JVME v21n1: Book Review

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Volume 21, Number 1	Spring, 1994

Book Review

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Atlas of Canine Anatomy. W. D. Anderson and B. G. Anderson. Lea & Febiger, 200 Chesterfield Parkway, Malvern, PA 19355. 1994, 1230 pp., 1601 illustrations, $125.00.

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Much of the world's knowledge of basic mammalian anatomy and physiology is based on research using the dog and most veterinary colleges now use the dog as the basic model for anatomical studies. Bettina and Wesley Anderson are a husband and wife team at the Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine who have combined efforts to produce an outstanding atlas of canine anatomy. The authors also give credit on the frontispiece to Bonnie J. Smith of Virginia Tech for special editorial collaboration. This work has been produced with meticulous precision in every detail. Its many and clear illustrations greatly enhance its use. The authors and the publisher have used modern, state-of-the-art techniques in its production. For example, in place of drawings and flat photographs, the book contains corrosion casts of the vascular system down to microscopic detail.

The atlas is divided into six parts: Head, Neck, Thorax, Abdomen, Pelvis, and Limbs and Back. Each section is organized somewhat similarly. The bony and ligamentous structures are described first. Then the fasciae, muscles, tendons, arteries, veins, lymphatic structures, and nerves are illustrated in order. In most cases both right and left views are presented. Dr. Ralph Kitchell, who many consider the dean of anatomy teachers, writes in the preface that he considers the book "a masterpiece." He believes the "value of the book will come in assisting students in formulating visual images of important anatomic regions as well as serving as a lifetime reference text-book."

In addition to its special value as a scholarly work and textbook for students of all levels, it should set a standard for instruction in veterinary anatomy and on a practical level eliminate the need for the numerous individually tailored instructor "hand-outs" so common in our colleges today.

R. B. Talbot, DVM, PhD