudes and shortcomings. It offers empathy and constructive assistance with coping.

The final chapter goes one step further and covers the practical problems and emotional upheaval of resuming an independent life when the period of caring is at an end - how to accept the new opportunities and ensure that the years of responsibility were not wasted.

Pharmacology in Rehabilitation, by Charles D Ciccone PhD PT. F A Davis, Philadelphia, 1990 (ISBN 0 8036 1726 7). Available through Quest-Meridien, 145a Croydon Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 3RB. 524 pages. f21.39, subject to change.

The author of this book is associate professor of the physical therapy department at the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, lthaca College, New York. He aims to provide physiotherapists and occupational therapists with a background knowledge of how various drugs may affect their patients.

The book starts with the general principles of pharmacology and goes on to deal with drugs affecting the nervous system, skeletal muscle, pain and inflammation, and so on through the range of conditions which physiotherapists are likely to meet.

Recognising that new treatments come into use continuously, it aims to set out the

principles rather than show the effects of specific prescriptions. This general approach also makes its American origin less of a disadvantage for British readers.

Heavy and comprehensive, it is nevertheless clearly set out and provides an interesting read as well as a detailed work of reference for specific conditions.

Coping with Angina, by Louise M Wallace with Christine Bundy. Thorsons, London, 1990 (ISBN 0 7225 2183 9). 208 pages. f 5.99.

This practical self-help guide for angina sufferers is intended to help them live a more active, pain-free life. The book is based on the South Birmingham angina research project on the effectiveness of stress management and exercise training for people with chronic stable angina. It also draws on the work of the South Birmingham Coronary Prevention Group.

The book begins with an up-to-date explanation of what angina is and how it may be managed. The authors then explain how to reduce the unhealthy risk factors for angina (smoking, high fat food, stress and inactivity) and to promote a healthy lifestyle through exercise, stress management and diet. Advice is given on setting up an angina

Angina pain. Arrows indicate where pain typically radiates. One of the illustrations from 'Coping with Angina'

Lane, Wingerworth, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S42 6QG (tel 0246 207576).

Per so nal Charge f 5 for births and marriages

BIRTHS

Maternity Hospital, Coventry, to Lesley (nee Piercy, trained Nottingham School of Physiotherapy, 1983-86) and George Ross, a son, James Oliver. Now residing at 5 Dawson Road, Stoke Green, Coventry CV3 1FX.

WHEELER: On January 4, 1991, to Ruth (nee Fraser, trained Guy's Hospital, 1982-851 and Mike Wheeler, a son, James Michael, a brother for Abigail.

DEATHS

MCSP (n6e Richards, trained Cardiff Royal Infirmary).

Mary Elizabeth Rudrum MCSP (n6e Clink, trained Guy's Hospital).

ROSS: On February 17, 1991, at Walsgrave

BEVERLY In 1990, Margaret Eleanor Beverly

RUDRUM: On December 17, 1990, Pamela

self-help group, and there are suggestions on further reading and sources of information.

The Last Wilderness: Eighty days in Antarctica, by Paul Brown. Hutchinson, London, 1991 (ISBN 0 09 174423 7). Illus. 250 pages. f16.99.

There is nothing about physiotherapy in this book but everyone interested in the natural world and its conservation - and that should include most MCSPs - will applaud the campaign which it describes.

A motley crew of 30 Greenpeace personnel and media representatives set sail to draw attention to the threat of exploitation in Antarctica, which covers one-tenth of the world's surface.

Skirmishes with French scientists and a cat and mouse game with Japanese whalers are the exciting points in the story. The beauty of the icy plains under a midnight sun provides aesthetic appeal. The historic sights of the huts left behind by Scott and the less celebrated Sir Douglas Mawson (who tied the hardened skin back on to his feet after it split away from the raw flesh in order to walk back to base) constitute the touristic sights.

The frailties of the mixed-sex crew are exposed - they suffered from home- sickness, lethargy, petulance, racial prejudice, seasickness and streaming colds. But on the whole they got on unbelievably well - occasional boozy nights and a little skiving out of the washing up were their greatest depravities - at least according to the author.

What good came out of the voyage (and will result from this book)? Mr Brown, who is environment correspondent for The Guardian, goes into some detail about the history of the area, the motivations of the nations wishing to take advantage of it, and possibility of turning Antarctica into a World Park.

The Antarctic Treaty nations meet later this month, from April 22 to 31, and Britain, after previously refusing to give up its claims to mineral prospecting, late last month suddenly agreed to a temporary ban on mining there. Far from complete success, but a small step forward which might be attrib- uted to the influence of Greenpeace. JW

288 physiotherapy, April 1991, vol77, no 4