Surgery of the Gastrointestinal Tract

This book is a compilation of papers presented at a recent postgraduate course at the University of Minnesota. The editors succeeded in their determination to extract statements from nearly all of their participants— no small feat itself—and have enlivened the text by terse abstracts of discussions. As a result, the reader believes he actually is sitting in the auditorium listening to the drop of pearl after pearl as distinguished visiting professors, reinforced by local faculty, speak on their favorite topics. The impression is strengthened by numerous illustrations, some of which are excellent, and some of which appear to be slides, seen hazily from the rear of the room. References, by the same token, are generally very brief or absent.

It is difficult to single out any special sections for commendation, for the entire text is stimulating. Suffice it to say that many controversial subjects are considered as well as the