ABC-Clio, 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911, Santa Barbara, CA 93116-1911. 268p., bibliog., glossary, index. (Contemporary World Issues). ISBN 0-87436-648-8. $39.50. Mary Ellen Hombs. 1992.
This handbook provides users sources of information that may be spread throughout a variety of resources, some of which are difficult to locate. It is intended to help the serious researchers as well as the ordinary citizen, volunteers, and policymakers. Obviously, a book containing all of these resources would be several thousand pages in length and grossly out of date the minute it was published. Mary Ellen Hombs has done an excellent job in selecting the most useful information, verifying it, putting it in a usable format, and presenting some of the more important facts in the history of AIDS. The first chapter presents a brief historical account of AIDS, giving definitions, treatments, demographics, and public policy issues. This is a well-done chapter that would be understandable for the layperson and student. The second chapter is a chronology that begins with 1970 when H.M. Temin and S. Mitzutani discover reverse transcriptase, an enzyme produced by retroviruses and ending with September, 1992, with Magic Johnson announcing that he was HIV+. The next chapter gives brief biographical sketches of several personalities who have been associated with the AIDS epidemic: Dr. Francoise Barre, Kimberly Bergalis, Dr. Samuel Broder, Michael Callen, Gaetan Dugas, Dr. Robert Gallo, Keith Haring, George Kenneth Horne, Jr., Rock Hudson, Earvin Magic Johnson, Cleve Jones, Dr. C. Everett Koop, Larry Kramer, Dr. Mathilde Krim, Robert Mapplethorpe, Belinda Mason, Dr. Luc Montagnier, Dr. June Osborn, Dr. Grethe Rask, Ryan White, and Phil Zwickler. One may want to question why other names were not included, but the author picked those that were felt to exemplify AIDS and its impact on researchers and citizens. The fourth chapter, "Facts and Statistics," gives numerous tables, graphs, and listings, including glossaries pertaining to transmission, testing, drug therapies, and drug trials. This is an excellent chapter for finding information about health care costs and concerns, facts on testing, women and AIDS, and treatment, as well as numerous other frequently asked for facts.
The fifth chapter covers various important documents and reports that have been referred to in the media and contains reprints of these documents with a citation to their original source. The next chapter is a brief chapter covering HIV/AIDS and the law. The seventh chapter is a directory of organizations, government agencies, and hotlines with telephone numbers and addresses. A very brief sentence identifies the purpose of the facility. The last chapter is a bibliographical listing of reference materials. It includes reference books, monographs, pamphlets, newsletters, government documents, anthologies, personal accounts, photographic works, fiction, poetry, films, videos, and electronic databases.
All in all this is an excellent book that will provide references for many individuals doing AIDS research. It is well written and intended to be understandable at the layperson level. Although some of the information will become dated, much of it will continue to be useful. It is hoped that the publisher will recognize the importance of such a work and encourage frequent new editions so that those who need the information will be able to have it available. This is a recommended book for all levels of users from high school to researcher and should be available in all libraries. (H. Robert Malinowsky)
Keywords: Epidemiology, Government Policy, Bibliography
DISTRIBUTED BY GENA/aegis (714.248.2836). Copyright (c) 1993 - AIDS BOOK REVIEW JOURNAL. All materials in the journal are subject to copyright by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. For other reprinting or redistribution or translations, address requests to H. Robert Malinowsky, University of Illinois at Chicago Library, PO Box 8198, Chicago, IL 60680. 9303
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This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.