Clinical Radiology of the Horse, 2nd ed.

First published in 1993, Clinical Radiology of the Horse rapidly assumed a position of academic preeminence, especially in Europe, supplanting the existing texts on the subject: Dik's Diagnostic Radiology of the Horse: Parts I to III, and Schebitz's Atlas of Radiographic Anatomy of the Horse. But, in the United States and Canada, Clinical Radiology of the Horse remained relatively unknown, due in part to its publisher being European, its authors being relatively unknown, and its price being prohibitively high — especially for veterinary students. Most North American veterinarians seemed content to use a general radiology text such as Thrall's Textbook of Veterinary Diagnostic Radiology, or equine specialty texts, such as Stashak's Lameness in Horses and Auer's Equine Surgery. Largely because of its extravagant pricing, many predicted that Clinical Radiology of the Horse was commercially doomed. But not so, as evidenced by the recently released 2nd edition. Like its predecessor, the 2nd edition Clinical Radiology of the Horse is divided into 13 chapters. The first, General Principles, deals with a variety of subjects including anatomic terminology, radiation safety and protection, film reading strategies, and the pathophysiology of bone and joint disease. Chapters 2 through 12 are organized anatomically and, for the most part, describe normal and abnormal osteology. The final chapter covers special radiographic procedures. Growth plate closure times, radiographic techniques, and a brief glossary are included at the end of the book. The preface has undergone only minor cosmetic changes. The design of the book — in my opinion, its greatest strength — also remains unchanged. Viewing the numerous large (in some cases nearly life-sized), high quality radiographs and many instructive line drawings, I am reminded of an actual teaching file. The single column text (about 12 to 14 words per line) continues to be immensely readable, owing to its ample spacing, highly legible typeface, and generous margins. The captions are for the most part mercifully brief, and the images tastefully and prudently annotated. The paper is premium stock, accounting for the very high quality radiographic reproductions, while the binding and covers are exceptionally durable, as evidenced by my copy of the 1st edition that looks nearly new after 7 years, even though I've used it regularly. The 2nd edition is about 10% larger than the 1st, due mainly to additional radiographs and line drawings. Nearly all of the original text has been retained intact, with new writings simply being appended to old. The impression one gets when comparing both editions, is that as far as the text was concerned, the authors were content with the status quo. Clinical Radiology of the Horse, 2nd edition, represents a unique effort between publisher and authors, resulting in a marvelously informative one-of-a-kind textbook, which has no competitors. But excellence has its price, in this case nearly $400 after taxes, which is about 66 cents a page (extremely high for a veterinary textbook). In addition to price, I have another concern, there are no references (or at least no references in the traditional sense). The authors' use of “Further Reading,” without specific in-text citations troubles me for 2 reasons. First, those whose ideas and labors form the foundation for our present equine radiological knowledge and from whom the authors appear to have borrowed liberally remain anonymous. I believe they deserve better. Second, both current pedagogical and medical practice require that one learn to think critically, especially about outcomes. Unfortunately, this is not possible with an unreferenced text like Clinical Radiology of the Horse, 2nd edition, where opinion and fact are too often inseparable. As a colleague recently reminded me, “Scholarship isn't supposed to be easy.” And finally with respect to any future editions, I recommend that the authors confine their efforts to what they appear to know best, medical imaging, and not dabble in therapeutics. For example, on page 153 when describing angular limb deformities, the authors tentatively conclude, “To correct the condition wedge osteotomy may be considered.” This is far too complex an issue to be dealt with in so trivial a manner.

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