Book Review

The Ear: Comprehensive otology

N Engl J Med 2000; 343:227July 20, 2000

Article

The Ear: Comprehensive otology
Edited by Rinaldo F. Canalis and Paul R. Lambert. 900 pp., illustrated. Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2000. $179. ISBN: 0-7817-1558-X

This book is an overview of today's knowledge of all topics concerning otology, written by a group of recognized authorities. Basic science, diagnostic methods, and treatments related to diseases of the ear are extensively described.

Each of the book's 12 chapters ends with a summary of the essentials. The introductory historical review mentions a number of otologists who made important contributions to otology, but regrettably not the Nobel laureates Robert Bárány and Georg von Békésy, who were pioneers in the field of the physiology of hearing and balance.

The book will serve both residents in otology as a didactic tool and practicing otologists as a reference source of clinical and basic information. Controversial issues are presented in a balanced manner, which facilitates decision-making in complex clinical situations.

Providing a complete overview of otology was clearly the goal of the editors. However, the personal interests of contributors cannot always be avoided, so some topics are in the limelight, whereas others remain in the shadows. Motion sickness is not mentioned, and readers searching for information on vestibular damage caused by head and neck injuries will be disappointed. The pharmacotherapy of vertigo is described in a few sentences, and only a couple of drugs are mentioned, whereas vestibular compensation is extensively discussed for more than 10 pages. Nevertheless, the book provides a good understanding of current views of many aspects of otology.

W.J. Oosterveld, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands