Ann. Medit. Burns Club - voL VI - n. 1 - March 1993

BOOK REVIEWS

Endocrinology of Thermal Trauma
Pathophysiologic mechanisms and clinical interpretation
by G. Arturson, H. Bode, L. Brizio-Molteni, L. Cerullo, W. Clark, F. Cuppage, R. DoleZek, D. Herndon, M. Koto6, M. Mani, A. Mason, A. Molteni, G. Piano, B. Pruitt, D. Tra6er, G. Vaughan, R. Warpeho, R. Yurt

The distinguished authors of this work consider the endocrine and metabolic modifications occurring in the adult and paediatric burn patient, providing a clear and organic overall view. The book is a point of reference for all those wishing to understand the burn disease, which is indispensable for the proper care of the burn patient. The authors analyse the pbysiopathology of the disease in its various aspects and relate this to clinical practice, in a straightforward modern text. The effects that hormonal modifications may have on the noble organs, such as the lung, are significant. The description of inflammatory phenomena in burns is illuminating and precise, and in this context it is interesting to read the comments on the local mediators of . inflammation as seen in the modern light of tissue hormones. lea & Febiger - Philadelphia - London.

Disasters - Your Right to Survival
by Martin E. Siverstein, MD

With the increasing frequency and magnitude of disasters and the growing attention these are receiving, there is an upsurge of papers and articles of varying value on the various aspects of disasters and major emergencies. There remains, however, a pressing need for more thorough disaster studies, research and field investigations and it is in this respect that Professor Silverstein's Disasters comes at the right time. And the time becomes more right with the addition of the subtitle, Your Right to Survive.
The management of disasters has become a new applied science and the need for a solid technical base for these activities has been voiced repeatedly. Silverstein is one of the pioneers in America of these developments and we know bow, in collaboration with colleagues in Europe and the Pacific, he has contributed to the transformation of a classical humanitarian action into a more modern, effective action of burnanism.
With numerous illuminating case histories the author considers such topics as the current level of disaster,prediction, the vulnerablility of present infrastructures, new and proposed technology, strife and terrorism as causes of disaster, government preparedness, the role of the international community, and many others. Drawing on a rich personal experience, he rightly points out shortcomings, calls for changes, underlines the need for training and flavours his call with a welcome dose of philosophy.
For those who have been engaged in disasters, for those who might be thinking of taking up such- a challenge and for those who are merely thinking citizens, this book is highly recommended and will provide most satisfying reading.

208 pages, hard6ound, price $ 26.00
Available from Brassey/MacMillan Publications, 100 Front Street, Box 500, Riverside, NJ 08075, U.S.A.

Prehospitol Emergency Medicine
by John Schou

Increasingly, emergency medical interventions on the site of an accident are coming to be known under the umbrella of Prehospital Medicine. The Journal of the World Association for Emergency and Disaster Medicine is entitled Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, and John Schou's book Prehospital Emergency Medicine now reinforces and conceptualizes this concept in a very readable and useful volume. As its subtitle notes, it presents "Challenges and options in rescue services" and practitioners of this art will want to have this guide in their library as well as in their emergency kit.
Virtually all the vital initial therapy in serious emergencies can be performed in situ. When carried out immediately and competently before transportation to hospital, such action increases the chances of safe arrival and of survival. Against the "scoop and run" practices of ill-advised interventions, the book provides wise and practical guidance for better treatment on the spot, support and correct transfer. Although most useful for the EMS paramedic and emergency physician, the guidelines will also help in-hospital emergency services.
This book is highly recommended.

384 pages, tables, illustrations. Hard6ound. Price DM 87.75. Available from Alix Publishing Group, 7 Rothmore Close, Combridge CB1 4AF, England, and 33 Chrischonastrasse, 7850 Lofrach, Germany.

