Ian Winspur, Christopher Wynn Parry. Martin Dunitz Publishers, 1998, £49.95. ISBN 1 85317 492 0

• Winspur I
• Wynn Parry C.
• The musician’s hand

This sounds an intriguing title for a book to be reviewed in this journal. In clinical sports medicine practice, it is not uncommon to be consulted by musicians with a variety of soft tissue or other problems. This is partly because of the lack of specific medical care available for this group of people.

There is also an overlap between the problems of sports men and women and musicians that suggests that each group has much to offer the other. This book by two hand surgeons from London is a fascinating addition to the literature but ultimately disappoints both the sports physician and the performing arts physician.

Clearly the strength of two surgeons as authors is their diagnostic approach to musician’s hand problems and their obvious surgical skills in this region. …