Book Reviews (continued)
job in assimilating and editing infor-
mation with utmost cohesiveness and
without internal inconsistencies,
sometimes inherent in a work of such
nature. The breadth and the multitude
of topics that this volume embraces
are astounding. The variety is amazing
as it discusses the physics, the engi-
neering techniques, the economics,
and even the philosophical implica-
tions of nanoscience engineering and
technology. Most of the chapters fea-
ture excellent scientific prose. The
outcome is a lively, intelligent presen-
tation of diverse perspectives that
should be a required reading for pro-
fessionals and students in both the
nanotechnology industry and academ-
ic research laboratories.
This brilliant work does herald the
new age of nanotechnology. If this
book were a movie, I would give it an
enthusiastic “two thumbs up!”
—Guruprasad Madhavan
State University of New York,
Binghamton
Encyclopedia of Medical Devices
and Instrumentation, 6 Volume
Set, 2nd edition
John G. Webster (Editor), Wiley,
March 2006. ISBN: 0-471-26358-3,
3,666 pages, US$1,495.00.
This offering is composed of six
volumes with approximately 260 arti-
cles describing the essence of multiple
medical devices and instrumentation
and related technologies. While the
ideal reader, according to Webster,
has an M.S. in biomedical engineer-
ing, it will prove useful as a starting
point for beginning work or under-
standing technologies in a large vari-
ety of medical fields.
12 IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY MAGAZINE
An initial reading of several of the
topics by this reviewer finds them all
comprehensive (the average length is
approximately 12 pages), reasonably
well illustrated, and, generally, very
well referenced. Many of the articles
have suggestions for further reading,
so the reader may delve further into
the topic. Most articles cover both
the history of a particular device, the
The outcome is a
lively, intelligent
presentation of
diverse perspectives
that should be a
required reading.
current status of the device, and
future directions for device or
process development. Also very use-
ful is the “see also” section of each
chapter, where, for example, if one
has just read the section titled
“Pancreas, Artificial,” the reader is
referred to chapters on “Glucose,
Sensor” and “Heart, Artificial” for
further related reading. There are
occasional touches of humor, depend-
ing on the individual writer’s style.
This collection is an updated ver-
sion of the same-named encyclopedia
first published in 1988. At that time,
the text consisted of a four-volume
set. It may currently be found on the
Web at prices starting at US$438 but
with a new price of US$1,260!
I have only two concerns about this
text. The first is cost. It is unlikely
that most people will be able to invest
in their own copies; it is more proba-
ble that this text will be purchased by
large medical or science and engi-
neering libraries and placed on the
reference shelf.
Wiley Press has apparently consid-
ered this by offering two other
options for access. The first, as ascer-
tained by one of our librarians, is the
purchase of a one-year electronic
access to a Web site that will contain
all of the current content of the ency-
clopedia, with a promise of continu-
ous updating (only four articles are
currently posted). This is currently
listed at US$1,750 per year for our
institution. The second is a “flexi-sub-
scription” electronic access plan: your
library must purchase access to multi-
ple texts (20 or more) and pay a fee
for three years, after which time the
texts are “yours.” Our librarian deter-
mined that his fee would be US$3,070
just for this text. Still pricey!
My second concern with this text is
that none of the illustrations are in
color; in many cases this is detrimental
to a quick understanding or interpreta-
tion of figures. Perhaps this could be
rectified in the online version?
This is a monumental work. All
who have been involved are to be
credited for a significant and worthy
contribution to our accessible body
of knowledge!
—Paul H. King
Vanderbilt University
JULY/AUGUST 2006