BOOK REVIEWS

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 sub-title, 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 how, in collaboration with colleagues in Europe and the Pacific, he has contributed to the transformation of a classical humanitarian action to a more modern, effective action of humanism.
With numerous illuminating case histories the author considers such topics as the current level of disaster prediction, the vulnerability 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.

Available from Brassey/Macmillan Publications, 100 Front Street, Box 500, Riverside, NJ 08075, U.S.A.

The Management of Mass Burn Casualties and Fire Disasters
by M. Masellis, Division of Plastic Surgery and Burns Center, Civic Hospital, Palermo, Italy; and S.W.A. Gunn.

The health professions are continually developing effective techniques of burns and mass casualty management. In parallel, fire prevention and firefighting 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 bums therapy and with fire safety in all forms. Identified by the United Nations as a 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 bums therapy.

Published December 1992, YJuwer Academic Publishers * ISBN 0-7923-8804-6 * 352 pp. * Price f 82.00/US$ 125.00/Dfi 200.00