Science & Technology Reviews, September 1, 2010
Sep. 1, 2010Health & Medicine
Cooper, David K.C., M.D. Open Heart: The Radical Surgeons Who Revolutionized Medicine. Kaplan. Sept. 2010. c.368p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781607144908. $26.99. MED
Present at the first heart transplant in the UK and colleague of several pioneering cardiac surgeons, Cooper has the ideal background to write an insider's history of the development of open-heart surgery. He identifies 1938, when Boston surgeon Robert Gross performed the first successful operation, as the year that made heart surgery a real possibility. In the following decades, talented and ambitious surgeons and medical device inventors pushed the boundaries of what cardiac surgery could accomplish. They performed risky and often unsuccessful operations on patients who were so ill they had little to lose, but the knowledge gained led to life-saving advances. This is not just a technical account of surgical breakthroughs; to enhance his narrative, Cooper interviewed many surgeons from the early years, often provoking candid—and sometimes eyebrow-raising—comments about colleagues or their marital or financial difficulties. VERDICT Although biographies of a few of the surgeons Cooper discusses have been published, this comprehensive, well-crafted history is suitable for a general audience.—Kathy Arsenault, St. Petersburg, FL
Rosati, Kitty Gurkin. The Rice Diet Renewal: A Healing 30-Day Program for Lasting Weight Loss. Wiley. Sept. 2010. c.304p. illus. index. ISBN 9780470525449. $25.95. health
In Rosati's third volume in her "Rice Diet" series (The Rice Diet Solution; The Rice Diet Cookbook), she provides a refresher course in the basic principles of the prestigious Rice Diet Program for Weight Loss in Durham, NC. The rice program, in operation for 70 years, has helped thousands. The plan was one of the first to recognize that physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are interconnected. It requires a cleansing program to eliminate refined foods and salt from the diet and to reassess priorities in redefining daily habits. The food guidelines emphasize grains, fresh fruits, and vegetables; menus and recipes are included. A daily journal helps readers recognize feelings and the self-destructive impulses that cause overeating. VERDICT There is nothing here that hasn't been said before, but the reputation of the Rice Program makes this a more authoritative volume. Highly recommended for anyone looking to lose weight, especially the obese.—Susan B. Hagloch, formerly with Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH
Stone, Gene. The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick. Workman. Nov. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 9780761158141. $23.95. health
Most everyone wants to a live a long, healthy life and avoid becoming sick. After battling a lingering cold, health journalist and ghostwriter Stone became interested in discerning the health secrets of those people who stay well. The author has interviewed people who rarely get sick and highlights the practices that they claim have provided them with good health. Stone's secret tips range from the norm, such as calorie reduction, running, and chicken soup, to more bizarre secrets like brewer's yeast, hydrogen peroxide, and eating dirt. VERDICT The writing style makes the book easy to read, and while many may find it interesting, most of the secret tips provided are only anecdotal, offering little or no scientific evidence to back up the health claims. Stone's book may appeal to readers interested in alternative health.—Dana Ladd, Community Health Education Ctr., Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Libs. & Virginia Commonwealth Univ. Health Syst., Richmond
Weiss, Robin Elise. The Better Way To Breastfeed. Fair Winds: Quayside. 2010. c.304p. illus. index. ISBN 9781592334223. pap. $19.99. health
Breast feeding isn't an easy topic to write about, and Weiss (The Complete Illustrated Pregnancy Companion) explains upfront her goal to help moms stay committed to their choice to breast-feed. She does this through information—she makes it a point to bust the myths about breast feeding (e.g., small-breasted women won't produce enough milk, breast feeding hurts) with facts. Weiss occasionally refers to medical studies or journal articles, but most of her information isn't cited and occasionally seems overstated. Some readers may be put off by her encouragement to practice child-led weaning or tandem nursing; others will find it refreshing to have these subjects addressed. Supplementing is referenced, but formula is never mentioned, which may disappoint moms with questions about starting their breast-fed baby on formula. The book gives plenty of good advice about pumping milk at work for those who choose this route. VERDICT A good choice for readers open to natural or attachment parenting who want the latest information to back up their choice to breast-feed.—Mindy Rhiger, St. Paul
Home Economics
Tye, Diane. Baking as Biography: A Life Story in Recipes. McGill-Queen's Univ. Sept. 2010. c.280p. illus. index. ISBN 9780773537248. $75; pap. ISBN 9780773537255. $24.95. COOKING
