Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), 27-JAN-10, Volume 303, Issue 4, Andrew L. Feldman, MD, Division of Anatomic Pathology and Hematopathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN -- "With the second edition of Pathology of Bone Marrow and Blood Cells, Farhi has produced a concise and agreeably illustrated overview of hematopathology as it relates to the bone marrow and peripheral blood and has succeeded in her goal 'to make the text clear and accessible rather than encyclopedic.' As such, the text is an excellent introduction to hematopathology for medical students and residents and a useful reference guide for most clinicians... "The text is a manageable size, with 309 pages not including the appendices and index. The images are in full color, of adequate size, and are well chosen to represent the entities described. A fine example is the impressive series of photomicrographs and the superb accompanying text on reactive morphologic changes seen in hematopoietic cells. Purchasers of the text also receive online access to the fully searchable full text and figures as well as to an image bank allowing .jpg or .pdf downloads of the figures. The search function is particularly welcome, because the reader can enter a search term instead of using the printed index and immediately be directed to the relevant text and figures. The references are abundant and appropriate, allowing the reader to find relevant, more in-depth information in the literature... "The authors made every attempt to include the pertinent changes in the most recent (2008) edition of the WHO Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. As stated in the preface, the diagnostic criteria from the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) text were not available at the time of printing; however, the list of diagnostic categories is included as an appendix and is referred to in the text... "The discussions of the various disease entities are clear and informative. They provide a brief but not overwhelming summary of relevant clinical features, as well as illustrated and concise description of morphologic features, a summary of pertinent phenotypic and molecular features, and a list of differential diagnoses. A particularly nice example is the section on acute myeloid leukemia, which clearly summarizes the morphologic, phenotypic, and genetic subtypes of this disorder, with beautiful accompanying images of morphology and cytochemical staining patterns... "In summary, this book is a concise and well-written overview of blood and bone marrow pathology. Trainees will appreciate the clarity of the text and the superb illustrations, while most practicing pathologists and hematopathologists will find themselves requiring another source for help with challenging diagnoses or for in-depth descriptions of pathophysiological processes."-Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
