tion).
I can’t help wondering whether it would be preferable to break
BOOK REVIEWS
Genetics and the Behaviour of Domestic Animals, edited
by T Grandin, Academic Press, CA, 1998, 356 pages, Price
USD69.95, ISBN 0 12 295130 2
his book concentrates on production species, horses and dogs.
T Those who maintain that cats have yet to be domesticated will not
be surprised to note that felids are not given a chapter of their own
and indeed have to wait to the final chapter for a mention.
All practitioners working with dog breeders should read the chapter
on the ‘Differences in the behaviour of dog breeds’ if only to expose
themselves to the powerful discussion on the effect of breeding any
species or breed in isolation, and the associated dangers of diving
into the shallow end of the gene pool.
The prize for the best chapter goes to ‘Genetics and behaviour
during handling, restraint and herding’ while the chapter so enticingly
named ‘Improving the adaptability of animals by selection’, brings up
the rear with a 20-page account of one study involving fearful strains
of Japanese quail.
Another also-ran is the horse chapter which includes a section on
herd behaviour and social dominance that draws solely on literature
from bovine studies. The behaviour of the takhi is contrasted with that
of the Przewalski’s horse. This is unfortunate, given that these are two
names for the same species (van Dierendonck et al, Appl Anim Behav
Sci 1996;50:95-114). There are also some bold assertions for
instance that despite having a different number of chromosomes, the
takhi is the original ancestor of the modern horse ( Equus caballus).
This relationship is generally acknowledged as contentious.
The chapter on social behaviour in dogs, rightly reminds us that
‘the pathway from a gene to a behaviour is complex’. Scott’s and
Fuller’s work, focusing on the behaviour of different dog breeds and
the influence of their early environment, is satisfyingly reviewed.
In closing, Grandin and her collaborator Mark Deesing warn
against a genetic search for ‘no-fear’ versions of domestic species
because, although these would be less susceptible to many of the
stressors imposed by intensive management regimes, they would
fight excessively. This would compromise welfare.
The book includes very little data on the quantitative heritability of
the various traits that are discussed. This may be because of the
absence of such material in the literature but perhaps this book would
have been more accurately titled ‘Behavioural differences between
animal populations’. Despite the book’s shortcomings, the majority of
its chapters are commendable resources for students of agriculture,
animal science, veterinary behaviour therapy, the human-animal inter-
face, applied ethology and animal welfare science.
Paul McGreevy
Current Therapy in Large Animal Theriogenology, RS
Youngquist, WB Saunders Co Distributed by Harcourt Brace
& Co, NSW, 898 pages, ISBN 0 7216 5396 0
his is a big book. There are nearly 900 pages of it, in 129 chap-
T ters, by 145 authors, covering the broad topics of theriogenology
(both sexes) of the equine, bovine, caprine, ovine, porcine and the
llama (llamine?). Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the
majority of authors are based in North America and this is reflected in
a heavy emphasis towards the management systems used in that
part of the world. A small proportion of the authors hail from elsewhere
(UK, Peru, Asia and even a couple from Australia) but the text is by no
means international in its scope.
A criticism that is often levelled at volumes such as this, and one
which I think is applicable in this case, is that perhaps the book is too
big and tries to cover too much ground, with the result that some
topics are handled in a rather brief and superficial manner. Some of
the content is a bit thin from our perspective. For example, the
chapter titled ‘Induced abortion’ in cattle is sadly lacking in detail
regarding ‘induction’ as it is used in Australian dairy herds. (There is
no distinction made between induced abortion and induced parturi-
500
the book into a series of ‘Current therapy..’ titles, each dealing with a
species, each with less scope, but more focused, and in greater
depth.
For such a large undertaking, apart from the concerns mentioned
above, the editor has done an excellent job of keeping the chapters
well ordered and concise. Titles in the list of contents give a clear indi-
cation of the chapters’ contents and the reader should have little
trouble going straight to the information of interest. Similarly, the
presentation of the material is very appealing. While the section on
equine theriogenology has a good number of diagrams and
photographs, all of excellent quality, the commitment to illustration is
not so marked in the other sections. Where graphics do occur,
though, they are clear and relevant.
For a book that bears the word ‘current’ in its title, there is a disap-
pointing lack of recent references in some chapters. Granted, the lead
time in press for such a large compilation must be considerable, but
the implication of the title must be that the contents are reasonably
up-to-date. There are chapters citing references as recent as 1995,
but they are few and far between. Authors of some chapters seem to
have stopped their searching as early as 1993, even where the
subject would be considered to be somewhat sensitive to recent
advances.
So who will find this book of value? The editor (Robert Youngquist)
states one of the two purposes of the book as being to ‘provide prac-
ticing veterinarians with a succinct and contemporary source of infor-
mation regarding the reproductive processes of several species of
large animals’ and this has, in the main, been achieved. With this
edition in their practice library, practitioners will have a readily acces-
sible reference to which they can refer for all manner of questions on
the species covered. They may well be disappointed in the depth of
some of the coverage though, and would be unwise to rely on the
book as their only source of information.
The other stated purpose is ‘to provide veterinary students and
academic clinicians with a clinical textbook that complements their
classroom and clinical experiences’. In the current financial climate in
our universities, I can’t see too many students who will be able to
justify the expense of having their own copy of this book. Similarly,
many ‘academic clinicians’ will probably be content to refer periodi-
cally to a copy held in their institution’s library.
Peter Mansell
Equine Internal Medicine, SM Reed and WM Bayly, WB
Saunders, A division of Harcourt Brace And Co, NSW, 1998,
1092 pages, ISBN 0 7216 3524 5
his new comprehensive text comprises 1042 pages of text, an
T extensive 40-page index and numerous figures. Fifty-seven
equine specialists, in addition to the two editors, have provided contri-
butions.
The material is presented in two sections. Section 1 covers mecha-
nisms of disease and principles of treatment including chapters on the
equine immune system, mechanisms of infectious disease, clinical
approach to commonly encountered problems, pharmacological prin-
ciples and clinical nutrition. Section 2 covers diseases of specific body
systems.
The typeset is excellent, the material is presented in an orderly and
logical sequence and all chapters are accompanied by an extensive
current bibliography.
The editors indicate that one of their major objectives was to
include wherever possible a current updated review of the anatomy,
physiology and pathophysiology of specific diseases and disease
complexes. This objective has resulted in a single text devoted solely
to equine internal medicine. The book provides an opportunity for
interested veterinarians to increase their understanding of diseases
and disease complexes which will enable them to more effectively
service the equine industry. It is unfortunate that all figures appear in
black and white which does detract to some extent from the effect and
usefulness of some illustrations.
This book will be a valuable acquisition to any veterinary library and
is particularly recommended to equine veterinarians.
DR Hutchins
Aust Vet J Vol 76, No 7, July 1998