Miller has written a readable, short book on juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Actually, JRA is a group of pediatric arthritides, most of which are distinct from adult rheumatoid arthritis. The term "JRA" is, therefore, a misnomer. The British prefer to call it juvenile chronic polyarthritis. Whatever the name, it is clear that there are definable subgroups that are pathogenically and clinically different. The current categorization of JRA is discussed in this book.
Because JRA is a group of different arthritides, it can be confusing to discuss the pathogenesis, immunology, and treatment of JRA as a single entity. This book frequently avoids this pitfall. For instance, the chapter on medical therapy discusses gold and aspirin treatment in general terms. One wonders about the author's experience in controlling the systemiconset-type of JRA with gold, or whether he prefers indomethacin or tolmetin to aspirin for HLA-B27 arthritis. Otherwise this chapter is excellent and