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Booklist Review

Written by a professor of health education, this book summarizes information on more than 30 sexually transmitted diseases. The title will be useful to the educated layperson and the health student or professional seeking descriptions and overviews of these diseases along with references to other sources. The book's language and references to professional literature suggest the advanced audience level. The book is arranged in 22 chapters in alphabetical order by name of the disease. Within a chapter, there may be further discussion of specific disease classifications. For instance, the chapter on vaginitis includes a summary of candidiasis, Gardnerella vaginale vaginitis, nonspecific vaginitis, and trichomoniasis. Each disease chapter is arranged similarly: it includes the disease's common names, history, incidence and prevalence, infectious etiological agent, reservoir and source of infection, mode of transmission, incubation period, period of communicability, susceptibility and resistance, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Although this format may vary depending on the disease, the author follows this organized pattern of discussion. The chapters vary in length. The AIDS chapter covers 23 pages and the scabies discussion is only three pages, most likely reflecting a difference in the seriousness and complexity of the diseases. The final section discusses the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases. Following this is an extensive bibliography with citations to books, articles in medical journals, and government publications. The book concludes with a detailed index. Readers should be aware that this well-organized tool will need to be updated due to the ongoing research in this subject area. A library seeking references to consumer health information on this topic should consult a source such as The Consumer Health Information Source Book by Alan M. Rees and Jodith Janes (2d. ed., Bowker, 1984), where there is a short annotated bibliography on the topic. The Sexually Transmitted Diseases will be useful in public and academic libraries, particularly those serving students in the health professions.