The fifth edition of Turek's Orthopaedics has distinguished orthopedic surgeons Drs Weinstein and Buckwalter of the University of Iowa as coeditors and 27 contributing authors. It represents a significant change from the fourth edition (1984), which was a two-volume, 1756-page textbook with 34 chapters. It has been replaced by a single textbook with three sections of 19 total chapters and 708 text pages. Eleven authors wrote the 60-page chapter "Rheumatic Diseases: Diagnosis and Management."
The editors state that there have been some significant changes but that the broad approach to adult and pediatric orthopedics has been retained, with which I agree. Chapters on musculoskeletal trauma and details of surgical technique have been eliminated. Unfortunately, the chapter on amputation, an important aspect of orthopedic rehabilitation, has now been reduced to one paragraph in the adult foot and ankle section.
The target audience is meant to be orthopedic residents, residents in other