Guest Review by James Wellehan, DVM (Click on stars for an explanation)

You may purchase this book on  Amazon.com.

Medicine and Surgery of Tortoises and Turtles fills a void in the literature. The first thing one notices about this book is that it is beautifully illustrated. There are color photographs and well done illustrations throughout the text. At almost 600 pages, this book is also extensive. It is very well referenced, with 21 pages of references, allowing the reader to find further information if needed. All chelonian species are covered, with the greatest amount of coverage on Testudo spp., reflecting the caseloads of the primary authors in the UK.

The chapter on Anatomy and Physiology is very well done and is one of the high points of the book. Because the majority of medical problems seen in turtles and tortoises have a large husbandry component, there are large sections on husbandry, both at home and in the veterinary clinic. Imaging turtles is a challenge, and very little information has previously been available in a single resource. The chapter on Diagnostic Imaging is another outstanding area of this text. Radiology, ultrasonography, endoscopy, magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and scintigraphy are all covered.

The weak area of this book is infectious disease. The infectious diseases chapter is two pages and a table. There is more information on infectious diseases added at the end of the otherwise well-written clinical pathology chapter, but it is desultory. It would have also been nice to have an anatomic pathology and histology chapter.

Overall, this book is very well done, and is a very significant contribution to the field. As chelonians are becoming a progressively larger component of the caseload presented to the veterinarian, this book should be on the shelf in any companion animal practice.

Blackwell Publishing (2004).

579 pages, liberally illustrated with color and black-and-white photos.

ISBN: 9781405108898.