Move over other books on rheumatoid arthritis; here comes Rheumatoid Arthritis: Etiology, Diagnosis, Management. This is a good reference text for rheumatologists. It has sections on pathogenesis, laboratory investigations, clinical features, disease management, and political and economic considerations. There are also interesting chapters on therapies of unproved benefit (levamisole, radioisotope treatment, sulfasalazine, total lymphoid irradiation, etc) and therapies of unlikely benefit (tetracycline, acupuncture, prayer, etc; however, the Talmud says that "even if a sharp sword rests upon a man's neck he should not desist from prayer"). Prominent authors have written each chapter. The references are ample and up-to-date.
The clinical chapters do an excellent job and are worthwhile for the practitioner. The sections on basic science relating to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis are also well done. The chapters on pathogenesis point out that rheumatoid arthritis is a destructive polyarthritis in which inflammation and synovial cell hypertrophy result in significant