Brain, Vol. 124, No. 10, 2121,
October 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press
Book reviews |
INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.
Edited by Larry E. Davis and Peter G. E. Kennedy. 2000. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Price £65. Pp. 533. ISBN 0-75064-213-0.
Neurosciences Centre, Charing Cross Hospital, London, UK
The field of neurological infections has attracted a lot of attention in the past 10 years. The evolution of diagnostic techniques such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), as well as better understanding of the molecular biology of infection and the emergence of infections in immunocompromised hosts, has revolutionized the diagnosis and management of neurological infections. The field is of immense interest, not only to neurologists, but also to specialists in infectious and tropical medicine.
This book, which is edited by two eminent neurologists from both sides of the Atlantic, gathered 28 authors to cover 16 chapters in 533 pages. Readers are not guided to the contents as chapters are quite haphazard in their arrangement: Chapter 1 starts with cerebral malaria, moving on to Lyme disease and then post-infectious encephalomyelitis, etc. One is happy to note that prion diseases are covered in a chapter, but unfortunately, due to the lack of colour printing, the typical nv CJD brain histology is not well demonstrated. The whole book lacks any colour, which makes observing changes, e.g. in rabies, very difficult.
This book is a collection of topics in neurological infections, which are written by authorities in the field. Specialists might find useful references, and a clinician might be helped in understanding the clinical presentation as well as the management of various diseases. It stops short, however, of being a reference book for neurological infections, as it is a rather selective combination of various topics in a huge field.
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