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With a wealth of good pediatric textbooks, why a synopsis? The medical student with his crowded curriculum, the resident who needs facts quickly between patients and the busy practitioner who often has to read on the run, all can use a clear, concise account of pediatric facts based on mechanisms of disease and the variables of growth and development. To supply this need was the stated aim of Hughes in the preface to the first edition. This handy book has succeeded in its purpose and this edition is better in all particulars than its predecessors.
Much of this edition has been rewritten and there are new chapters on genetic counseling, parasitic infections, and immunology. The latter, written by Hanissiam, is outstanding in its clarity and brevity. The basic facts needed for understanding this rapidly changing field are present along with useful tables showing normal values for immunoglobulins at various ages