Toward a New Philosophy of Biology: Observations of an Evolutionist

The current revolution in molecular parasitology often makes us forget about the subtleties of host-parasite ecology, i.e., how the whole parasite interacts with its vertebrate host. Dr. Gutierrez's book reminds us of what we are missing. Its pages represent a scholar's lifetime of devotion to the disease processes caused by the helminths, protozoa, and arthropods that infect man. Although written for the histopathologist and designed to serve as a diagnostic aid for identifying a parasite in tissue section, the book goes beyond its original purpose. Dr. Gutierrez includes details regarding life cycles and unusual pathophysiological mechanisms, providing the reader with a thorough understanding of the organism and its associated disease process. The chapters on helminths, especially nematodes, are particularly good. It is unusual to find thorough discussions of some of the less common species such as Oesophagostomum spp. and Angiostrongylus spp. Unusual sequelae of common parasitic infections are also given excellent treatment. One seldom finds mention elsewhere of Ancylostoma hookworm infection, for example, in association with eosinophilic myositis and vertical transmission. Chapters are well referenced with excellent bibliographies. The chapters on protozoan parasites are also of high quality, with important sections on opportunistic pathogens in AIDS, e.g., Cryptosporidium, Microsporidium, and Pneumocystis carinii. References include items as recent as last year. The quality of the photographs is generally good. Only black and white plates are used; color photographs would be preferable, but the price of such an undertaking would place the book out of the range of most physicians and scientists. Although targeted for the anatomic pathologist, this book will also be a useful reference for the research scientist and graduate student who need a better clinical foundation in parasitology.