Abstract
Color Atlas of Equine Pathology is a great resource edited by recognized leaders in equine pathology and contributed to by a diverse set of equally well-recognized pathologists. This book is designed for the equine pathology enthusiast and is likely a considerable reference for clinical equine practitioners. Inclusion of numerous photographs from historical and current disease entities in North America makes for excellent study material for residents preparing for the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP) board exam. While archival materials make some image quality lacking, access to these images is priceless, and on the whole the image quality is excellent. Inclusion of images demonstrating clinical diagnostic tests, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry/special stains makes this information particularly useful for a complete equine pathology reference.
The text is organized into 15 chapters and 3 appendices with an emphasis placed on presentations by age group. Chapters are broken down by body system with an introductory chapter for a synopsis of techniques and guidelines when performing an autopsy of the equine carcass. Some tricks for the field autopsy when collecting central nervous system samples are particularly useful. Each chapter contains an introductory outline of the diseases to be presented and is sprinkled with relevant table synopses or “Fact Sheets” of pertinent concepts or disease summaries. Concluding each chapter is a list of references that direct the reader to important publications for further detail on disease entities presented.
I personally enjoy the format in which images are the basis for presenting information in bite-sized detail. This picture-based format avoids the laborious reading of text heavy pathology references and thus makes for easier digestion of disease-specific information. I would prefer each image be given greater priority by reducing white space and figure legends and increasing each image size on the page. I would recommend that any pathology library contain this text.