"We are particularly proud of the operative illustrations," the authors state in the introduction, and they have good right to be! With a color plate for almost every page, this manual pleasantly lives up to its intent: "... a comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and management of those endocrine diseases encountered by the general surgeon." Of course, a good surgical guide, like an authoritative travel guidebook, must include more than spectacular color pictures. It must point out the best and safest routes and warn us of dangers along the way. Again, this manual meets these objectives.
To illustrate: the diagnosis of hyperparathyroidism depends on elevated serum calcium and parathormone levels in almost all patients. The authors highlight these two tests in large print and consign the others—determination of serum phosphorus level, tubular reabsorption of phosphate, the Dent test, and urinary excretion of calcium and cyclic adenosine monophosphate—to reduced type. Busy general