SOCIETY NEWSMISCELLANEOUS 0 Forensic Science Sociey 1986

Book Reviews

Edited by AR BROWNLIE

SEE WHAT CAN THE MATTER BE

An Introduction to the Optical Microscope Saville Bradbury (Oxford University Press l Royal Microscopical Society, London ; 1984, 85pp . , index, ISBN 0 19 856401 5; £ 2.95) This small paperback starts with a short introduction dealing with topics such as the interaction of light with matter, resolution and magnification. The author goes on to describe simple, stereo and compound microscopes, basic concepts such as Kohler illumination and microscope components. Finally there is a chapter dealing with the use of the instrument.

The book is well-written, sensibly laid out, and illustrated with clear, simple diagrams. Its contents are basic, making it of considerable use to beginners in microscopy; many will greatly appreciate the fault-finding section. Having said this, there is no doubt that the more experienced microscopist would also find a place for it in his library-this is particularly so for those involved in the teaching of this subject.

Microscopy is still perhaps the most important technique used by the forensic scientist. In my opinion anyone who is interested in raising our standards should buy this book.

ROGER COOK

IMPROVE YOUR HANDWRITING

Teach Yourself Handwriting Rosemary Sassoon and G. S. E. Briem (Hodder & Stoughton, Sevenoaks, 1984, 184 pp, ISBN 0 340 32159 8; £2.95) Forensic scientists are well aware of the importance of a background knowledge of the materials which they examine. Those who compare handwritings will find a study of the methods of teaching handwriting of some value to their science; the recent paper by Frances Brown in this Journal (1985; 25: 313-321) refers to this.

The book by Rosemary Sassoon and Gunnlauger Briem, one of the Teach Yourself books, is designed not as a manual for use in schools but to provide remedial methods for those whose handwriting is not all that it should be. Ways of correcting writing habits which cause pain, or produce illegibility, and methods to increase or decrease the speed of writing are suggested. Some of these involve constructions which are not frequently encountered in the population of writers in this country. If the book is widely read and these methods are adopted, it could have some effect in changing rare features into more common ones.

This is not likely in most of the writings which arrive on the document examiner's desk and the book cannot be described as essential reading. There is, however, much of interest to the

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