Book and video reviews

Abstract

It is ironic that if you copy from one author it is plagiarism but if you copy from more than one author it counts as research. John Black, a consultant paediatrician, has written this useful book after much research. The first edition of the book in 1985 had the title The new paediatrics: child health in ethnic minorities. Hopefully, some professors in general practice will one day realize the change that has occurred in British society as a whole, and what they see today as 'inner city problems' will emerge tomorrow as a wealth of ethnic minority cultures. Indeed, the title page with pictures of black and white children reflects the fact that Britain now has a fair sample of the Commonwealth populations. The difficulties which ethnic minority children face in Britain today and how they make contact with health services are described in two early chapters. An account of the cultural and medical problems of four major ethnic groups Asians, AfroCaribbeans and Africans, Cypriots (Greeks or Turks) and Chinese as well as Vietnamese is given in the remaining five easy-to-read chapters. The general practitioner, for example, is informed that lactase deficiency varies with race. It is present in about 20% of Europeans, 33% of North Indians (and Pakistanis), 60% of South Indians (and Sri Lankans), 40% of Cypriots and Italians and the highest incidence, 75 to 1000/o, is among the Chinese (and Vietnamese) and Japanese living in Britain. This book contains much useful clinical information and I would strongly recommend it to all general practitioners and practice staff. BASHIR QURESHI General practitioner, Hounslow, London