Can women's recipe collections convey half a decade of social and cultural history? Using her mother's recipes as a framework, Tye (folklore, Memorial Univ. of Newfoundland) explores Canadian women's roles from 1930 to 1980. She recalls her mother as a minister's wife who didn't care for baking yet consistently produced an abundance of sweets for her family, church, and community. Her succinct recipes range from simple (biscuits and oatcakes) to "exotic" (anything involving JELL-O, Dream Whip, or canned pie filling). By contextualizing individual recipes with memories, interviews, photographs, and historical facts, Tye shows how her mother's baking reflects social obligations, gender interactions, and evolving foodways. VERDICT Because this book blends memoir, biography, culinary history, and research, it should appeal to both scholars and readers who enjoy historical or intellectual food writing. Expect frequent references to ethnographic, folkloric, and anthropologic literature.—Lisa Campbell, Univ. of Alabama Lib., Tuscaloosa
Wilson, Jason. Boozehound: On the Trail of the Rare, the Obscure, and the Overrated in Spirits. Ten Speed: Crown Pub. Group. Oct. 2010. c.240p. index. ISBN 9781580082884. $22.99. BEVERAGES
Spirits columnist for the Washington Post and series editor of The Best American Travel Writing anthologies, Wilson shares his comprehensive knowledge in this conversational book. Chapters provide historical and general information about various spirits and the author's experiences drinking them. In Leghorn, Italy, Wilson visits a distillery that makes Tuaca, a citrus-vanilla liqueur that is more popular in the United States than in Italy. Each chapter ends with associated recipes for the spirits discussed, with some standards (e.g., Sloe Gin Fizz) but more twists (e.g., Bianco Manhattan) and obscure or rare cocktails (e.g., Boris Karloff, a gin and elderflower liqueur–based drink). The appendix provides essential guidelines for stocking a home bar. VERDICT Wilson's rich descriptions will entice readers to try something new the next time they hop on a bar stool. Recommended for strong cookery or lifestyle collections.—Meagan P. Storey, Virginia Beach
Sciences
Davies, Kevin. The $1,000 Genome: The Revolution in DNA Sequencing and the New Era of Personalized Medicine. Free Pr: S. & S. Sept. 2010. c.256p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781416569596. $26. SCI
Davies (Cracking the Genome), editor in chief of Bio-IT World and founding editor of Nature Genetics, is well equipped to explain the uncertainties and ambiguities of Direct to Consumer (DTC) genetic testing. Prices of DNA chips and "next generation" sequencing technologies continue to plummet and produce more data than anyone knows fully what to do with. Davies describes the technologies and people behind personal genomics and sequencing companies and reports his own DNA test results, which even he struggles to understand. Ironically, while overwhelmed with data, we need even more—too many people take drugs that are ineffective or toxic to them. Personalized medicine offers the promise of faster, cheaper, more definitive clinical trials. Davies asserts that there is an increasing need for informed public debate because of difficult questions of privacy and other ethical issues and the need for more nuanced understanding of genetics and the challenges and limitations of risk assessment. VERDICT Recommended for all interested readers. This won't be the last word, but it's an important overview for now.—Mary Chitty, Cambridge Healthtech Lib., Needham, MA
Kirk, Jay. Kingdom Under Glass: A Tale of Obsession, Adventure, and One Man's Quest To Preserve the World's Great Animals. Holt. Nov. 2010. c.400p. illus. ISBN 9780805092820. $27.50. NAT HIST
In the early 20th century, Carl Akeley elevated the craft of taxidermy by perfecting innovative techniques for mounting lifelike specimens and displaying them in meticulously re-created habitats. Shooting and skinning animals, Akeley endured malaria, rat-bite fever, meningitis, and animal attacks to obtain the highest-quality African mammals for the Chicago Field Museum and the American Museum of Natural History. His stunning dioramas of elephants and mountain gorillas were admired by Teddy Roosevelt and Dian Fossey, among many others. With a large dose of artistic license, journalist Kirk has constructed a biography of Akeley from what could have been the thoughts, feelings, motivations, and conversations of Akeley and other individuals. But instead of providing new insight or perspective on Akeley's life and considerable legacy, Kirk's narrative reads like a wordy, digressive novel. VERDICT While some readers might find the novelistic approach entertaining, others will find it irksome. Those with serious interest in Akeley should turn to Penelope Bodry-Sanders's more informative Carl Akeley: Africa's Collector, Africa's Savior. [Library marketing.]—Cynthia Knight, Hunterdon Cty. Lib., Flemington, NJ
Oreskes, Naomi & Erik M. Conway. Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. 2010. c.368p. index. ISBN 9781596916104. $27. sci
This book joins a handful whose authors have investigated a powerful propaganda industry. Oreskes (history, Univ. of California–San Diego) and Conway (Atmospheric Science at NASA: A History) have documented the recruitment of some scientists by U.S. tobacco companies to spread disinformation. Funding could be channeled through nonprofit corporations or law firms. Later, some of the same scientists had backing to argue against regulation of sulfur emissions, banning of CFCs, effects of secondhand smoke, and causes of global warming. These calculated attacks on scientific consensus have been abetted by mainstream media, which have often presented the "other side" even when it's discredited. Oreskes and Conway outline how science is supposed to work and how some critical evidence has been drowned out of the U.S. public discourse. VERDICT An important study about science and the media that informed citizens need to read.—David R. Conn, Surrey P.L., B.C.
