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Kumar, V., Abbas, A. K., and Fausto, N. (eds.). Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th edition, 1525 pp. Elsevier Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 2005. ISBN 0-7216-0187-1.

The first 10 chapters in the 7th edition of Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease continue to serve as the gold standard for general pathology. No doubt many an argument arising from histopathology conferences has been settled by referring to "what is in Robbins." For teaching purposes in the veterinary curriculum, we use these chapters, which comprise approximately the first third of the text, to supplement material presented in our general pathology course. The following review focuses on this section of the book, "Unit I."

With the recent explosion of knowledge in molecular pathology and because the bar was set quite high by the late Drs. Stanley Robbins and Ramzi Cotran, current authors Kumar, Abbas, and Fausto had a colossal task in front of them when revising the new edition. However, they have done a good job of achieving their stated goals of logical and uniform presentation of the material, readability, and adequate depth, while maintaining a reasonable size of the book.

Readers who have owned previous editions of Robbins and Cotran will notice a few changes. Chapter 1, "Cellular Adaptations, Cell Injury, and Cell Death," has been reorganized by combining the first two chapters from the 6th edition. This makes more logical sense to me for teaching purposes. Chapter 1 is the cornerstone chapter because cell injury is the common denominator in nearly all disease processes. Chapter 2 combines acute and chronic inflammation. Chapter 3, "Tissue Renewal and Repair: Regeneration, Healing, and Fibrosis," has been revised to include new information on stem cell biology and on regenerative medicine. Chapter 8, "Infectious Diseases," while somewhat less useful in the veterinary curriculum due to its focus on human diseases, has been organized taxonomically and still includes excellent sections on general principles of microbial pathogenesis.

The more general changes in the book include some really user-friendly features. Each chapter is now color coded with four-inch bars at the top outer edge of each page, making it easier to locate specific subsections. Second, some chapters now include boxes, which are more in-depth treatments of selected topics that don't take away from the flow of the main text. Box 2-1, for example, includes more detailed information on adhesion molecules than might be needed in a student text. Last, Robbins and Cotran has now entered the "digital age." Included with each book is access to the extremely useful online version of the book. The text is fully searchable. Instructors can access all figures and move them to a light box as needed for lectures. Also included is a CD-ROM of case studies, which I found less useful. One of the few (minor) criticisms I have of the 7th edition concerns some of the figures. While many photomicrographs have been "enhanced by digital technology," in a few there, does not seem to be the same depth of color and sharpness. Regardless, the latest version of Robbins and Cotran still upholds the high standards we have come to know and love in this pathology standard.

Dr. J. M. Law

College of Veterinary Medicine
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC

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