The great attraction of this book is that it assembles in one volume descriptions of the major works about gastrointestinal ulcerations and burns. The discussions of the early papers by Curling and others are especially well done. The bibliography is extensive, and the important references are annotated. The book is an excellent source for background material.
Chapters on etiology, pathogenesis, experimental studies, symptoms and signs, diagnosis, and treatment are based largely on the extensive review of the literature, but also reflect the authors' series of 1,102 cases, 81 of which came to autopsy. The review is thorough and up-to-date. The authors point out clearly that the stress of the burn brings about an adaptive response in which the entire organism takes part. The gastrointestinal lesions, which are not localized just to the duodenum but are found throughout the gastrointestinal canal, are viewed as enteric expressions of the body's overall response