ISRAEL JOURNAL OF
VETERINARY MEDICINE
Book review:
OPHTHALMOLOGY FOR THE VETERINARY PRACTITIONER
F. C. Stades, M. Wyman, M. H. Boeve and W. Neumann
Schlutersche GmbH & Co. KG, Hannover, 1998
This book was written by three of the top veterinary ophthalmologists in Europe. Frans Stades from
Utrecht, The Netherlands, (known to many of our colleagues from his lectures in this country in the
early nineties) and Willy Neuman from Giessen, Germany. Both have served as Presidents of European
College of Veterinary Ophthalmology. They are joined by Michael Boev?, also from Utrecht, and
Milton Wyman, one of the founders of veterinary ophthalmology in the U.S.A. in the sixties, who also
taught for many years at the Ohio veterinary school.
This is a hard cover book of 200 pages, which opens with two introductory chapters dealing with eye
examination, pharmacology, treatment and differential diagnosis. These are followed by 10 chapters
dedicated to every part of the eye, starting with the orbital cavity and ending with the optic nerve. Each
chapter starts with a short review of the anatomy and physiology of the particular organ, and goes
through descriptions of the diseases associated problems and the respective treatments. There is also a
chapter dealing with ophthalmological emergencies. At the end, there is a table summarizing hereditary
eye diseases in the various breeds of dogs and a glossary for all those confusing ophthalmological
terms.
Most of the veterinary ophthalmologic books can be divided into two categories: one, rich in
verbal descriptions and poor in illustrations, like Gelatt’s Veterinary Ophthalmology, or
Severin’s Veterinary Ophthalmology Notes. The second category is atlases, like the
spectacular series of Barentt, which is full of illustrations but poor in written descriptions of the
diseases and their treatments. In my opinion, there are very few books, which reach the right
balance between the number of illustrations (which are so important in ophthalmology) and
the written text. The pocket edition of Gelatt’s Essentials of Veterinary Ophthalmology is one
of those books.
This book, edited by Stades et al., is no doubt one of the few qualified to be included in this small
circle (and those who know me know how difficult it is for me to mention any book together with
Gelatt’s book). The written text is clear and concise. Although it does not have much of the basic
sciences, it certainly contains most of the relevant material for the general practitioner who needs help
in clinical cases. The text is accompanied by numerous photographs that illustrate the various
symptoms and conditions. In addition to the photographs, there are many drawings, which demonstrate
surgical techniques. There is hardly a page, which does not include 2 or 3 photos and diagrams. The
chapters dealing with surgery of the eyelashes, the eyelids and the conjunctiva, an area in which Stades
is considered one of the leading experts in the world, are especially noteworthy.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that the original edition, written in Dutch and German, was
published in 1996 and therefore it is not fully up-to-date. In spite of its general title, this book is mainly
suitable for small animal practitioners and not so much for those in large animal or exotic animal
practice. As mentioned before, this book is not rich in basic sciences, and therefore is not meant for
those interested to broaden their knowledge in this area. However, small animal practitioners, who are
interested in purchasing a book, which will help them cope with ophthalmological cases, will find it
here.
Ron Ofri, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Lecturer in Veterinary Ophthalmology
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Book review:
RADIOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES - THE DOG
J. P. Morgan, J. Duval and V. Samii
SchlŸtersche GmbH & Co. KG, Hannover, 1998
Joe P. Morgan has done it again. After publishing five editions of “Techniques in Veterinary
Radiolography”, which became over the years the most important radiographic manual in
every institutional radiology clinic, and after publishing many books about skeletal system
diseases of small animals, he has now published a valuable new book to be added to the
library of every veterinary radiology clinic.
There is no question in my mind that what was on Prof. Morgan’s mind when he worked on
this book was the saying of our colleague, Prof. Peter Sutter, that a radiograph which is of
poor diagnostic value brings more damage than advantage, and it would be better if it was not
made.
The great value of the book is that it brings to our attention the special views for each
anatomical sight by which a radiograph can bring the utmost information on that site.
Needless to say that each section starts with the conventional views, the lateral right and left
view and the dorso-ventral and the ventro-dorsal views, but it also brings every possible
oblique and special views for each anatomical area. Examples are the introduction of the
horizontal views to radiography of the hip, the femur and the stifle, sites in which horizontal
views were never used and are not found in any of the standard veterinary radiography
manuals.
The introduction of the sky view, which is commonly used in equine radiography, to the
radiographic views for the patella is also a new contribution to the radiography of the dog.
Very valuable are the special views suggested for the radiography of various parts of the
skull, an area which is difficult to diagnose on radiographs.
The book is very distinguished for the excellent drawings of each view, which make the
description of the view much easier to follow while taking the radiograph. Also valuable is the
hard cover of the book. This assures long life for the book even in daily use in the clinic.
This book will be a very important addition to every animal practice and is highly
recommended.
Uri Bargai, BA, VMD, DVSC, DIP ECVDI
Professor Emeritus of Radiology
Koret School of Veterinary Medicine
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem