This two-volume work follows by some six years the popular first edition which was itself a successor to Evans' Modern Practice of Anaesthesia of 1949. It is offered by 48 authors (all but one of whom work in Britain) as a tribute to the late Prof Ronald Woolmer whose chapter, "Some Methods of Measurement in Anaesthesia," appears in both editions.
The first volume deals with basic principles in anaesthesiology and is, in general, the more noteworthy. The sections on neurological principles in anesthesia, the pharmacology of inhalation anesthetics, neuromuscular block, and the pharmacology of relaxant drugs are especially good and include extensive, current bibliographies.
The second volume encompasses a broad group of topics in the clinical practice of general anesthesia. One gains the impression that most anesthesias in Britain consist of a thiopental induction followed by maintenance with nitrous oxide and a long-acting muscle relaxant whose action is terminated by