In its 5th edition, Peters and Pasvol's textbook (or atlas) sustains its reputation as a valuable source of information for a wide variety of persons including parasitologists, microbiologists, pathologists and specialists in infectious disease (ID), tropical medicine, genitourinary medicine and dermatology. It will also be appreciated by under-graduates and those undertaking courses in tropical medicine or ID who require a quick review of a subject. There are maps showing the geographical distribution of major diseases, and the life cycles of parasites are presented in clear form with good illustrations, particularly helpful to the general reader. Accounts of rare parasites and micropathogens are supplemented by details of diagnostic techniques and illustrations of pathological specimens. The introduction to each section provides a useful overview, with a note on advances in control. Content is up-to-date, particularly on HIV infection and viral haemorrhagic fevers. The CT and MRI scans of brain infections are helpful. There are only a few minor errors and one photograph seems to be upside-down. Diphtheria does not seem to be included. There is a rather old-fashioned habit of referring to ‘tropical diseases’ when the condition also occurs in the subtropics and even temperate areas, e.g. tuberculosis. At times, ‘developing’ or ‘low-resource’ might be a better descriptor than ‘tropical’.
Today, with the enormous amount of information available, many people tend to skip even the latest edition of a textbook and go straight to an electronic literature search. So, is an atlas of tropical medicine, parasitology and ID still useful? Most authors of textbooks do try to provide the essentials of a subject and also an up-to-date review of the best evidence. The current text keeps up with the subjects that are advancing. Many who teach or practise tropical medicine or parasitology will wish to possess this latest edition, and I would like to see it in medical libraries for students to browse and acquire a taste for this fascinating subject. For those requiring essential information on tropical medicine or ID, first call should be this book before they turn to a larger work or an electronic source.