Endocrinology is a cerebral specialty, and it is not surprising that the third edition of Felig's excellent textbook, Endocrinology and Metabolism, is a cerebral textbook. The editors (Felig, Baxter, and Frohman) have assembled outstanding endocrinologists, who have written a comprehensive textbook that combines basic science and clinical endocrinology. There are 32 chapters and 1885 pages of reading, including references (an amazing 1244 for the chapter on the adrenal cortex).
The format of the text has been well conceived. The early chapters, which no doubt clinicians often scan, lay the groundwork. The authors try to simplify the chapter "Gene Expression and Recombinant DNA," which has minimal clinical relevance and is mostly for the basic scientist. This is balanced by the chapter "Clinical Manifestations of Endocrine Disease," on which disease states fit the symptoms presented. "Molecular Mechanisms of Hormone Action," though germane, is esoteric, and I suspect will be perused only "at