William J. Grant, a scientist employed by the British Oxygen Company (BOC), wrote the first edition of Medical Gases: Their Properties and Uses in 1978. It proved to be a popular text, and quickly became difficult to obtain because of limited numbers in print. In 2005, again under the auspices of the BOC, a distinguished editorial board has brought the text up to date, producing a second edition.
The book deals with all aspects of gases deemed ‘medical’ (i.e. those inhaled by patients as directed by their doctors). It mixes chemistry, physics, physiology and clinical practice seamlessly. While the subject matter of the text may, at first sight, appear to constitute a rather dry subsection of our specialty, it is actually extremely readable and always pertinent. The first third of the text deals with the generic physical chemistry, storage and supply of medical gases; its remaining two-thirds are spent detailing the applications, hazards, properties, measurement and manufacture of the many gases in medical use, including the volatile anaesthetic agents. This latter section is well-produced, and contains all the information one might require as an anaesthetist. The text finishes with a short chapter on ‘future trends.’ This gives an excellent overview of progress to date and expectations for the future. This section also presents a balanced view of the future for nitrous oxide, with discussion of total intravenous anaesthesia and climate change caused by ozone depletion.
The detail provided on each gas is impressive. However, despite this exhaustive exploration, the text never becomes inaccessible or dull. This is, in large part, a result of the excellent organization of the text and the delightful writing-style. Finding specific information is easy; the index is brief and logical, and chapters are divided by sub-headings into easily digested sections.
My expectation, on first seeing the book's title, was that the text would be a dusty compendium of datasheets, whose future comprised infrequent consultations as a reference work. However, I found myself quite drawn into the book, enjoying the text and learning a great deal. Compared with texts dealing exclusively with the physics and chemistry relevant to anaesthesia, this book made these subjects seem far more relevant by presenting them alongside the relevant physiology and clinical application.
Line diagrams are used intelligently and help illuminate the text. Several colour photographs are included, although I am not convinced that these contribute very much to the book except to increase the production costs. The book is approximately 200 pages long, soft-back and well-printed on quality paper. It is priced at £24.95, which seems reasonable.
If this book was purchased for a departmental library, I suspect that it would be in constant use; therefore, given its relevance and quality, I recommend the book to all anaesthetists who desire a detailed knowledge of the medical gases that we use daily. In particular, primary fellowship candidates will find the text enormously helpful, covering (and making clinically relevant) a large part of the physics and chemistry required by the examination and detailing the relevant aspects of inhaled anaesthetic agents in an informative and engaging style.
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