CRC Handbook of Marine Mammal Medicine

This book is a scientific compass in the difficult journey and unknown paths of marine mammal medicine. It gives us the exlusive power to broaden our mind and the courage and confidence to go forward. Thank you. -- Dr Anastasia Komnenou, Associate Professor of Surgery and Exotic Animals Medicine & Surgery, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece If you are involved in marine mammal medicine to any extent, then this is probably going to be something that you will want to have by your side in the laboratory or office, ready for a quick check or for a longer perusal, just depending on your situation. With three very well-known editors, highly experienced in marine mammal medicine, and a wide selection of authors with different specialties for different chapters, this is a book that will be of use to both those deeply involved in marine mammal research and those who are just skirting the periphery. The range and breadth of experience of the authors is striking, and, very usefully, the 45 chapters are themselves divided into eight sections, with the first six being generalized toward all marine mammals (although subdivided within the chapters themselves), and the final two chapters have a taxon-specific focus. This can be very useful for finding the relevant information and for cross-checking. Although the bulk of the book is text, which is descriptive or instructive depending on the topic, there are also a wealth of summary tables, text boxes to highlight specific issues or terminology, and an excellent selection of full color figures. Without meaning to highlight any chapter in particular, I nevertheless want to note that the illustrations in Chapter 7, ''Gross and Microscopic Anatomy,'' are particularly impressive. Most of the chapters are multi-author, and, in my opinion, probably the better for it- there is nothing like having a complementary team, or even other half, to work with to reduce the load, encourage progress, and ensure that pet topics are not given unfair prominence. However, the single-author chapters should not be underestimated. The dentistry chapter, for example, is exemplary in its clarity. I very much doubt I will ever be in the position to assess the oral cavity of a sea mammal but am nevertheless fascinated by the photograph of the sea lion holding its own computed radiography plate while the radiograph is being taken. Although this is another chapter with excellent illustrations, it is the judgment of the level of necessary detail that impresses the most. As this is at a consistent standard throughout the book, I think that this must not only reflect the skill of the editorial team, in both selecting authors and being judicious editors, but also that, as I understand it, each chapter has undergone proper peer review. If only all textbooks were peer reviewed, chapter by chapter, before publication! What could have been done better? This is a mighty leviathan of a book, and I was initially tempted to suggest that the editors might do well to consider breaking it down into smaller sections. For example, it might be ideal to have some parts that are focused on fieldwork compiled separately into a volume that really is a suitable size to take on trips to the field, another that could be useful for the veterinarian, and another for the laboratory diagnostician. Whichever way you split it, however, you could probably never make anything that is as good a value as this single book-the price is not small, but in terms of pennies per word of wisdom on the subject, it really is a bargain. One of the earlier chapters of the book opens with the sentence ''Marine mammals have always fascinated people with their sheer size and their specialized anatomy and physiology.'' If Marine Mammal Medicine is your particular ''thing,'' then you should buy this book. However, this tome is not a handbook, and if not toned down, perhaps the editors might consider calling the next edition an opus. -- Lucy J. Robertson, Parasittologisk laboratorium, Seksjon for mikrobiologi, immunologi og parasittologi, Institutt for mattrygghet og infeksjonsbiologi, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Oslo, Norway.