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732 Palliative Care for People with Cancer edited by Jenny Penson and Ronald Fisher. Edward Arnold, Seuenoaks, Kent, 1991 (ISBN 0 340 53198 3). lllus. 293 pages. f 14.99. The main target group for which this book was written is nurses but the content is also appropriate and useful to any professional involved in care of cancer patients. The contributors have tried to look at their subjects through the eyes of nurses. However, I was disappointed that out of the 14 contributors there was not a single lherapist. The book is divided into three main sections. The first section ‘Valued care’ consists of two chapters, the first of which provides the book with an excellent start. It is peppered with wonderful obser- vations by famous names such as Hippocrates, Yeats, and Milne, thereby providing a treat for the more literary- minded. Here is an example: ‘Words are the vehicles of thought and feelings, the wires that stretch between us’ (Lady Bonham Carter). The writer has cleverly interwoven quotations like this into the text. This particular one was used to lead into a discussion of the use of the word ‘palliative’ rather than the insensitive and frequently inappropriate word ‘terminal’. The second chapter tackles tricky subjects such as ‘what to tell, and not to tell’, and ‘not striving to officiously keep alive’ and the trickiest of all ‘euthanasia’. The second section contains six Lhapters on the theme ‘From cure to care, the role of the nurse’. It covers the management of the commonest symptoms in cancer such as pain, nausea, vomiting and so on. Physiotherapy receives a mention under the heading ‘Weakness - “gone off his leggs” ’. Also in this section is a chapter on complemmtary therapies. It was a surprise to find massage in this section alongside radionics, herbalism, natur- opathy and therapeutic touch. The third section is called ‘Coping strategies; the nurse as a facilitator’. The emphasis in these remaining nine chapters is on the psychological, social and spiritual aspects of care. This book starts with a chapter which is good and ends with one that is unusual and interesting. This final chapter is called ‘Reflections’ and in it a social worker reminisces on thirty years of working with patients. She recalls her personal thoughts, feelings, experiences and also stories about patients which are interesting, amusing and at times highly colourful! I would advise anyone working with cancer patients to buy this book. It would also be a very useful addition to the library of any institution running therapy or nursing courses. Lydia Gillham BA MCSP DipTP Occupational Therapy Across Cultural Boundaries: Theory, practice and professional development edited by Susan Cook Merrill. Haworth Press, New York, 1992 (ISBN 1 56024 223 X). 107 pages. 519.95. Six occupational therapists relate their experiences living and working in a foreigii culture. Many of the challenges they encountered forced them to reassess and reconstruct basic assumptions of their personal and professional life. There are obvious parallels with the findings of physiotherapists working overseas - in fact. perhaps this should be the trigger for a complementary volume of physiotherapists’ contributions. Therapeutic Exercise edited by John J Basmajian and Steven L Wolf. Williamsand Wilkins,Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 1990 (5th edn) (ISBN 0 683 00433 6). 460 pages. f34.50. In the preface to this book John Basmajian states that Therapeutic Exercise has gone through four excellent editions. By the publication of this edition they are joined by a fifth. John Basmajian is joined by Steven Wolf in the task of editing the book. As previously the book is a collection of chapters by a variety of authors; however, the content of the book has been extensively revised, many of the chapters from previous editions being dropped completely. The result is an up-to-date comprehensive review of the rationale of therapeutic exercise for a variety of client groups. The book falls neatly into two sections. The first deals with physiological and kinesiological issues related to exercise. The second deals with therapeutic exercise for such groups as patients with spinal cord injury, amputees, children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, patients with pulmonary disease, low back pain and exercise in sports medicine. The authors have sought to provide a text with authoritative contributions which provide comprehensive ‘state of the art’ information. This is comfortably achieved. Each of the chapters is well written and readily readable. References are used frequently to support the work and are listed at the end of each chapter. Two particularly appealing features of the book are the recurrent themes of evaluation of the value of therapeutic intervention in a scientific manner; and the need to perform, whenever possible, functionally related tasks. The chapter on ‘outcome assessment’ is an impressive precursor to these themes, discussing many of the issues relevant to scientific measurement of ‘physical therapy’. This chapter should be essential reading for physiotherapy students. The remaining chapters relating to particular client groups are not intended to be ‘how to do’ chapters, they provide background information to the specific areas and guide lines (some more extensive than others) on how to approach clients in these areas. The book is an essential reference book for any physiotherapy department. For the inexperienced practitioner it offers a base from which to develop and for the experienced practitioner it will provide both support and challenges. The book is of high quality, being comfortable to handle and easy to read. The only minor, occasional irritation is the ‘American English. On the whole the book is a must, providing something for all physiotherapists, whatever their persuasion. David Swift MCSP DipTP Occupational Therapy and Physical Dysfunction: Principles, skills and practice edited by Ann Turner, Margaret Foster and Sybil E Johnson. Churchill Livingstone. Edinburgh, 1992 (3rd edn) (ISBN 0 443 04307 8). lllus. 863 pages. f32.50. For the last ten years ‘Turner’ has been the basic textbook for occupational therapists. This third edition has been completely revised and enhanced. Divided into three parts it gives a clear explanation of the principles, skills and practice of occupational therapy. Its readers will never hold the view that occupational therapists are basket makers. Instead it demonstrates the scope of their expertise in area of physical dysfunction. By including detailed sections on the philosophy of occupational therapy and management of resources it clearly indicates both the opportunities for research and progression within occupational therapy. It is sad that this new edition has not updated its bibliography and that many of the photographs are clearly dated, however, these are minor criticisms. 1 This book will clearly enable ‘Turner’ to retain its premier place as the basic English occupational therapy text book. It should be read by every physiotherapist who wishes a clearer understanding of this subject. Ginny Jenkins MCSP Each B SObpd camed securely carry,ng hvo qua1 loads mlhw lhen one heavy load Mlh a 6rm gnp and held close lo the body Lifiing and carrying technique illustrated in ‘Occupational Therapy and Physical Dysfunction’ ~~ Physiotherapy, October 1992, vol78, no 10
