Bartholomaeus Eustachius – a little treatise on the teeth
Edited by:- D A Chernin &
- G Shklar
This 'Little Treatise On The Teeth' is in reality a little gem of a book. The thirty chapters of Eustachius' book Libellus de Dentibu, first published in 1563, have been edited and introduced by Chernin and Shklar and translated by Thomas. This was a ground breaking book, the first authoritative treatise on the teeth and the first to challenge many existing assumptions on dental anatomy and the development and eruption of the teeth. However innovative Eustachius' work, much of the enjoyment of the book lies in the glimpses he unwittingly affords the reader of the politics and research methods of his time.
In their introduction the editors sketch a little of the background to the work: the politics of the Catholic Church, and the need for one of her sons to defend the traditional teaching of Galen, the Church's official anatomist. At one point Eustachius describes those who take a different view from Galen as 'woefully ignorant'. If Eustachius himself ever felt ignorant concerning any subject, he seems to have researched it with a wonderful enthusiasm. He is determined to find the definitive answer to the question 'how many teeth does the human have?' Eustachius concludes that the number is thirty two, but that sometimes some may be missing or unerupted. In support he quotes his own examination of a 'most distinguished Cardinal'.
Not all Eustachius' examinations were so tasteful. To discover how teeth are formed he dissected several aborted fetuses. As evidence for his theory that each tooth contains blood vessels, certainly not widely believed in his time, he cites the example of 'such great quantities of bright red blood pouring out of a tooth that the patient's very life is endangered'. Then, to forestall any contrary argument, he goes on to say 'So help me God, I have seen this happen with my own eyes'. How wonderful it would be today if a text book author included such a phrase!
This is clearly a book of its own time. The style of writing, the easy transition between polemic, observation and interpretation and philosophy/theology are not so common in scientific texts today. Yet this is a book which can be enjoyed as much for its style as for the fascination of reading the words of the anatomist who set out for the first time a systematic study of the teeth.
[BDJ 832A] A. Stanley
Winning the publications game: how to write a scientific paper without neglecting your patients
- T Albert
Recent initiatives in primary dental care research & development and clinical audit, plus the need to demonstrate continued professional development will perhaps generate a greater interest among GDPs for them to get into print. Similarly, young graduates are now almost expected to have a clutch of publications on their CV when applying for house jobs of specialist registrar posts. While getting a scientific paper accepted by a peer reviewed journal may appear daunting there is a method of approaching this task and this short and easy to read book by Tim Albert demystifies this process.
The first edition was published in 1996 and received widespread acclaim for the practical advice given to prospective authors. This has been recently updated in a second edition which includes a wider analysis of papers published in medical journals and also takes into account the upheaval in publishing caused by the information revolution. Although the book deals specifically with medical journals the principles covered are pertinent for any embryonic author wishing to publish an article in a scientific journal.
The book is written in a very accessible style and each aspect of writing a paper is presented in a logical sequence which guides the reader from conception to the printed word in easy to follow stages. Particularly useful both to the novice and the seasoned academic alike are the analyses of the contents of 300 papers published in six medical journals, which categorise the different styles of the papers appearing in each journal with regard to titles introductions, and even last sentences. Relevant sections from recommended texts, including those produced by the Vancouver Group are also useful and well placed within the book to complement the text.
To be critical, I would have liked to have seen more emphasis placed on the importance of clearly stating aims and objectives, relating these to hypotheses which could be statistically tested and then stressing that the conclusions should be tied firmly to the objectives. The book in its present form also seems to suggest that outright rejection or unconditional acceptance are common outcomes following submission of a paper. A much more likely outcome is acceptance, conditional to answering the referees' criticisms to the satisfaction of the editor. Therefore I would have liked to have seen an additional section or chapter dedicated to the art of answering referees comments and producing an author's report.
These criticisms aside this book is an excellent aid to writing a scientific paper, it provides sensible, pragmatic advice, addresses its subject matter in a methodical manner and will be a useful companion to any aspiring writer.
[BDJ 846] M. Tickle
Neural mechanisms of salivary gland secretion
Edited by:- J R Garrett,
- J Ekstrom &
- L. C. Anderson
This present book is volume 11 in one of the two series of books on the scientific foundations of dentistry published by Karger, Frontiers of Oral Physiology, and Monographs in Oral Science. Like its predecessors, this is an edited multi-contributor volume but unlike most of them it is largely the product of one group, that of the senior editor and his colleagues at King's College Hospital, London. This has the advantage of presenting a unified view of a specialised area where histology, physiology, and biochemistry meet. On the other hand, many readers may feel that the wealth of detail from specialised animal studies may be limited in its relevance to human salivary glands.
