thought to enhance the overall health of the commu-nity’’. Davis & Cunningham-Sabo describe development

of prevention curricula by and for American Indiancommunities that are holistic, and include intergenera-tional activities and storytelling. As Smith (1999) writes

of the global movement by indigenous peoples to takecontrol of research activities in their communities: ‘‘Realpower lies with those who design the tools } it alwayshas. This power is ours (p. 38).’’

The contribution of cross-cultural perspectives in anarea such as cancer is also good for science as a whole.Psychologist Sue (1999) attributes the lack of ethnic

minority research to a western bias in the scientificmethod: the tendency to value internal validity overexternal validity. He states that this distorts true validity

of research findings; so ultimately, ‘‘understandingethnic differences is not only helpful to ethnic groups,it is good for science’’ (Sue, 1999, p. 1076). Sue

advocates the use of various methodologies, as doMolina and Weiner when they propose to ‘‘dispel themyth of a single hegemonic science of cancer (p. 221)’’.Contributors in Diane Weiner’s volume echo this

imperative. Nicolette Teufel, in her chapter, explores

‘‘the fit’’ between national epidemiological patterns andcultural specific populations: ‘‘the argument is made that

a ‘lack of fit’ should not be ignored, that it could providetremendous insight into limitations of the scientificprocess, or into unique conditions that might increase or

decrease the risk of cancer in specific populations (p.199)’’. This volume should be of interest to a broadrange of readers interested in conducting usable healthresearch.

Mary Rucklos Hampton

Department of Psychology, Luther College,

University of Regina, Regina,

Saskatchewan, Canada

References

Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies: research

and indigenous peoples. London & New York: Zed Books

Ltd.

Sue, S. (1999). Science, ethnicity, and bias: where have we gone

wrong? American Psychologist, 54(12), 1070–1077.

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Psychosocial oncology & palliative care in Hong Kong

Richard Fielding, Cecilia Lai-Wan Chan; Hong Kong

University press, Hong Kong, 2000, 29pp.,$29.00(paper)

Richard Fielding, the Head of the BehaviouralSciences Unit in the Department of CommunityMedicine and Cecilia Lai-wan Chan, Dean of the

Faculty of Social Sciences, from the University ofHong Kong, have compiled a carefully documentedaccount of Hong Kong’s recent experiences with

psychosocial interventions for palliative care andoncology patients. To accomplish this task, theydraw on a range of research and practical experiencefrom allied health disciplines such as nursing,

clinical psychology, and social work, all consistentlyunderlain by psychosocial interpretations. Thirteenchapters contributed by local practicing clinicians and

academics offer both a developmental perceptive as wellas new and culturally specific insights into thisimportant area of health care. A compelling argument

is made for cultural awareness and interdisciplinarycontributions to oncology and palliative care in HongKong.The range of chapters includes: an outline of the

development of hospice care in Hong Kong; an overview

of the importance of providing psychological services tocancer patients; quality of life issues; a nursing

perspective on the needs of families of childrenwho have cancer; coping and adjustment to differentstages of illness, patient choices; and a critique of the use

of empowerment groups to promote psychosocialawareness. The material offers variety and innovativeapproaches to the issues, an example being an evalua-

tion of the use of art as a creative median for self-expression during the progress of illness. About the lastquarter of the book is devoted to the cultural tensions

surrounding the management of death and dying in arapidly modernising society. A comprehensive index isattached and references are provided at the conclusionof each chapter.

The overarching theme is one of the many challengesarising from illness which affect psychosocial, emotional,spiritual and physiological aspects of everyday life

as well as different methods for communication andself-healing crouched in terms of contributing to thehuman psyche. This theme is possibly best summed

up in the conclusion where Fielding draws on Illich(1975) to contend that ‘‘the removal of deathfrom the normal human experience resulted in theamplification of suffering and isolation for the incurably

ill by stripping the context surrounding suffering

Book reviews / Social Science & Medicine 52 (2001) 1607–16101608

that gave it meaning and thus made it bearable’’(p. 275).

Such a book is both timely and invaluable for itscomprehensive documentation, evidence for clinicaldecision making, and strategies for goal setting for use

by clinical service providers and health policy makers.Hong Kong also has broader appeal for students ofmedicine and allied health, social work, health psychol-ogy, medical sociology, medical anthropology and

interdisciplinary studies.

E.A. HolroydDepartment of Nursing,

Chinese University of Hong Kong,Sha Tin, New Territories,

Hong KongE-mail address: eholroyd@cuhk.edu.hk (E.A. Holroyd).

References

Illich, I. (1975). Medical nemesis; the exporopriation of health.

Calder & Boyars: London.

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Molecules at an Exhibition: The Science of Everyday Life

John Emsley, Oxford, University Press, Oxford, 1998,250 pp. price $14.95 (paper).

Molecules at an Exhibition (MAAE) is an interesting

collection of essays from a personal gallery of theauthor. The metaphor is especially useful in describingthe collection, which the author has made available in a

public presentation. Like many exhibitions, much of theaesthetic quality of the arrangement is tied not just tothe contents of the exhibition but also to the arrange-

ment of the art. But like many forms of art, the visitor tothe gallery must have both the taste for the genre ondisplay as well as an inclination to view the art.MAAE includes a series of vignettes, descriptions of

the properties, uses, history and potential hazardsassociated with chemical elements and compounds thatimpact all of us in our daily lives. Just as different

landscapes and portraits may appear vaguely familiar tous, each of the chemical descriptions have more or lessfamiliarity for a reasonably informed reader. Each of the

vignettes carries the description of the topic chemical to acertain depth and breadth, but those dimensions are notuniform across all the vignettes. Some appear to be mere

snapshots, small in scale and depth, while other vignettesappear to be fully formed and polished murals, each witha complete story to tell. Some of this information is socomprehensive as to be unexpected in a single source.

The more one views the mural, the more one sees. Whilethis inconsistency may, on the surface, appear to weakenthe overall impact of the book, a treatment of the book

as an eclectic collection produced by a single artist acrosstime makes one realize that the same amount of depth isnot necessary in all cases.

In some cases, the lack of depth is frustrating. For

instance, while the synthesis of many organic substancesis treated in depth (and with some frustration overrepetition), the origins, ores, and extraction of manynaturally occurring materials is treated only slightly. The

extraction of these materials creates their own set ofimpacts on daily lives, such as strip mining, silicicocis,etc. It is as though an artist chose not to mix a range

of blue pigments, yet sought to paint a landscape thatwas to include the sky. For an artist that wished to makea particular statement about the ‘‘emptiness’’ of the sky,

the lack of blue is acceptable. Artistic statement is notthe case in this book, so the absence of information onthe origins of the materials in many cases detracts froman otherwise comprehensive and informative text.

So in ‘‘viewing’’ this exhibition, the reader will benefitfrom the range of expression of the artist/author. Onewould experience joy from answering the ‘‘I always

wondered about that’’ to the awe of ‘‘I didn’t knowthat.’’ One might also feel a critical ‘‘I might have said itlike . . . ’’ or ‘‘If there was a little more of . . . ’’ But likemany exhibitions, the text enhances the lives of thosewho participate in it, adding more depth and expressionto their own presentations, provoking new thoughts,

and evoking relief, anger, concern, and satisfaction.MAAE as a reference in one’s private collection is easilyshared with others when the situation calls for it.

Eric J. Pyle

Department of Educational Theory and PracticeWest Virginia University, P.O. Box 6122

Morgantown, WV 26506-6122, USA

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Book reviews / Social Science & Medicine 52 (2001) 1607–1610 1609