Current literature: Dermatology 2001–2002

KK Raja Babu

 Hyderabad, India

Correspondence Address:
K K Raja Babu
Hyderabad
India

Edited by J. S. Pasricha (Chief Editor), R. S. Mishra, V. Ramesh, M. Ramam, Binod K. Khaitan, et al. 304 pp. Price: Rs. 250 for IADVL members and Rs. 300 for non-IADVL members, New Delhi, IADVL, (Delhi State Branch) June 2003

This book is the fifth and newest in the series ′Current literature: Dermatology′ that began in 1994 with the avowed objective of disseminating new dermatological knowledge to practicing dermatologists who do not have ready access to what is being published in current dermatological journals globally. This is indeed a laudable and selfless effort and the chief editor and his team of editors, and the publishers (in this instance, the Delhi branch of the Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists) deserve everyone′s commendation. I am particularly gratified to know that the profits from the sale of this book would go to the Delhi State Branch of the IADVL.

The book is well designed, the print quality is very good and there are no typographical errors. All the important dermatological journals have been scanned although I wish that both ′The Journal of Dermatological Treatment′ and the ′Indian Journal of Dermatology′ were also reviewed because a lot of good work is also published there. It also gives me particular joy to note that almost all the work published by Indian authors in international journals has been accommodated.

The abstracts (211 in all) are concise, easy to read and remember. The abstracts, however, could have been arranged subject-wise to make it easy for the reader to extract them without going to the index. If there is anything further to comment on, it is about the editorial comments. While many of them are appropriate and helpful, some are not. A few are short of scientific temperance and an occasional one is even pompous or wrong. Indeed the book could do well without some of these.

All in all, a commendable job and at Rs. 250-300, the book is indeed a bargain.