Textbook of dermatology, venereology and leprology

Bhushan Kumar

 , India

Correspondence Address:

Devinder Mohan Thappa

Elsevier 2nd Edition 2005

Pages: 421

It was a pleasure to go through the book, which Prof.Thappa has tried hard to put in an abridged version. It is not easy to really evaluate a small book, which is expected and meant to deliver what is essential for an undergraduate - because as a specialist one does not fully appreciate the need for brevity. Dr. Thappa has done a very good job, better than the previous edition in many ways. Good illustrations and photographs have added to the quality of the book.

However, in a work of this nature some deficiencies and errors are unavoidable. There are many American spellings which have been incorporated in a book written in Queen′s English, viz. diarrhea, hemoglobin,seborrhea, inflamed, etc., but the term "discoid" has been misspelt. Besides there are many statements which would require author′s attention in the next edition, viz. oozing as secondary lesion (page 20);definition of "erosion" and "fissure" (pages 21, 22);intravenous dose of acyclovir 5 mg/kg rather than the range (page 66); Malassezia is mentioned both as a mono and dimorphic fungus and its culture on Sabouraud′s medium (pages 78 and 90); overlap between the description of HSP and leukocytoclastic vasculitis (page 185); benzoyl peroxide to be applied twice a day (page 237); caution about adapalene and tretinoin because they are potent comedolytics and use of corticosteroids and ethinyl estradiol in systemic treatment of acne has to be qualified (page 237);′benzoyl′ for the treatment of alopecia areata (page

242); actinic keratosis is a squamous cell carcinoma in situ (page 264); genital ulcer in developed world due to chancroid (page 271); because trichomoniasis is a STD, sexual partners should be routinely treated (page 312); type 2 lepra reaction usually occurs late in the course of treatment (page 327); inclusion of localized cellulitis, erysipelas under blanchable erythematous macule (page 334); edema due to cardiac and renal causes, etc., under diffuse thickening of skin (page 339); urea to be used in a concentration of 4-6% (page 351); bacitracin is effective in the treatment of dermatitis (page 353); concentration of clotrimazole cream 2% (page 354); mechanism of action of topical glucocorticoids is anti-mitotic (page 354);concentration of various topical steroid preparations to be checked, especially of fluocinolone and betamethasone (page 355); adjuvant measures like salt free diet, potassium supplement, etc. if systemic steroids are used in a dose of 15 mg or given for more than 2 weeks, and calcium, vitamin D supplementation if duration of treatment exceeds one month (page 359); use of terbinafine for tinea versicolor (page 368); and concentration of tacrolimus ointment (page 392).

Of the many new chapters, only the two on ′New and emerging therapies′ and ′Dermatologic surgery and cosmetology′ are informative. Chapters on therapy, topical and systemic, are very good. There is hardly any need for ′Diagrammatic representation of lesions in leprosy′.

Though I would hesitate to accept it as a "Textbook of dermatology, venereology and leprology", I have no hesitation in recommending this book to the undergraduates and even to the fresh entrants to the postgraduate course who are likely to be frightened by the huge size of the texts on the subject.