The Management of Mass Burn Casualties and Fire Disasters
Edited by Prof. M. Masellis, Division of Plastic Surgery and Burns Centre, Civic Hospital, Palermo, Italy, and Dr S.W.A. Gunn, *La Paneti6re*, 1261 Bogis-Bossey, Switzerland

The health professions are continually developing effective techniques of burns and mass casualty management. In parallel, fire prevention and fire-fighting techniques have developed considerably in most communities. It is therefore surprising that, while aiming at the same objective, the two sectors have rarely come together. The Mediterranean Burns Club is a professional organization that brings together persons concerned with burns therapy and with fire safety in all forms. Identified by the United Nations as premier scientific body in its field within the programme of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, it initiated the first international gathering of specialists in burns as a surgical, clinical problem, and of counterparts dealing with fires as a social, disaster problem. This novel approach and symbiosis proved timely and successful. This, the resulting book, reflects the commitment of all concerned to the reduction of fire disasters and the improvement of burns therapy.

Published due December 1992 - ISBN 0-7923-8804-6 - 352 pp. - Price t 82.00, US$ 125.00, Dfl 200.00. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Multilingual Dictionary of Disaster Medicine and International Relief English, French, Spanish, Arabic
by Dr S.W.A. Gunn, Scientific Coordinator, Vice President, European Centre for Disaster Medicine; Formerly Head, Emergency Relief Operations, World Health Organization

In recent decades natural, technological and other disasters have been increasing in freque ncy and magnitude, and the involvement of international organizations and professionals from different disciplines has been growing in parallel. Communication among these people and an understanding of the varying terminology of the many professions and activities are paramount.
It is to this end that this multilingual, multidisciplinary Dictionary serves as an invaluable tool for the disaster manager. More than mere definitions, the twelve hundred entries clearly defined here in fact establish the standard vocabulary of disaster management in key languages and will be of great help to all those involved in emergency humanitarian endeavours. The UN General Assembly has declared the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction; this book is a most valuable contribution to that initiative and to the tasks of all those who strive to lighten the burden of disasters.
'ne book is divided into four language sections: English, French, Spanish and Arabic. Each section is divided into three parts: Dictionary, Units and Measures, and Acronyms and Abbreviations. The English section constitutes the main body of the work, each entry being defined and its equivalent given in French, Spanish and Arabic. The terms are then listed alphabetically in the other languages, and their synonyms given in English, with direct cross~ reference to the definition.

Published 1989 - ISBN: 089838-409-5 - 204 pp. - Hardback - Price t 56.00, US$ 97.50, DfI 180.00. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Multilingual Dictionary of Disaster Medicine and International Relief, new edition, and Japanese-English Dictionary of Disaster Medicine by Dr. S.W.A. Gunn. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, and Herusu Publishing Co. Tokyo. 1992

Judging from the many re-impressions, a new edition and an expanding field of translations, it is evident that the Gunn Dictionaries on major emergencies have become an established feature of any disaster management armamentarium. Originally conceived in response to the needs of the French government in the nonmedical field and published in that language in 1984 as Dictionnaire des Secours d'Urgence en cas de Catastrophe, the field was gradually enlarged. In 1990 the author published the first ever Multilingual Dictionaiy qf Disaster Medicine and International Relief which was necessitated by the growing frequency and magnitude of disasters and the increasing involvement of the international and medical communities in major health emergeDcies.
Appearing in English, French, Spanish and Arabic, the book had to be re-issued several times in response to continuing needs, and it has just been published in Japanese. We understand other translations are envisaged.
Japan, through its official international wing JICA, and the Japanese medical profession, through JMTDR, have now become major partners in worldwide international disaster assistance, and the recent Asia Pacific Conference on Disaster Medicine was a successful exponent of such commitment. Coinciding with this occasion the Gunn Dictionary was translated by Professors M. Aono, T. Ukai and Y. Yamamoto into the Japanese-English Dictionary of Disaster Metlicine, with an Introduction by the DirectorGeneral of the World Health Organization. The book is available from Herusu Publishing Company, 2-3 Nakano, 2-Chome, Nakano-ku, Tokyo 164, Japan.

The Multilingual editon is available from Kluwer Academic
Publishers, Spuiboulevard 50, PO Box 989, NL 3300 Dordrecht, Holland.




 

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