This book, edited by four distinguished British surgeons, is intended as a comprehensive work for the practicing surgeon, covering subjects that "constitute the daily task of a general surgeon." It is what our British colleagues do (and write about) so well.
Refreshingly, the work forgoes the obligatory surgical history and initial basic science chapters and promptly begins with the alimentary tract and acute abdomen. It has a lean outline yet is comprehensive. Orthopedics is omitted. There are inevitable lacunae, eg, the entire subject of renovascular hypertension is covered in three paragraphs; choledochal cysts, in one.
Compensating for its lack of depth in some areas, the book offers excellent sections on urology, oncology, and microsurgery to complement the other traditional general surgery subjects, as well as an authoritative section on endocrine surgery by Selwyn Taylor. It also contains a fascinating chapter on surgery in tropical countries, which, despite its claim to