Book Review

The challenge of reviewing a new textbook of medicine, although considerably smaller than that of planning, editing, writing, and publishing it, is nonetheless formidable. I have tried to read and consider this book from the perspective of its potential readers: practicing physicians, postgraduate trainees, and medical students. From these viewpoints such items as organization, ease of finding information, number and quality of references, and clarity of writing assume great importance. Where appropriate, I have used Cecil Textbook of Medicine (16th edition, 1982) for comparison. A principal goal of this work, as outlined in the preface by the editor-in-chief, is to . . .