LAUSR

The work of the toxicologic pathologist is intimately embedded in all aspects of toxicology. Pathology issues pertaining to the development of drugs or other xenobiotics are inherently complex in nature, particularly when they result in submissions to regulatory agencies. To be effective, all scientists involved in compound development need to quickly become familiar with histopathological and toxicological frameworks in order to ensure timeline-considerate progression along the regulatory process. Therefore, being current on histopathological terminology as it applies to toxicological principals in drug or compound development and able to broadly apply these terms are essential to any scientist working in nonclinical safety. In this regard, the Illustrated Dictionary of Toxicologic Pathology and Safety Science (IDTP), edited by Sahota, Spaet, Bentley, and Wojcinski, is particularly timely, as both scientific fields— compound developmental toxicology and toxicologic pathology—are rapidly changing to accommodate the scientific demands of the 21st century. Overall, the IDTP highlights a vital point, namely, that both disciplines must communicate clearly to be understood and thereby work effectively together. Prior to reviewing this book, with an almost 30-year career in toxicologic pathology, I had concluded that textbook information pertaining to toxicology and toxicologic pathology could only be presented in so many ways. But with the publication of the IDTP by CRC Press in 2019, Sahota proved this notion wrong. He recruited outstanding names in the field to be his coeditors and over 70 subject matter experts to author respective sections of the book. On top of this, he assembled an advisory group of 6 globally renowned experts in the field of toxicologic pathology to create a book that is unusual, interesting, intriguing, creative, and brave in many ways. The book, priced at approximately $230, measures 11.5 8.5 1.5 inches, and weighs about 0.5 pounds, which translates to a quite sizable but manageable format, where the book can still be held comfortably in 1 hand while turning the pages. Contributing to my delight in reviewing this book is the fact that the 671 pages are printed on nonglossy paper which reduces light reflection and is, therefore, much easier on the eye. As this book is as much an atlas as it is a dictionary, containing over 800 images, one could argue that glossy paper would be a must to achieve optimal image quality. The generously sized images (most are reading column width of 3.5 2.2 inches or larger) are, however, of superb color balance and crispness throughout the text. One drawback of the images is, though, that about half of them do not contain arrows or intraimage labels to point the viewer to the actual change depicted in the image. This is not an issue for the pathologist reader but defeats, in most cases, the point of the illustration for any nonpathologist. The IDTP is also available in pdf version as one continuous file, which makes key word searching effortless. The content of the book is divided into general introductory information in the Preface, Acknowledgments, Editors, Contributors and the Advisory Group section and the book’s main sections consisting of