Book Reviews RAYMOND S. KOFF, BOOK EDITOR

Department of Medicine Framingham Union Hospital

115 Lincoln Street Framingham, Massachusetts 01701

HEPATOLOGY welcomes books for review and invites its readers both to identify books of hepatological interest and to serve as book reviewers. Books of note should be called to the attention of the Book Editor, and potential reviewers should indicate their areas of interest. The Book Editor nonetheless reserves the right to select appropriate reviews for publication on these pages.

Hepatic Transplantation. By J.W. Williams, 256 pp. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co., 1990. $100.

This book by and large reflects the personal experience of Dr. James Williams and his team, which has per- formed over 160 liver transplants during the years 1982 to 1988, in Memphis and then in Chicago. The 11 chapters cover a wide range of topics, including the history of liver transplantation, patient selection, the transplantation procedure, anesthesia, immunosup- pression, renal failure and the pathological conditions associated with liver transplantation. The figures, tables and legends are of very good quality and embellish the text. The information provided in the chapters is quite current and is presented in a well-organized and lucid manner.

I found Dr. Williams’ chapter on the history of liver transplantation, subtitled “Cows, Kidneys, Myths, War, Mice, Dogs and Humans-The Descent of Ideas and Technology,” most captivating. With great poise and charm it conveys a sense of history and adventure - and the resolve, scientific pursuit, tragedy and triumphs-that have marked the evolution of this complex technological endeavor. Aspects given short shrift or not dealt with include pediatric liver transplantation and ethical and economic aspects of liver transplantation. Furthermore, the use of partial livers from living donors and the use of FK 506 are not covered, almost certainly because these are very recent developments with which the authors may not have had personal experience. This book should be of value to hepatologists, pathologists and surgeons involved in the care of patients with severe liver disease. I am confident that I shall refer to it on many an occasion.

SANJW CHOPRA, M.D. Harvard Medical School Boston, Massachusetts 021 15

Biliary Tract Surgery: Tactics and Techniques. By J.A. Glassman, 385 pp. New York: Macmillan Publishing, 1989. $90.

This is a comprehensive review of biliary tract disease by a busy and experienced clinical surgeon who has an intimate and extensive knowledge of the biliary tree. It is his clinical experience and viewpoint - which, with some specialized sections authored by other experts in their fields - make this such a complete work. The text deals with the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract disease. It contains clinical pointers invaluable to the surgical clinician. The operative treatment sections, particularly the one dealing with common duct exploration, place heavy emphasis on operative details and alternative operative techniques for difficult problems. The operative sections are very well illustrated. Even in the era of laparoscopic biliary tract surgery, this is a useful book.

DESMOND H. BIRKETT, M.D. University Hospital Boston, Massachusetts 021 18

Liver Function. Edited by D.G. Cramp and E.R. Carson, 263 pp. London: Chapman and Hall, 1990. $112.50.

This small book is the third volume in a series dealing specifically with measurement in medicine. The first two volumes focused on the circulatory and res- piratory systems. The approach taken throughout the current volume is largely physiological and quanti- tative. Mathematical models are used to describe phys- iological processes, and nearly every chapter contains discussions and - where appropriate - diagrammatic representations of compartmental models, noncom- partmental analyses, clearance rates and kinetic and pharmacokinetic analyses. Multiple mathematical for- mulas for computing estimates of physiological and biochemical processes are diffusely distributed in the text. The book is divided into seven chapters with contributions from Australia, Canada, England, Italy and the United States. After an introductory back- ground chapter, the rest of the chapters deal with protein metabolism, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, hepatic detoxification function, drug me-

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