Manual of Reptiles

P. H. Beynon, M.P.C. Lawton and J. E. Cooper, (Eds).
Iowa State University Press, 2121 S. State Avenue, Ames, IA 50014. 1994, 228 pp., $64.95.

As the desire and need for veterinary services for nondomestic species continues to increase, this manual provides an easy-to-read, up-to-date compilation of pertinent information and reference material essential to the practice of veterinary medicine for reptiles. For both the novice and experienced practitioner, this manual contains excellent chapters on general care and management, clinical and radiographic techniques, therapy, anesthesia, surgery and post-mortem examination of snakes, turtles, lizards and other reptiles. The book also contains succinct chapters on the more important diseases of the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, integumentary, nervous, respiratory, and urogenital systems. Though several of the appendices (pertinent addresses and legislation) are not applicable for the non-European audience, these could be expanded in future editions to make this portion of the manual more encompassing. However, this manual will serve as a paramount reference for veterinary practitioners for years to come and should be acquired by any veterinary practice contemplating expanding services into the realm of reptile medicine.

Stephen A. Smith, DVM, PhD