356 Parasitology Today, vot. 7, no. 12, 1991

Handbook of Medical Parasitology (2nd edn)

by Viqar Zaman and Loh Ah Keong, Churchill Livingstone, 1990. £12.50

(vii + 273 pages) ISBN 0 443 04425 2

The diversity of parasites and the com~ plexity of their life cycles can be very baffling to the uninitiated. Their numerous and distinct evolutionary origins do not allow them to be ar- ranged into neat taxonomic groupings. Thus, in parasitology, perhaps more than in other disciplines, there is a need both for factual information and for an interpretation of the bewildering variety of 'life styles'. Viqar Zaman and Loh Ah Keong have not attempted to produce a textbook of parasitology that covers all aspects of the subject as it is taught in modern undergraduate and post- graduate courses. Their book does not focus on recent (and perhaps ephem- eral) trends in research. Nor is there a sense of uncertainty or whiff of contro- versy in their pages. Rather, they have successfully catered for the factual end of the market. They have produced an accurate compendium of received wis- dom, with a decidedly practical flavour, on the parasitic diseases that afflict man- kind. If you already have a working knowledge of parasites but need a handy source of information on the

current chemotherapy for a particular helminth, or the visual appearance of a protozoan cyst under the light micro- scope, this is the text for you.

The parasites are grouped in three main sections dealing with protozoa, helminths and arthropods, while a fourth covers diagnostic techniques. My only quibble with this layout is in the section on arthropods where sketchy information on vectors such as sandflies or mosquitoes is interspersed with the coverage of true ectoparasites like fleas and lice. Another minor problem is that you cannot easily tell precisely where you are in the mass of information without turning over several pages; this could have been avoided by numbering the sections. However, there is a good index which allows rapid relocation to the parasite and subject of your choice.

Under the major headings each para- site is dealt with individually in a fairly standard format which makes for rapid crossreferencing once you have become familiar with the layout. The topics covered are geographical dis- tribution, morphology, life cycle, clinical aspects, diagnosis, treatment, and pre- vention and control. The plates accom- panying the text are of excellent quality with a remarkable clarity, and are care- fully selected to illustrate the mor- phology of various life-cycle stages. They include light micrographs, and stereoscan and transmission electron

micrographs, which manage to convey a real feeling for the appearance of the parasites. The line drawings of life cycles and morphology are, by contrast, standard textbook material, perhaps even simplistic in design. The few colour-wash illustrations certainly fall into this batter category. One very useful feature of the book is the insertion of glossaries of terms at frequent intervals throughout so that the reader can, for example, quickly discover the nature of a kinetoplast, or the location of Laurer's canal.

This Handbook of Medical Parasitology is aptly titled, providing an invaluable source of key facts for undergraduate and postgraduate students of para- sitology, for medical students taking courses on parasitic infections and for their lecturers alike. It should also find a place in diagnostic laboratories. There are only a few references, all to text- books, to take the reader further and so it must be seen as self-contained. Without doubt, the most remarkable feature is its price. At £12.50 for a hardback copy, it is outstanding value for money, and it should be on the bookshelf of every parasitologist, whether aspiring or established.

Alan Wilson Department of Biology

University of York Heslington YO I 5DD, UK

The Acari: Reproduction, Development and Life

History Strategies

by Reinhart Schuster and Paul W. Murphy, Chapman & Hall, 1991. £76.00

(554 pages) ISBN 0 412 36070 5

The importance of the Acari is such that they should be widely and well taught. Instead, the mites and ticks are a greatly neglected group, are given less attention than they deserve in most biological textbooks and are almost unknown en- tities to the general public.

Partly, of course, this is due to the very small size of most Acari. They tend to be out of sight and out of mind, but importance does not depend on visi- bility. Their ecological, medical and econ- omic status should properly ensure them a higher profile, quite apart from their intrinsic interest, which stems

largely from the amazing diversity of life styles found among them.

The European Association of Acarol- ogists has done much to rectify this situation by running excellent high-level, laboratory-based training courses and organizing symposia and conferences. This book is a detailed record of the Inaugural Symposium of the Associ- ation, held in Amsterdam in 1987. Fifty- eight diverse contributions give a good impression of the breadth of studies within the subject. Many of the contri- butions are major papers in their own right and the book itself is well pro- duced, well illustrated and compara- tively inexpensive.

The book is not, of course, primarily concerned with parasitology but much that would be of interest to parasitol- ogists can be found thickly scattered throughout it. All ticks and many mites are parasitic; among them are both ectoparasites and endoparasites, phyto- parasites (including gall-formers),

parasites of the skin, muscle, lungs and guts of vertebrates, parasites of marine and freshwater animals, parasites of in- sects (both external and internal) and commensals such as the house dust mites, which many would regard as subparasites.

This is not a book for beginners. Even experienced biologists will find it hard work and are likely to need a good dictionary at hand. Indeed, the per- vasive use of jargon constitutes the major fault to be found with many of the contributions. To use three long and obscure words, when sense and com- munication would be better served by two in plain English, advances neither understanding nor scholarship.

Practical problems needing assistance from trained acarologists abound in even the most advanced countries. In Great Britain, for example, the major public health problems associated with arthropods are nearly all acarological rather than entomological. Asthma,