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BOOK REVIEWS 275 AIDS and the Third World. By Renee Sabatier. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1989. 198 pp. $12.95/paper. Reviewed by Kathleen S. Roach, M.S. W. candidate, UCLA School of Social Welfare. Referring to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) as a "disease" in the first sentence of Renee Sabatier's book, AIDS and the Third World, is only the beginning of what, although well meant, becomes yet another flawed informational account of the pandemic. Diseases are often communicable, and the term has been applied to both infectious and contagious diseases. However, in discussion of AIDS distinctions are generally not made between syndrome and disease or between infectious and contagious. As a result, there is often a casual slippage from communicable to contagious, and unfortunately from this semantic error flow many consequences, the biggest being the fallacy that AIDS can be caught through casual contact. Sabatier appears, however, to be aware of this misconception, as he has attached a footnote claiming that the term "disease" is only used as a shorthand means of referring to AIDS. He then further correctly defines the difference between disease and syndrome. One can only wonder why someone interested in presenting factual and up-to-date information would want to further perpetuate this falsity, and why "disease" is easier and/or shorter to write than the acronym "AIDS." Implicit in the title, AIDS and the Third World, is the assumption that the emphasis will be on the impact AIDS has had in the Third World countries . Surprisingly, however, Sabatier never defines which countries are currently considered to be Third World. Instead he leaves this to the reader to surmise. Many countries and their experiences with AIDS are addressed; however, no differentiation is made between those countries considered Third World and those addressed for comparative purposes. For example, many European countries (especially France, Sweden, and Britain) and North America are continually referred to throughout the book. With all the additional information presented on countries not considered to be Third World, perhaps Sabatier should have retitled the book, "AIDS and the World." Nevertheless, Sabatier does provide the reader with detailed factual information about current medical information , treatments, and programs designed to prevent AIDS internationally. Especially informative is the description of the various HIV-antibody tests, with their monetary costs and advantages, which are currently being employed throughout the world. When discussing the varying practices of the different countries, Sabatier often uses only a one or two sentence account before moving on to another country . Information is separated categorically by chapters (such as treatment, prevention , blame, and prejudice). However, the end result is that a lot of data is presented, but in an unclear and jumbled fashion. It then becomes difficult, as the reader moves through the chapters, to separate the previous information as it applies to respective countries. What might have proven more useful would have been a country-by-country analysis of past, present, and anticipated and recommended practices as they relate to AIDS. A breakdown of countries is 276 SAIS REVIEW provided later in the Appendix with essentially numerical information as it relates to cases reported (date of first and current number), method of transmission , seropositive rates, actions taken, and entry restrictions. To conclude, although one is led to expect area-specific information about AIDS in the Third World, Sabatier's dossier instead provides a comprehensive global overview of the international history of AIDS. Nevertheless, much of this information is new and valuable for the layman, who typically is knowledgeable about only methods of AIDS transmission and community resources. Although this is the third edition put out by the Panos Institute, it is their first trade edition. Unfortunately, this is also the last edition to be published, as the Panos Institute will instead focus its energy on the production of a regular newsletter, WorldAIDS. This publication is also a much needed resource and will provide the same emphases as Sabatier's dossier. Elite-Mass Relations in Communist Systems. By Daniel N. Nelson. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988. 217 pp. $37.50/cloth. Reviewed by Sharon Werning, M.A. candidate, SAIS. Most scholarly inquiry into communist systems suffers from an elitist and...

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