Pictorial Introduction to Neurological Surgery

THIS book is a lavishly illustrated introduction to operative neurosurgical technique. It opens with precise instructions on the preparation of the operative field; then, in following chapters, the surgery of the scalp, skull, and brain are successively described, and finally there is a chapter on the surgical treatment of injuries of the head. The book was apparently compiled at the request of the author's former pupils-in general or special branches of surgery, and is intended to help surgeons in peripheral areas where there is no congregation of specialists but where traumatic intracranial work has to be done. The scope of the work has, however, been widened beyond the author's original intention, and such matters as cortical excision are fully dealt with. Even the admirable section on head injuries is over-elaborated-there are four pages of illustrations on the repair of cerebrospinal fluid fistule-and two pages on extradural haematoma straddling the transverse sinus, a condition of the greatest rarity. On the other hand, some elementary matters have been overlooked, and in the section on compound injuries of the frontal sinus, no instructions are given for dealing with the sinus itself. These criticisms do not detract from one's admiration for the clarity and artistry of the production. It is a beautifully documented account of traumatic neurological surgery as carried out in Newcastle. It falls, however, between two stools; while obviously not intended for the practising neurological surgeon, it is unnecessarily elaborate for the general surgeon forced by circumstances to operate on the acutely head injured.