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By Monica Cheesbrough
Published by Tropical Health Technology, first published 2020
Priced £15.00
This is another welcome contribution to the field of tropical medicine by Monica Cheesbrough, who is author of various other texts and books on laboratory medicine in the tropics. The title of this new book appropriately mentions point-of-care testing in the context of supporting the UN 2030 agenda with reference to the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 3 (health and well-being) and 6 (clean water and sanitation).
It has three sections. In the first section, strengthening the quality of district laboratory services is explained, with all the pitfalls of running and maintain- ing a laboratory in a tropical setting.
Section 2 contains ‘Laboratory inves- tigations of communicable diseases’. In each paragraph, a short summary of the condition is given, followed by a detailed description of the appropri- ate laboratory tests. Boxes highlight the main issues and there are multiple figures and drawings as well as plates in black-and-white or colour show- ing how to use test devices and how to read the result, as well as micros- copy slides and other test results.
Section 3 has ‘Laboratory investiga- tion of non-communicable diseases’, a most welcome addition to the clas- sical laboratory that often focuses on infectious diseases. This section includes investigation of anaemia, diabetes mellitus, lipid abnormali- ties and liver and renal disease.
This book is an excellent contribution to the practice of tropical medicine. The author is to be congratulated with this achievement. The book is not only useful for laboratory workers but also for doctors and students from tropical countries as well as those who want to work in the tropics for some time. The price is quite reasonable and should be no restriction for wide use. It is not clear if an electronic copy will become available or an app that would allow quick reference in the lab, at the bedside, or in the classroom.