Three chapters derive from Garrett's own observations on the innervation of salivary glands in a number of animals, the histological appearances of salivary gland cells subjected to different types of stimulation, and the effects of surgical autonomic denervation on the gland structures and secretions, principally in the rat and rabbit. This last theme is taken up by Proctor from a biochemist's standpoint.
Two interesting chapters on the central control of salivation in rats from Matsuo bring out the roles of the hypothalamus and the limbic brain as well as those of the salivatory centres. Baum and Wellner briefly consider the receptors demonstrated in salivary glands and Gallacher and Smith provide a discussion of the intracellular role of calcium ions during secretion.
The second editor, Ekstrom, contributes a detailed account of the peptides shown to stimulate salivary secretion in a number of species. This is a useful summary of the present state of knowledge in a confusing field, highlighting the variety of neurotransmitters now recognised in addition to the classical autonomic transmitters. Unfortunately the multiplicity of abbreviations means that the reader has to pick a way through sentences where many 'words' are simply strings of capital letters and numbers. Ekstrom later discusses the supersensitivity to neural and chemical stimuli exhibited by denervated glands.
A final chapter from Hector and Linden gives some useful data on the effects of various stimuli on human salivation.
The book is up to Karger's high standards of production but the proofreading has missed at least one error per chapter (headings in the final summary provide two examples). The illustrations have reproduced well. There is a paucity of tabular material: judicious use of tables could have reduced the solid blocks of text considerably. The index is just adequate.
In summary: a highly specialised book with some very interesting sections whose discursive style rather detracts from its use as reference book.
[BDJ834] D. B. Ferguson
Treatment planning for traumatized teeth
- M Tsukiboshi
As there is no foreword to this book by the author its aims and objectives are not known. Nor is there an indication as to whom this book is written for. Thus is it for undergraduates, general dental practitioners or postgraduate students in dentistry? For its genre it is a relatively short book of some 124 pages, however, there are a number of blank pages and some diagrams and figures occupy a whole page. It is by comparison with many textbooks on the treatment of trauma quite short.
The eleven chapters of the book begin with anatomical considerations and progress through classification and examination, the various types of injury and ends with trauma to the primary dentition. As this book is more of an atlas than a textbook it mainly uses illustrations; either photographs of actual cases or drawings. The book is in full colour including all of the diagrams that are quite gaudy. It is unfortunate that the tooth designation system used throughout is the American Army nomenclature, which will not be understood by British dentists. It would have been better to use the FDI system. There is also no mention of the legal problems arising from trauma to the teeth nor any discussion of non-accidental injury (NAI) in the chapters concerning the primary dentition.
The book deals with all of the common injuries involving the teeth and related soft tissue, but only deals very briefly with more complex injuries to the face. All types of injury are explained briefly first of all and then illustrated by colour photographs of a case treated, presumably by the author. Each chapter starts by describing the injury and proceeds to cover an 'Examination and Diagnosis: Key Points' with the process of taking the patient's history, clinical examination, radiographic examination and any other pertinent points. The procedures are shown in a step by step process with a diagram, radiograph or photograph to each point being made. This simple approach is effective and easy to follow.
The treatments illustrated on occasion stray from the normal. For example in the chapter on root fracture a case is illustrated where the root of a fractured UR2 (12) is extracted and the procedure for transplanting a rudimentary UR6 (16) is given. This is an unusual approach not in keeping with the apparent aim of simple procedures.
The rationale for each procedure is given only very briefly and there are a limited number of references to support the treatment given. Unfortunately all references have been lumped together at the end of the book.
In some places the author contradicts himself and illustrates a treatment approach which earlier he has stated as not indicated. For example, in Chapter 11 (Primary Teeth) an opening statement on avulsion says that primary teeth in which roots have begun normal resorption are not indicated for replantation. A case is then immediately illustrated where an avulsed LRA (81) is reimplanted and sutured into position. The danger of this is that the permanent successor could be damaged and this is precisely what happened in the case shown where the child at 9 years of age has a considerable enamel defect of tooth LR1 (41). Because of the danger of damage to the underlying permanent tooth current teaching is not to replace or move avulsed or subluxated primary teeth.
This is a simple book to use and would be useful for undergraduate students and general dental practitioners wanting a quick reference book. By comparison with other atlas type books on trauma it is not that expensive, but it does not cover very much. While it can be recommended there are other books on the UK market that might be more useful for general dental practitioners and better value.
[BDJ 847] M. E. J. Curzon
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Reviews. Br Dent J 189, 456–458 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800798
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.4800798
