Abstract
The third edition of Haschek and Rousseaux’s Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology, the longstanding authoritarian and teaching guide to the practice of toxicologic pathology, has been expanded to a 3-volume set and adds 2 associate editors and an illustration editor. As the preface correctly summarizes, compared to previous editions, the third edition provides a more comprehensive and definitive reference for the Practice of Toxicologic Pathology (Volume 1), Safety Assessment Including current and Emerging Issues in Toxicologic Pathology (Volume 2), and Systems Toxicologic Pathology (Volume 3). The list of contributing authors has been updated and greatly expanded with these individuals bringing a wealth of current knowledge and expertise to the individual chapters.
Volumes 1 and 2 will appeal to both new and experienced toxicologic pathologists, toxicologists, pharmacologists, study directors, laboratory animal scientists, and those in lateral life sciences. Volume 2 will also be of value to those working as government and regulatory specialists, biomedical engineers, and anyone involved in safety assessment of drugs, biopharmaceuticals, biomedical devices, food, endocrine distruptors, phytotoxins, mycotoxins, plant poisonings, heavy metals, agriculture chemicals, nanoparticles, food/nutrients, and physical agents. Although Volume 3 will appeal most to toxicologic pathologists and toxicologists, its detailed coverage of organ systems will be a valuable resource for any scientist looking for an understanding of pathology nomenclature, normal structure, function and cell biology as well as a description of organ-specific toxicity and mechanisms of injury. Individuals studying for the American Board of Toxicology certification would also do well to read many chapters in all 3 volumes to supplement and supplant gaps in the current reading list for this examination. The legal professionals and financial analysts specializing in life sciences will also benefit from the content in all 3 volumes.
This handbook combines many new chapters with updated versions of chapters from the previous edition. The 3 volumes are well organized, and the editors have endeavored to provide clearer and more complete content description for chapter titles that will be easier for nonpathologist to recognize. There is also a reasonably consistent structure and content of the chapters in each volume including discussions of current knowledge, mechanisms of disease and toxicity, end points, knowledge gaps, advantages and disadvantages of techniques, tools, and test species and cited references include online material and reading lists. Illustrations are of high quality, in adequate numbers, and appear to be carefully chosen for the chapter content. What really makes this a standout handbook is Volume 2 which integrates toxicologic pathology with all aspects of general safety assessment, data interpretation, risk management, and regulatory interactions. Volume 3 acts as a natural bridge between the practice of toxicology pathology in Volume 1 and organ-specific toxicologic pathology in Volume 3.
When faced with a 2 or more volume reference book and over 3000 pages, my first response is “please, hand me the digital edition”. Fortunately, this handbook has an e-book version. The PDF version I reviewed was easily readable on a 14-in laptop screen, desktop computer monitors, and a tablet but difficult to read on a smart phone screen. This cross-platform readability is consistent with the compatibility chart for the e-book available at the publisher’s Web site. There is a separate edition available for Kindle readers. The tablet computer provided the most enjoyable experience due to the ability to rotate the screen to accommodate the typical vertical page orientation of a book and ease of finger touch screen expansion/contraction and page navigation. The electronic version is a searchable PDF which I find advantageous as such a search often identifies terms in disparate chapters that are easily missed if you rely on an index. Additionally, reading on an electronic device allows hyperlink access to figures and tables cited in the text, hyperlinks from the index and with Internet access there a quick link to reference materials on external Web sites. The publisher could improve the PDF e-book version by combining the 3 volumes into 1 e-book as this would allow searching across all volumes and constant access to the Index, which was only in Volume 3. However, the large file size that might result from combining 3 volumes is a likely impediment.
The content of this handbook is generally very comprehensive but as with any published reference book, there are limitations. Depending on your area of expertise or interest, you will be able to identify content that is not current or sufficiently detailed. Additionally, the price for this 3 volume set will be a limitation for many. But, as difficult as it was, the editors have done a commendable job in providing abundant general and detailed information that will appeal to those in academia, industry, and government and individuals involved in toxicologic pathology of plant and animal toxins, physical agents, food and nutrients, environmental toxins, nanoparticles, biologics, or pharmaceuticals. This 3-volume handbook belongs on the physical- or e-shelf of practitioners of toxicologic pathology and toxicology and needs to be in the communal library of a broad range of individuals in life sciences who interact with toxicologic pathologists. My overall recommendation would be to purchase the e-book rather than the hardcopy if you have a tablet or e-reader.