Reviewer: Nicole Herndon, DVM, DACLAM (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Description: Now presented as a single book instead of a three-volume series, this is the fourth edition of a handbook on the various aspects of laboratory animal medicine. It is divided into parts covering principles of laboratory animal science, common laboratory practices, animal models for specific methods of study, a review of laboratory legislation education, and animal use programs. Since each chapter tackles a single topic, each one can stand alone and does not require reading other chapters for context. The previous edition was published in 2013.
Purpose: The purpose is to cover the breadth of the field of laboratory animal medicine. The chapters cover topics on selected models in scientific disciplines or on important subdisciplines of laboratory animal science. The book meets the objectives, and this update was necessary to include recent scientific advances. The format of standalone chapters is very helpful for readers who are looking for information on a specific topic, such as model for a particular disease. The references include more recent studies.
Audience: The authors intend this as a textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students and as a reference for animal research scientists, veterinarians, and specialists in laboratory animal science. Both authors have years of experience in the field, writing earlier editions of this book as well as others on laboratory animal science. Both have experience teaching, training, and/or consulting in this field. The contributors are from universities, medical schools, veterinary schools, and pharmaceutical companies around the world.
Features: The book starts with covering the basic principles of laboratory animal science, which includes an overview of animal research and ethics, the process of developing experiments and how to perform statistical analysis, and the overall behavioral and welfare needs of animals in research. The next part delves into common practices related to animal research, with an overview of animal research facility design and housing systems, maintaining health status, routine husbandry techniques, common nonsurgical and surgical techniques, how to provide anesthesia and analgesia, how to perform euthanasia and necropsy procedures, and common clinical, physiological, and hematological parameters in a variety of laboratory animal species. The third part focuses on specific animal models for various areas of study, such as specific organ diseases or disorders, development, behavior, or injury. Lastly, the handbook covers regulations across the globe, laboratory animal service organizations, education and training, how animal care and use programs are assessed, and finally how the three Rs (the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement) are applied to animal models. The animal models listed cover a great deal of research interests and provide valuable, timely, references for readers to explore further. The opening chapter also does a great job outlining the animal research ethical concerns and does its best to provide views from multiple sides of the argument. Condensing the book into one volume rather than three, allows readers easier access. The book has both black-and-white and color photographs to reinforce the discussions. Tables and figures are used wisely to support the text. Although the animal model section covers many research models, as expected, there are some omissions. A book that covers all possible animal research models would be very difficult to create. Because the book is formatted as a collection of standalone chapters addressing specific topics, the table of contents is possibly the most used feature.
Assessment: This book can be used strictly as reference manual or as a beginning foundation book for those entering the field. The initial and later chapters provide good foundational information for those entering the laboratory animal science field. The animal model chapters provide quick but detailed references for scientists and researchers to review when developing their own models. The book makes a concerted effort to address the importance of the three Rs when working with animals in research in most chapters. It successfully straddles serving as a reference and as a valuable foundation in an impressive manner.