Dusting off old books: comments on classic gynecologic pathology books of yesteryear

Selected outstanding books from the older literature on gynecological pathology are reviewed with emphasis on drawing attention to the abundant helpful information and outstanding illustrations that are worthy of review by present-day pathologists. The first three works are Cancer of the Uterus, Myomata of the Uterus, and Adenomyoma of the Uterus by Thomas S. Cullen. The senior author of the second book is Howard A. Kelly even though he did not have any role in the preparation of the text; he was given senior authorship by Dr. Cullen as a token of appreciation to his mentor. The next book, Fibroids and Allied Tumors by Cuthbert Lockyer, is particularly noteworthy for the quality of the numerous color illustrations. The final book on the uterus is The Cervix Uteri and Its Diseases by C. Frederic Fluhmann. It provides detailed coverage of the normal and pathologic aspects of the cervix, including the endocervical clefts (glands) and their abnormalities. The next three books are on the ovary: Ovarian Tumors by Samuel H. Geist, Atlas of Ovarian Tumors by Gemma Barzilai, and Endocrine Pathology of the Ovary by John McLean Morris and Robert E. Scully. The first is notable for the quality of the coverage of clinical and gross aspects of ovarian tumors and the second for the quality of the description of the microscopic features. The third book expanded the range of functioning ovarian tumors by showing that this could be a feature of tumors not usually considered hormonally active and also discussed in detail the endocrine function of non-neoplastic lesions. The final two books cover general gynecological pathology: Manual of Obstetrical and Gynaecological Pathology by John H. Teacher and Gynecological and Obstetrical Pathology by Emil Novak. Both have particularly outstanding coverage of normal histology and non-neoplastic lesions.