Customer Reviews

Atlas of Breast Pathology

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This book, according to its preface, is designed as a ready reference for surgical pathologists. It is divided into two major sections. The first consists of ten short chapters, collectively headed 'Text Survey'. The second and larger part is the atlas proper. There are several things that lessen the book's effectiveness. For one, the two part organization is clumsy. The reader finds himself constantly flipping back and forth from one chapter to another in an effort to correlate text and illustrations. There is a lack of consistency in the division of text between the two sections. Some entities are discussed at length in the Text Survey, while many others receive no more than one sentence statements indicating that the lesions will be covered in the atlas section. A BIG source of annoyance is that the photographs do not carry individual identifying numbers, and the reader must sort through the sometimes lengthy legend in order to find out which picture illustrates what. Further, magnification factors are not indicated. Another set of problems arises as a result of the author's concept of the histogenesis of breast cancer. Another shortcoming is the variability in the quality of the illustrations. Some, to be sure, are good and a majority are acceptable. Many, however, have an excessively red cast. This may be the result of thick sections,or overstaining with eosin. Whatever the cause, the effect is a reduction in detail that detracts from the clarity of the illustrations. Many low power photomicrographs are included among the figures. This is a praiseworthy idea, for such photos allow lesions to be observed in relation to adjacent structures, a matter of considerable importance in the study of the breast. Most such pictures in this book, however, are low in contrast and show evidence of uneven illumination. In many, one corner of the image is overexposed, washing out detail, and the opposite quadrant is obscured by muddy gray green density. As I said Too Many Problems...!