Anesthesia: Biologic Foundations - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0397587422 ISBN 13: 9780397587421

Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1788

Synopsis

Edited by some of the leading names in anesthesia research, this exciting reference provides in-depth coverage of the most important basic science aspects relevant to anesthesiology. Bridging the gap between experimental and clinical anesthesiology, Anesthesia: Biologic Foundations offers the most current knowledge on cell and molecular biology of the nervous system, the physiology of pain and other behavioral states, developments in cardiovascular and respiratory research, and much more. This essential reference should be available in all medical departmental and research libraries.

About this title

Reviews

The evolving status of anesthesiology has been the subject of much thought and plenty of talk. Initially developed because of the dire need to prevent intolerable surgical pain, anesthesiology has evolved into a scientifically based and clinically skilled multifaceted specialty. Outside of the opinion pages of many anesthesia journals, however, it is far from clear that the profession is well regarded. Instead, anesthesiology, perhaps because it follows -- but does not drive -- the surgical caseload and frequently does not interact at any level with nonsurgical departments, is perceived as one of the institutional "also rans" in many health care facilities and medical schools. As a specialty that has developed on the basis of excellence in research, however, anesthesiology may be coming of age. The publication of Anesthesia: Biologic Foundations celebrates this evolution and illustrates many of the key biologic foundations of the specialty very well.

What is so special about this particular book about anesthesia? The editors are a veritable Who's Who of international academic anesthesiology. Each is an authority in a specific academic area. The caliber of the authorship is high: the contributions of 23 authors (16 chapters) were supported by 27 separate grants from the National Institutes of Health. That so many of the authors are recipients of research support from funding agencies attests to the wisdom and success of those involved in guiding the development of basic science as it relates to anesthesia.

Where the book falls relatively short -- and it is very relative indeed -- is in the area of balance. It may be that first-class authorship was impossible across all the specific disciplines represented. Furthermore, it is hard to imagine reading or even carrying -- much less paying for -- a book of this caliber that covered everything in any medical subspecialty. The juxtaposition of chapters on post-thoracotomy pain and breast pain with chapters on some of the most complex issues in basic science may raise some eyebrows. For my part, I find the arrangement integrative, holistic, and novel.

The usefulness of a large textbook, however well bound and presented, has to be questioned by contemporary physicians geared to computer-based literature searches and information highways (to say nothing of the quasi-medical, Internet-based informational "low roads"). Who are the readers for this book, and what should they do with it? My opinion is that every laboratory conducting research even remotely linked to anesthesia, pain, critical care, or physiologic mechanisms should have (and use) this book. Residents in anesthesiology and established clinical practitioners should have access to it. The book will not often alter what they do, but it will serve as a constant, splendidly presented reminder of the scientific basis of their profession.

The publishers are to be applauded for assembling such a collection of editors, and the editors for selecting and following through with first-rate authors. The profession of anesthesiology should celebrate the production of this most ambassadorial of textbooks. It will remain in my library, much used, for years to come. This remarkable collection of the very best that academic anesthesiology has to offer illustrates the breadth and depth of academic achievements in the field to date. Better still, it illustrates the future. If you are wondering about the basis of the specialty of anesthesiology, explore this book. It will open your eyes and broaden your mind.

Reviewed by Brian P. Kavanagh, M.B.
Copyright © 1998 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
• Publication date: 1788
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0397587422
• ISBN 13: 9780397587421
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 1504
• Editor: Yaksh Tony L., Lynch Carl, Zapol Warren M., Maze Mervyn, Biebuyck Julien F., Saidman Lawrence J.