The six editors of this text—all leaders on the general surgical fast track—have a mission: to emphasize the specialty nature of what they call the "digestive surgeon." The theme is laudable; the rubric awkward. At a time when a variety of aggressors reminiscent of the Goths, Visigoths, and Huns nibble at the periphery of the general surgical empire, these authors, like latter-day Roman emperors, have gone over to the bibliophilic offense to reestablish the rightful frontiers of the true faith. The 86 general surgical authors they enlisted as centurions of their cohorts have produced an impressive and authoritative textbook of surgical gastroenterology that will serve as a rallying standard.
A preliminary 112-page section takes an overall look at the roles of endoscopy, invasive radiology, infection, and nutrition in the diseases described in more detail in the rest of the book.
Having dispensed with these formalities, the remaining 650 pages travel