510 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY MARCH, 1970

ANATOMY OF THE ORBIT. A DISSECTION MANUAL. By Crowell Beard and Marvin H. Quickert. Birmingham, Aesculapius Publishing Company, 1969. Clothbound, 64 pages, index, 95 color figures. To those readers engaged in residency

training this little guide to the dissection of the orbit by Beard and Quickert will come as a great boon. In all residency programs, the first and probably most valuable basic sci­ence instruction has been a course in anat­omy of the eye and orbit. The young resi­dent needs no enticement to encourage him to devote some hours of concentrated atten­tion to this task, for its value and relation to his future work are so obvious that his ap­plication to this area needs no "selling" on the part of the instructor. He does, however, need the help that this small pictorial guide gives him in abundance.

The manual consists of 94 color photo­graphs of well-selected dissections of the orbit which are no less superb than the pho­tography itself which has seldom been sur­passed in quality. These photographs are well and clearly labeled and are arranged in such an orderly sequence that the dissector has need but to follow their numerical sequence in his work in order to acquire a thorough knowledge of orbital anatomy.

In addition to the illustrations, the authors have provided us with a succinct (15 pages) guide on how to perform each step of the dissection. Throughout the actual procedure references are made to the pertinent illustra­tion. This text is the closest approach imag­inable to providing a student with a guide to dissection which will eliminate the instruc­tor, which the introduction suggests will occur. Even though the manual stresses the importance of utilizing texts in anatomy and ophthalmology in learning orbital anatomy, it is doubtful if even this effort will succeed in eliminating the human factor.

In addition to congratulating the authors, the publishers deserve praise for the care with which they have executed the color plates, for the quality of paper they have

used, and the type they selected. This is an altogether valuable addition to our educa­tional effort. Many of the readers would do well to obtain a copy which very well might prove so attractive that they would find themselves back in the anatomy laboratory reliving earlier days, much better than origi­nally, and with profit.

George K. Smelser

OPHTHALMOLOGY. PRINCIPLES AND CON­CEPTS. By Frank W. Newell. St. Louis, Mosby, 1969. Clothbound, 527 pages, index, bibliography, glossary, 233 figures in black and white. Price : $15.50. This volume of fundamentals in ophthal­

mology for medical students is perhaps the most up-to-date comprehensive, yet concise, text currently available. The contents are di­vided into four parts : basic mechanisms, his­tory taking and examination of the eye, dis­eases and injuries of the eye, and finally, systemic diseases.

Important information of a basic nature is beautifully condensed into 120 pages. Rela­tionships to clinical entities are abundantly indicated. This portion of the text could be easily and well commended to graduate stu­dents and practitioners of ophthalmology. The clinical approach to the eye patient is likewise concisely demonstrated and dis­cussed with expertise. The final chapters on the diseases of the eye, injuries, and the in­volvement of the eye by systemic disorders are masterfully handled.

Of great support to the success of this venture is a compact glossary, and, for those interested, a selected reference list. These two additions are most welcome and useful for the student.

Credit to the author is due, along with ad­miration of his success with the difficult task of texting ophthalmology for students. This volume, handsomely bound, convenient to use, is certain to achieve prominence in li­braries throughout our schools of medicine and our residency programs.

Marvin L. Sears