Progress in the Biological Sciences in Relation to Dermatology

DERMATOLOGIC MEDICATIONS. By M. R. Lerner and A. B. Lerner. Chicago, The Yearbook Publisher, 1960. 208 pp. $6.00. The renaissance in dermatology which is being led by a small group of research-trained clinical dermatologists has produced much new basic scientific knowledge and a distinct improvement in patient care. The achievements of the authors of the present volume place them in the forefront of the new cutaneous medicine. Dermatologic Medications, although a second edition, is essentially a completely new and much needed book. In it can be found practically every therapeutic agent of value in dermatology. With great skill based on experience and scholarship the Lerners succinctly describe useful drugs whether of ancient empiric origin or the latest tour de force of the steroid chemist. The indispensable art of topical therapy and the pertinent knowledge of modern pharmacology are skillfully combined to make a volume of great practical value. One of the important features of the book is the inclusion of the structural chemical formula of each drug where known. The formulae have been grouped and drawn to emphasize the underlying similarities between many drugs in common use. Clinicians, including nondermatologists, will find here much needed help in the selection of a drug unrelated to the one to which the patient is sensitive, or in the selection of a truly different tranquilizer or antihistamine, not merely a different trade name. This volume reflects the year 1960, not only in its inclusion of the latest drugs but also in its terse communicative style. Nothing of value has been omitted: the use of ultraviolet light or of medicated baths; detailed instructions for treating acne or psoriasis; the background for choosing steroids or tranquilizers; all in simple clear language and a time-saving format. In this reviewer's opinion, Lerner and Lerner's Dermatologic Medications will be on every dermatologist's desk and he doubts that many other clinicians will be able to pass it up if they spend a few moments perusing it.