TY - JOUR
AU - Donn, Steven M.
AB - Fetal and Neonatal Physiology, vols 1 & 2 edited by Richard A. Polin, William W. Fox, and Steven H. Abman, 3rd ed, 2056 pp, with illus, $379, ISBN 0-7216-9654-6, Philadelphia, Pa, Saunders, 2004. The third edition of Fetal and Neonatal Physiology represents a substantial enhancement of the second edition and not a mere "tune up" revision. Steven Abman has joined coeditors Richard Polin and William Fox in assembling a 192-chapter, two-volume reference text that covers the intended subject thoroughly and thoughtfully. More than 30 new chapters have been added on novel topics such as angiogenesis, stem cell biology, pathophysiology of preterm labor, fetal origins of adult disease, maternal and fetal responses to intrauterine inflammation, and the physiology of lactation. There has been considerable re-writing and updating of most of the chapters from the previous edition, as well. The more than 300 contributors are a distinguished group of international scientists and clinicians, well recognized in their respective fields for their expertise and contributions to perinatal and neonatal medicine. Despite the multiauthored nature of the book, the chapters flow well and the style is consistent, for which the editors should be highly commended. Chapter lengths are generally appropriate, although a few are noticeably too long or too short. For instance, the chapter dealing with liquid ventilation, an investigational technique, is more than twice the length of the chapter on high-frequency ventilation, an established clinical practice. The chapter on fetal and neonatal acid-base balance is superficial and fails to adequately cover this important aspect of physiology in the fetus and newborn. Information about hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in the term infant is limited. Still, a wealth of information is to be found in this work. Basic science and clinical applicability remain well balanced, even though the editors have intentionally replaced some of the previous clinical content with the new information in an attempt to control the size of the book. Complex subjects, such as molecular biology and apoptosis, are clearly explained. Multiple chapters deal with surfactant biology and cover the subject extensively. Metinko's chapter on pulmonary host defense mechanisms is among the most extensive I have seen on this subject, spanning more than 50 pages and including more than 1000 references. Figures and tables are presented nicely, and the subjects are well indexed. Captions and legends are clearly written and comprehensible. The text is not inexpensive and may sell more readily to institutions than individuals. Fetal and Neonatal Physiology is a gold standard reference text that should be on the shelves of libraries wherever perinatal or neonatal medicine is practiced.
TI - Perinatology
JF - JAMA
DO - 10.1001/jama.292.4.506-a
DA - 2004-07-28
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/american-medical-association/perinatology-Easpz0cACv
SP - 506
EP - 506
VL - 292
IS - 4
DP - DeepDyve
ER -