Leslie W. Ottinger, MD, is assistant professor of surgery in the Harvard Medical School. His experience as director of surgery residency of the Massachusetts General Hospital appears to be the impetus for authoring Fundamentals of Colon Surgery.
This small book is a concise, wellorganized composition in clear and straightforward language. It is a unified presentation of surgery of the colon from the anatomy and pharmacology through emergencies, inflammatory problems, ulcerative colitis, granulomatous disease, ischemic lesions, fixation abnormalities, benign and malignant tumors, and special considerations of the lower part of the rectum and anus. The author claims no originality but presents what he has learned from his teachers and preceptors in the hospital in which he works. The text is a compilation of the methods, practices, and opinions of one expert, rather than the current popular division of a subject among a number of surgeons with special interests. The book does