Abstract
The book consists of 16 chapters and is 270 pages in length. Early chapters focus on general pathology topics, such as the spectrum of cell responses following injury and inflammation and, then, transition on to discussions concerning hemostasis and hemodynamics. Later chapters include a discussion on neoplasia followed by focused etiology chapters covering immune, genetic, infectious, nutritional, and toxicological disorders. Then the text concludes with a chapter entitled Forensic Pathology. Most chapters are introduced with an initial section where key organizing concepts are presented. Chapter sections and subsections are clearly bolded helping to keep the reader oriented to the specific topic and its organizational relationship to other topics found in the chapter. In-text bolding is used throughout the book to highlight important terms that might be new to the reader. Gross and microscopic images are present in almost equal proportions, averaging 5 of each type per chapter on random check of two chapters. Most chapters contain at least 2 line-drawn figures and tables as well as 2–3 electron micrographs. Most images and figures are black and white. Scattered throughout most chapters are 2–3 focus boxes, highlighting a specific disorder with a more in-depth discussion. A 1–2 page reference list alphabetized by author and grouped by chapter subtopic is found at the end each chapter.
The intended audience for this book is the beginning student in veterinary pathology. The text introduces many concepts basic to the understanding of general veterinary pathology. Many of the specific disorders discussed are relevant to veterinary pathology with a focus on traditional domestic livestock species and mammalian pets with notable inclusion of a few avian, fish, and amphibian disorders. The breadth of presented material is good, but the depth of presentation is highly variable. Detailed discussions of specific disorders are randomly intermixed with discussions of general concepts giving many of the chapters an unbalanced feel and potentially giving the novel reader a false impression of complete coverage. This text is best suited to the beginning veterinary or graduate student or lay reader seeking an introductory text to the field of veterinary pathology. The lack of consistent organization, completeness, and detailed microscopic and gross descriptions limits the usefulness of this book to the practicing pathologist and resident in training.
In this third edition, the 5 “Part” sections used to organize the 12 chapters from the second edition have been removed and the total number of chapters increased to 16. While chapter names and sequence are somewhat different, there is little actual content difference. The third edition's Chapter 15 (Ecosystems and Environmental Pathology) is new and is an eclectic collection of subtopics covering pollutants, aquatic ecosystems, agricultural hazards, and wildlife ecosystems: free-ranging animals. However, much of this chapter's content is borrowed from numerous areas of the second edition. Chapter 16 (Forensic Pathology) is also a new addition to this most current edition. The first portion introduces general concepts regarding the detection of various types of trauma during the necropsy procedure. The second portion of Chapter 16 consists of a curious section labeled “Bioterrorism” containing superficial discussions concerning the limitations of biologic weapons mixed with comments on a few specific infectious and chemical agents.
The most current edition of this book contains virtually all of the content found in the second edition including its images, tables, and drawings. In spite of the considerable reorganization found in the third edition, surprisingly little new content (approximately 35 pages) has been added over the second edition. A few other shortcomings of the book are also noted. The error concerning the pathogenesis of dicumarol poisoning persists from the second edition. Magnification, stain method, size bar, and caption features are not illustrated for images. Infectious disorders are scattered throughout the text in spite of having a distinct chapter (Infectious Diseases). The most current name for organisms is not always used: (Haemobartonella spp. [Mycoplasma haemofelis] and Tyzzer's disease: Actinobacillus piliformis [Clostridium piliforme]). There are no in-text citations for the reference lists found at end of the chapters. The index is often missing key words that are bolded in the text (e.g., Prion, Tyzzer's).
Dr. Cheville is a distinguished expert in the field of veterinary pathology and any pathology text produced by this author will contain a valuable collection of knowledge. Current owners of the second edition may consider waiting for a more extensively revised and updated future edition while those in the field who own the first edition, or none at all, should consider adding this text as part of their personal reference collection. In the classroom, this text would best be used as a supplementary resource for the introduction of pathology to professional veterinary students. The lack of consistent organization, depth, and completeness limits its usefulness as an independent teaching tool. However, its use in conjunction with more robust works, such as McGavin, M.D., et al., Pathologic Basis of Veterinary Disease, 4th edition, 2006, or the more dated but well versed texts, such as Jones, T.C. et al., Veterinary Pathology, 6th edition, 1997, and Jubb, K.V.F., et al., Pathology of Domestic Animals, Volumes 1–3, 1993 will help define its scope limitations and offer the student an easily readable synopsis of basic veterinary pathology concepts.