When I was first asked to review this new book, I must admit that I was skeptical about its usefulness to practising veterinarians. However, based on the clarity and breadth of its coverage of a range of topics related to mammary anatomy, physiology, endocrinology, and milk production, I am very pleased to recommend this text as an important addition to the library of anyone with an interest in food animal medicine.
In the short preface, the author describes a broad target audience ranging from undergraduate and graduate students to researchers and professionals involved in the animal and dairy industries. While such claims are often overstated, I believe that this text has met its mark. In its 10 chapters, it covers a range of topics, which include mammary development, anatomy and physiology, milk composition and biosynthesis, milking management, udder health, management and nutritional impacts on milk production, and the manipulation of mammary development and milk production. While the focus of the book is clearly on dairy cattle, the author has managed to incorporate enough detail from a range of mammalian species to make this an effective comparative text.
The text is well laid out with clear chapter titles, generally useful diagrams and tables, clear definitions of critical terms, and a parsimonious selection of current references. Both the index and glossary are reasonably detailed and useful. I was particularly impressed with the author's ability to distill complex models and relationships into a clear and informative text. Unfortunately, while the book contains a number of informative graphs and figures, some of these are perhaps too simple and lack sufficient labels to allow the reader to clearly interpret their content.
Several sections of the text deserve specific mention. The section in Chapter 5 pertaining to mastitis and milking management is an excellent example of how well this text hits the right compromise in breadth and depth of coverage. The role of bovine somatotropin in milk production is described in Chapter 7 and is augmented by a good discussion of the controversy surrounding the introduction and use of recombinant bovine somatotropin in dairy production systems. Finally, the short immunology primer in Chapter 8 is very effective in placing the role of colostrum production and management in the proper perspective. Of all of the topics that this text covers, the area I found most lacking was milk quality, particularly with respect to off-flavors.
Overall, this is a text that is well written and covers most topic areas in sufficient breadth and depth for its stated target audience. The text would be an excellent addition to the library of any food animal practice.