The present and future of diagnostic ultrasound. Ian Donald and Salvator Levi, Editors. Kooyker Scientific Publications, Rotterdam, Netherlands, Distributed by John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1976. 211 pages. $30.00
✍ Scribed by Larry Pertcheck
- Book ID
- 102327395
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1978
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 98 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0091-2751
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
The goal of the authors is their feeling of the need to present health related students the the importance of physics as it is currently applied in medical and paramedical areas. The book is designed primarily for students who might plan a career in some field of medicine. It seems to cover two broad areas of medical physics: (1) the application of physics, such as mechanics, light, sound, electricity, and magnetism to medicine and (2) the principles of physics involved in the functioning of various organ systems, such as the eye, ear, lung, heart, and circulatory system. Since one of the most important applications of physics in medicine relates to the field of radiology, there are four chapters on diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine, radiotherapy, and radiation protection.
Although the book was written primarily for students going into the field of medicine, it may provide the practicing physician with an opportunity to understand better some of the applications of the principles of physics as used in medicine. There is broad coverage of medicine, hence many may feel it does not cover in sufficient detail subjects of their particular interest. For example, the section on ultrasound is quite short and is sandwiched between material on the stethoscope and that on the production of speech. If a reader becomes interested in one particular area, then he would have to look elsewhere for additional information.
The use of mathematics is limited and quite understandable when used. In fact, that is one of the strong features of the book. The cover, which shows an EKG, a phonocardiogram, and an echocardiogram seems to transmit the message that this is a book of broad coverage which successfully explains the various area of medical physics which are of current interest and practical application. I would recommend this book for the student who is planning to enter the field of health care and wants to better understand the various applications of physics in medicine.