This new textbook by men active in basic dermatological research has a fresh, critical approach and an emphasis on fundamentals that makes it the best single volume on dermatology available to students and practitioners. It is not intended to replace the more encylopedic works for the specialist, but many of its sections should be of interest to dermatologists as well, particularly the brief, readable reviews of basic science, the objective evaluations of current therapy, and the reasonable discussion of psychocutaneous medicine. The authors have devoted about 20% of the book to reviews of the anatomy, physiology, pathology, bacteriology, mycology, parasitology, allergy, and genetics of the skin. They justify this emphasis by pointing out that the skin is usually given short shrift in preclinical teaching, leaving students and clinicians with little understanding of its normal functions and basic pathological patterns. All of these reviews have a conversational tone and a practical