746 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY NOVEMBER, 1981

little of relevance to the practice of oph­thalmology in the United States and other developed countries but they provide marvelous insight into the problems faced by our colleagues serving in the poorer parts of the globe.

A L F R E D S O M M E R

Immunology of the Eye. Workshop I. Im-munogenetics and Transplantation Im­munity. Edited by George M. Stein­berg, Igal Gery, and Robert B. Nussenblatt. 288 pages. Workshop II. Autoimmune Phenomena and Ocular Disorders. Edited by Ralph J. Helm-sen, Anita A. Suran, Igal Gery, and Robert B. Nussenblatt. 322 pages. Workshop ΙΠ. Immunologie Aspects of Ocular Diseases. Infection, Inflamma­tion, and Allergy. Edited by Anita Suran, Igal Gery, and Robert B. Nus­senblatt. 524 pages. A special supple­ment to Immunology Abstracts. Spon­sored by the National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, 1981.

The 1978 planning report of the Na­tional Advisory Eye Council recognized the need for an expansion in research effort involving immunologie aspects of ocular diseases and the application of newer concepts in methodology and im­munology to the study of the visual sys­tem. As part of this effort, three work­shops were developed in which the National Institute for Allergy and Infec­tious Diseases and the National Eye In­stitute defined the major research areas that would have the greatest impact on vision research in the future. These three attractively prepared paperbound vol­umes constitute the results of these work­shops.

The first workshop, held Dec. 5 to 7, 1979, was a basic discussion of the genetic control of the immune response, the ge­netics of histocompatibility, and immu­nology of tissue transplantation. A discus­

sion of ocular tissue immunology ranging from pseudotumors to keratoplasty fol­lowed, together with assessments and recommendations for vision research.

The second workshop provided a com­prehensive discussion of ocular immune phenomena ranging from uveitis to Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, cicatricial pemphigoid, and the treatment of corneal disease. A general discussion of systemic autoimmune disease and autoimmune phenomenon in health and disease com­pleted the text.

The third workshop dealt with ocular infectious disease, herpes simplex, Pseu-domonas keratitis, blepharitis, chlamy-dial infections, and endophthalmitis. Cel­lular events, secretory antibodies, the inflammatory response, and treatment were discussed.

Several themes dominated the discus­sion. Immunogeneticists and immuno-biologists must be attracted to depart­ments of ophthalmology if they are to become totally immersed in research and eye disease. Major emphasis must be given to defining the various antigens present on different cell types of the epithelial, stromal, and endothelial layers of the cornea. Generally, the antigens involved in immunologie disease of the eyes are either unknown or not very well characterized, with the exception of the lens antigens and the retinal S-antigen. Several groups emphasized the impor­tance of studying genetically defined rats or mice. (Although possibly impractical, the frequent use of rabbits in eye re­search makes a genetically pure rabbit strain desirable—F.W.N.)

The reports of interdisciplinary re­search such as these are unusually valu­able in providing a common ground for discussion among workers in related fields. Prompt publication is essential and these volumes fulfill that requirement. Additionally, such workshops provide in­vestigators with new insights concerning

VOL. 92, NO. 5 BOOK REVIEWS 747

their own work and they return to their laboratories with new, fresh studies planned into promising areas not pre­viously appreciated. The reports of these workshops are most interesting and all associated with them are to be commended.

A limited number of these volumes are available through Ralph J. Heimsen, Ph .D. , National Eye Institute, Bethesda, MD 20205.

FRANK W. N E W E L L

Principles of Neurology, 2nd ed. By Ray­mond D. Adams and Maurice Victor. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1981. Hard­cover, 1,094 pages, index, approxi­mately 144 black and white figures. $42

Dr. Adams has been an editor of "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medi­cine" since its second edition in 1954 and has been responsible for its excellent section on neurology. In 1977, Dr. Adams and Dr. Victor expanded the neu­rologic material covered in "Harrison's" and published the first edition of their own textbook.

Drs. Adams and Victor have used the same format as "Harrison's." They begin with a discussion of the anatomic and physiologic bases and clinical implica­tions of symptoms and signs of the disor­dered nervous system. This is followed by an account of the various syndromes of which these symptoms are a part and this, in turn, is followed by a discussion of the diseases expressed by each syndrome. This format differs from that of standard neurology textbooks, which describe the diseases of the nervous system in succes­sion.

The textbook begins with a brief sec­tion on dealing with the patient. This is followed by an extensive review of the cardinal manifestations of neurologic disease. The authors then discuss the growth and development of the nervous

system and the neurology of aging. They next review in detail the major cate­gories of neurologic disease; a separate section is devoted to diseases of the peripheral nerves and muscles. The text­book concludes with an outline of the major psychiatric syndromes and disease entities.

Adams and Victor say that computed tomography is the most important medi­cal advance since the discovery of the roentgen ray, and they have updated the second edition to include computed tom-ographic scans of common cerebral le­sions.

This is an excellent general neurologic textbook that can be recommended to the ophthalmologist for his personal library.

W A L T E R JAY

Cataracts. A Consumers' Guide to Choos­ing the Best Treatment. By Robert B. Leflar and Helen Lillie. Washington, D.C. , Public Citizen's Health Research Group, 1981. Softcover, 110 pages, $3.50

In the preface to this booklet, John M. Trobe, a consumer-oriented ophthalmol­ogist, states: "Surgeons now have more power to make miracles, they also have more power to do harm." With this thought in mind, the authors, Robert Leflar, a lawyer for the Public Citizen's Health Research Group, and Helen Lil­lie, a science journalist from Great Brit­ain, give a scientifically accurate, concise, and simply written account of cataracts, the various available techniques for their surgical and postsurgical care, and the advantages and pitfalls of these tech­niques, as well as those of spectacles, contact lenses, and intraocular lenses in dealing with aphakia. They try to give lay patients the opportunity to judge what is best for their own situations and if they need or want surgery at all.

Drs. John Harry King and Harold