Clinical Textbook of Allergy is an offspring of Hansen's monumental Allergie. While its ancestry is apparent—particularly in chapters written by the same authors for both volumes—it has acquired a character of its own. It is far less encyclopedic, moderately dogmatic, and well adapted to the needs of practitioners.
The editors have attracted a host of capable writers and have edited lightly; they have created a cohesive and pleasant volume. One might argue whether the arrangement of the material, according to "routes of exposure," is the most practical arrangement, but as in most disciplines which are in transition, we move along by trial and error. As in other textbooks on allergy, the philosophers engage in teleological debate; and there is no unanimity amongst practicing allergists about "time-tested" techniques. On the philosophical side the late Prausnitz and the historian Schadewaldt present allergy as a defense mechanism, although their essay ends with Kallos'