Parsons, Paul. The Science of Doctor Who. Johns Hopkins Univ. 2010. c.320p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780801895609. $24.95. SCI
In the tradition of Lawrence M. Krauss's The Physics of Star Trek, Jeanne Cavelos's The Science of Star Wars, and similar works, Parsons's book takes a semiserious look at how many aspects of the Doctor Who world may or may not be physically, biologically, or technologically possible. An astrophysicist like Cavelos, Parsons has written an engaging work accessible to lay audiences and interesting even to those not fanatical about the long-running BBC series. Organized into four sections with short chapters, the book discusses characteristics of the Doctor, the Tardis, other aliens and mechanical beings, and missions in space and beyond. A wide range of scientific research and news sources are cited, including bit.ly shortened URLs. The book has sketch illustrations and a robust index. Originally published by a UK imprint, it now contains a preface covering discrepancies in airtimes on each continent. VERDICT Accessible and entertaining, this is suitable for public and academic libraries and possibly also high school collections.—Sara Tompson, Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles
The World of Wolves: New Perspectives on Ecology, Behaviour and Management. Univ. of Calgary . 2010. c.398p. ed. by Marco Musiani & others. illus. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781552382691. pap. $34.95. NAT HIST
This edited volume consists of nine scholarly papers that report current research findings on wolves contributed by a pack of top researchers in the field from North America and Europe. This research is an excellent demonstration of the principle that the more we know, the more we realize there is still more to know. For example, the DNA studies of wolves described here have contributed enormously to our ability to track their population dynamics but have also questioned the distinctions we make among wolf species, let alone among wolves, coyotes, and dogs. Another example is that the 50-year ecological study of wolves and moose on Isle Royale has required a complete revision of its explanatory model every five years as a result of continuing observations. Musiani (Univ. of Calgary), Luigi Boitani (Univ. of Rome), and Paul C. Paquet (Univ. of Calgary) do not shy away from this complexity and clearly explain the analytical and statistical tools used to illuminate the lives of wolves. VERDICT While public libraries might find nothing to howl about, this is a valuable morsel for students and scientists in academic and research libraries to sink their teeth into. —Walter L. Cressler, West Chester Univ. Lib., PA
Technology
Gunter, Barrie & others. The Google Generation: Are ICT Innovations Changing Information-Seeking Behaviour? Chandos. 2009. c.200p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781843345572. pap. $95. tech
In this book, largely based on the British Library/JISC–funded research project Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future, Gunter (mass communications, Univ. of Leicester, UK), David Nicholas (information studies, Univ. Coll. London), and Ian Rowlands (information studies, Univ. Coll. London) explore the relationship between advances in information/communication technologies (ICT) and the information-seeking behaviors of college students today. The findings are disappointing, as little evidence was unearthed. A few "Google generation" myths are refuted and others weakly supported. The authors focus too much on what has changed in the publishing/broadcasting marketplace, looking back at traditional media and scholarly content accessibility instead of presenting what is genuinely new and how that may affect teaching practices and scholarship. While database-browsing behaviors and search-query building is interesting to library and teaching practitioners, crowd-sourcing information and the rise of the smartphone app are potentially more disruptive to higher education practices. More search-behavior research is clearly required. VERDICT This provides few answers to some interesting questions. Recommended only for readers in information studies graduate programs.—James A. Buczynski, Seneca Coll. of Applied Arts & Technology, Toronto
