Book Reviews
Global Evaluation of the Introduction of Multidrug Therapy. Leprosy Epidemiological Bulletin 4 (1990). Brussels: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Catholic University of Louvain and WHO Collaborating Centre for the Epidemiology of Leprosy, 1990. Soft bound, 57 pp.
Nowadays, multidrug therapy (MDT) regimens are used in most endemic countries. Effective coverage of the patients with MDT differs widely, however, from country to country. The Bulletin presents information on MDT from 174 countries and territories worldwide. It does not intend to be just one more compilation of figures, but rather a stimulus for all those in charge of leprosy control programs to implement MDT in the field and to collect the necessary information to monitor the process.
This report is divided into three parts: la and lb = Summary and Detailed Statistics by WHO Regions; 2 = Summary Statistics by Countries; 3 = Detailed Statistics by Countries. - (From the Bulletin)
Hanseníase; Epidemiologia e Controle. Lombardi, Clóvis, coordenador. Jair Ferreira, Célio de Paula Motta, and Maria Leide Wand-del-Rey de Oliveira, co-autores. São Paulo: Imprensa Oficial do Estado, Arquiva do Estado, 1990. In Portuguese, softbound, 85 pp., some illustrations.
"A hanseníase representa um grave problema de saúde pública em muitos países em desenvolvimento.
"Pela sua predileção pelos nervos periféricos causa lesões que são as principais responsáveis pelo temor, os preconceitos e o estigma que provoca, pois é uma doença que além de contagiosa deforma e incapacita.
"O Brasil, com uma prevalência de 1,8 por mil habitantes, lidera as Américas no número de doentes, e por isso redobrados esforços estão sendo feitos em nosso País para enfrentar esse problema e um deles é o treinamento de pessoal.
"Infelizmente, os treinandos e todos aqueles envolvidos no ensino da hansenologia não encontram muitas publicações nacionais para consulta.
"Este é um dos fatos que atestam a importância deste livro que eu tenho a honra de prefaciar.
"O Professor Clóvis Lombardi está de parabéns pela edição desta obra, que vem ao encontro dos anseios de muitos daqueles dedicados à saúde pública e interessados no controle da endemia hansênica no País.
"Os assuntos que compõem os cinco capítulos deste livro sõ tratados com clareza e profundidade e certamente serão de grande valia para todos que tiverem a oportunidade de consultá-lo.
"Os seus autores, renomados técnicos com experiência nacional e internacional, são responsáveis pela elaboração de diretrizes e programas específicos e autoridades em epidemiologia e controle da hanseníase.
"Tenho certeza de que este trabalho, além de motivar e incentivar o público a que se destina no estudo da hansenologia, estimulará a realização de outros que irão enriquecer também a nossa literatura científica sobre a hanseníase e que se fazem tão necessários no momento atual."-Prefácio, Dr. Diltor V. Araújo Opromolla
In 85 pages Professor Lombardi and his colleagues have produced a remarkably complete and authoritative book on the national history of the disease (Chapter 1), hanseniasis as a public health problem (Chapter 2), epidemiologic surveillance (Chapter 3), epidemiologic research (Chapter 4), and control (Chapter 5) of hanseniasis. The emphasis, as it should be, is on the disease as it is occurring in Brazil. There are now (over the last 16 years) alarming increases in new case-detection rates in Brazil compared to other Latin American countries.
The WHO-recommended multidrug regimens are presented as well as the traditional therapeutic recommendations of the Brazilian National Division of Sanitary Dermatology: multibacillary patients defined as Virchowian (lepromatous), dimorphous, and indeterminate patients with a negative Mitsuda lepromin being treated with rifampin 600 mg daily for 3 months, plus dapsone 100 mg daily for a minimum of 5 years. Paucibacillary patients are defined as tuberculoid patients and indeterminate cases with a positive Mitsuda lepromin. They are treated with dapsone 100 mg daily for a minimum of 2 years.
The authors are among the world's most expert in their fields. It is a pleasure to review this important work. -RCH
The Indian Leprologists Look Back. Bombay: Ackworth Leprosy Hospital Society for Research, Rehabilitation and Education in Leprosy, n.d. Softbound, 141 pp., Rs. 25/-.
In the words of the Preface by S. S. Naik, Hon. Secretary of the Society,
"India still holds l/5th of the world's leprosy patients. Several Indian leprologists have contributed for more than four decades toward the understanding of the disease in the laboratory, its epidemiological features, therapeutic and surgical aspects, as well as control aspects. Because of their untiring efforts and dynamic leadership, different methodologies and strategies were evolved to fight leprosy on different fronts. Most of these eminent leprologists had to start really from scratch at the initial stage and build up the program with their sustained interest and hard work.
"We felt that their struggles and efforts should be recorded on tape in their own voice and subsequently published in the form of a book for the benefit of those who are interested in antileprosy work.
"The contents of the book give an overall picture of the evolution of antileprosy work in India over the past 40 years, and ofler the reader an opportunity to peep into the lives of these personalities, to learn about their ways of looking at problems and developing methodologies, all the time exercising kindness and the human approach toward leprosy patients."
The leprologists are: Dr. N. H. Antia, Dr. B. R. Chatterjee, Dr. Dharmendra, Dr. D. K. Dastur, Dr. V. K. Ekambaram, Dr. E. P. Fritschi, Dr. R. Ganapati, Prof. T. N. Jagadisan, Dr. C. K. Job, Dr. P. Kapoor, Dr. J. M. Mehta, Dr. M. S. Nilakanta Rao, Dr. G. Ramu, Dr. A. J. Selvapandian, Dr. R. H. Thangaraj, and Dr. C. M. Vellut.
Manuale di Leprologia. Nunzi, Enrico and Leiker, Derk L., eds. with the editorial assistance of Agostino Persi. Bologna: Organizzazione per la Cooperazione Sanitaria Internazionale, 1990. Hardbound, 300 pages, indexed, illustrations in color and black and white, in Italian.
This is an excellent textbook on leprosy. The book is 300 pages in length and is organized into 27 chapters. There are 22 international authorities as contributors. The editors have admirably collected these diverse contributions and created a comprehensive coverage of virtually all aspects of the disease. In addition to the traditional coverage of the subject, a number of innovations are apparent. Immunology, for example, is presented in four separate chapters dealing with a) general immunology to define terms, explain the immune response, etc.; b) immunology of leprosy; c) immunogenetics; and d) a chapter on the immunopathogenesis of the disease. A chapter is devoted to skin-smear examinations and another to the techniques of clinical examination of the patient. Serologic tests occupy a separate chapter, as do leprosy reactions. Separate chapters are devoted to visceral and bone involvement, the hand, and the foot in leprosy. Rehabilitation is divided into separate chapters on prevention of disabilities and surgical aspects. The final chapter describes leprosy in Italy.
The production of the book is superb. Almost all illustrations are in color. The histopathology and clinical illustrations are spectacular. As indicated in the Preface, one of the aims was to produce a book on leprosy in the Italian language. The book makes a major contribution in any language. The contributors, editors, and the Associazione Italiana Amici di Raoul Follereau, Organizzazione per la Cooperazione Sanitaria Internazionale (O.C.S.I.) are to be heartily congratulated.- RCH