Review by Kathy Lyon (Click on stars for an explanation)

You may purchase this book on Amazon.com.

Last printed in 2001, this edition is a quality update of information, from disease to pharmacology, from genetics to nutrition and environment. The first section on the mouse is by far the largest topic in the book. There is a good section on the various strains of lab mice and their genetics and study expectations. The use of mice in the study of stem cells had made the mouse a popular study model. Also discussed are the rat, the guinea pig, the hamster, the gerbil, and the rabbit.

The book is liberally illustrated with almost 400 quality photos, microscope studies, and EM photos. The topics include viral infections, bacterial infections, parasites, nutritional/metabolic disorders, behavioral, aging, and degenerative disorders, environment-related disease, and neoplasms. There is also increased emphasis on genetically-engineered models and diseases.

This book is more laboratory-study oriented rather than geared toward the clinician, but there is much to be learned from the lab animal. Many of the rodents in the pet trade originated in lab stock, and a working knowledge of what they are doing in the labs will be useful in the clinic.

Blackwell/Wiley Publishers (2007).

Hardcover, 356 pages, 8.5" x 11" format.

ISBN: 9780813821016.