BOOK & MEDIA REVIEWS

Abstract

LYMPHOEDEMA. Edited by Robert Twycross, Karen Jenns and Jacquelyne Todd. Radcliffe Medical Press, Oxan, UK 2000, 363 pages of text, 2 pages of foreword, one page of preface, eight color plates, plus index, paperbound, ISBN: 1-85775-377-1 List price: £35.00 (British pounds sterling: a price in U.S. dollars is not listed). , edited by Robert Twycross, Karen Jenns and Jacquelyne Todd Lymphoedema is a comprehensive examination of an often misunderstood and therefore often inappropriately treated symptom. I came away from reading this book with not only an increased knowledge of lymphoedema, but also a deep appreciation of the impact of this symptom–often visible and disabling–on the sufferer’s quality of life. The first chapter, The Patient’s Perspective, by Madeleine Robertson Squire, someone who lives the experience of lymphoedema, sets the tone for the remainder of this work. It is unusual for a book aimed at healthcare professionals to include such a chapter. If present, it is often relegated to the end, as an afterthought. I applaud the editors for placing the patient’s perspective at the beginning. As I read the remainder of the book, I kept the words of Ms. Squire in mind, especially the following: