Book Review

The External Ear

N Engl J Med 1996; 334:1614June 13, 1996

Article

The External Ear
Edited by Frank E. Lucente, William Lawson, and Nelson Lee Novick. 331 pp., illustrated. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1995. $89. ISBN: 0-7216-5667-6

In most textbooks of otolaryngology or otology the external ear receives short shrift, with coverage of its wide variety of medical and surgical problems crammed into a short chapter. The External Ear stands in sharp contrast. Over 300 pages of text and illustrations deal exclusively with the pinna and ear canal. The book is a collaborative effort of specialists in otolaryngology and dermatology. It is the latest incarnation of a monograph, Diseases of the External Ear by Ben Senturia and others (Springfield, Ill.: Charles C Thomas), first published in 1957. In 1980, the original book was revised and updated by Senturia, Morris D. Marcus, and Frank E. Lucente and entitled Diseases of the External Ear: An Otologic–Dermatologic Manual (second edition. New York: Grune and Stratton). The current book is a direct descendant and reprints parts of the earlier publications. It starts with chapters on the anatomy and embryology of the external ear, techniques of examination, and fundamentals of dermatologic diagnosis and therapy. It goes on to cover infectious, neoplastic, traumatic, metabolic, immunologic, and other systemic causes of disease. Finally, there are chapters on the surgical management of malformations, trauma, and tumors of the pinna.

The broad scope of this textbook will appeal to many physicians. Otolaryngologists will learn much from the dermatology chapters, and dermatologists from the chapters on otolaryngology. Primary care physicians and students will learn from the entire book. The extensive use of text and illustrations from the earlier books is apparent. The style of drawings and the quality of the photographs and color plates are typical of books from one or two decades ago (and inferior to most modern efforts). The majority of references at the end of each chapter are from the 1960s and 1970s, with occasional citations from the 1980s and none from the 1990s. The quality of the color plates varies. They are set at the beginning of the book away from the corresponding text, and a number are printed upside down. Despite these shortcomings, the text itself is accurate, well written, and informative. It provides a compendium of information unavailable in any other single book and, as such, is a unique contribution.

Steven D. Rauch, M.D.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA 02114