Magnetism in Medicine: A Handbook

This second, completely updated and extended edition of the only reference work in this growing field of medical physics focuses on biomagnetic instrumentation as well as applications in cardiology and neurology. New chapters have been added on fetal magnetography and magnetic field therapy, as well as the safety aspects of magnetic fields.
Written by well-known specialists from Germany, USA, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Scandinavia, the result is a manual for researchers in this field as well as for those who apply modern methods based on magnetism in medical practice. It equally provides a detailed overview for newcomers to the field as well as for experts familiar with only one part of the area.

This second, completely updated and extended edition of the only reference work in this growing field of medical physics focuses on biomagnetic instrumentation as well as applications in cardiology and neurology. New chapters have been added on fetal magnetography and magnetic field therapy, as well as the safety aspects of magnetic fields. Following an introductory section, the well-known specialist authors from Germany, USA, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Scandinavia go on to cover biomagnetism, magnetic resonances, as well as magnetic substances and externally applied magnetic fields, before rounding the text off with a set of conclusions.

The result is a manual for researchers in this field as well as for those who apply modern methods based on magnetism in medical practice. It equally provides a detailed overview for newcomers to the field as well as for experts familiar with only one part of the area.

Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Xiaohong Joe Zhou, PhD(University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine)
Description:This handbook provides an overview of the basic principles, instrumentation, and major applications employing magnetism in medicine. It also provides comprehensive coverage of specific technologies and applications such as magnetocardiography (MCG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), magnetic drug targeting, and many other areas. Great emphasis is placed on the new developments over the past few years with ample clinical examples and up-to-date references. This edition contains extensive updates and is substantially expanded from the 1998 edition. In many aspects, it might be more appropriate to call it a new book than a new edition.
Purpose:In medical applications of magnetism, interdisciplinary cooperation between scientists, engineers, and physicians is unarguably pivotal. The primary purpose of this book is to impart information on the state-of-the-art development of magnetism in medicine across multiple disciplines. It is also intended to integrate basic science and clinical research by providing clinicians with essential information about the technology they are using, and helping scientists and engineers gain a better understanding of the clinical challenge they are addressing. The authors and the editors should be commended for their successful effort in achieving these objectives.
Audience:This book is written primarily for scientists, engineers, and clinicians who are conducting basic and clinical research that involves magnetism in medicine. As a handbook, it can also benefit a broader audience including medical physicists and graduate students. Although many chapters can be read without the background of high-level mathematics and advanced physics, essential knowledge of calculus and college-level physics is helpful. Drs. Andr? and Nowak are leading experts in the area of magnetism in medicine and they have assembled a group of internationally known scientists and clinicians who contributed to the book. In addition to their roles as editors, they have also authored or coauthored seven chapters. This gives the book a pleasing coherence, which is not typically seen in an edited book involving many contributors.
Features:An introduction contains an overview of the history, a concise description of physics pertaining to magnetism, a practical guide on how to create and measure magnetic field, and a practical discussion on safety issues. The subsequent three parts, which form the body of the book, focus on biomagnetism, magnetic resonance, and magnetic substances and externally applied magnetic fields. Each part begins with an introduction that provides an overview of the topic as well as the organization. The remaining chapters within each part give a balanced technical and clinical description. Throughout the book, many cross-references help the reader obtain additional information. The book concludes with a nicely crafted summary, followed by future perspectives on several exciting areas such as TMS, cardiac MRI, and magnetic nanoparticles.
Assessment:This is an outstanding reference for both tyros and old hands. No one can read the book without learning more about the field. It should be on the shelves of any medical physicist who is conducting basic and clinical research that involves magnetism.

Wilfried Andrä born in Weimar in 1923 received his physics PhD from the University of Jena in 1957. In 1969 he was appointed professor at the Deutsche Akademie der Wissenschaften in Berlin. His field of work was solid state magnetism (domains, thin films, information storage, high temperature superconductivity, micromagnetism). After his retirement his main interest moved to the application of magnetism in medicine. Wilfried Andrä is author or co-author of more than 130 publications in international scientific journals and several review articles.

Hannes Nowak was born in Weinsberg, Germany, in 1948. He received his physics PhD from the University of Wroclaw, Poland, in 1973 and finished his doctoral thesis in SQUID application at the University of Jena in 1980. He qualified as professor in 1989 and became a specialist in biomagnetism (SQUID and instrumentation, shielding, noise reduction, medical applications and magnetic source imaging). Hannes Nowak is the author or co-author of more than 50 refereed journal publications, 75 conference proceeding articles and more than 110 posters.