With considerable ingenuity the authors have prepared a short introduction to the field of gastroenterology, surprising in its simplicity and clarity. Unfortunately, the purpose of the book has limited its area of usefulness. Neither a textbook nor a reference work, the book was written to help young physicians learn basic principles and facts. The book must be regarded as a primer for beginners, an outline, manual, or syllabus; and unfortunately this must narrow its range of usefulness. Perhaps its chief value would be at the student and house officer level, where it might provide orientation and perspective. It could be helpful to the young man leaving the hospital and entering practice.
Comprehensive in scope, the volume includes abbreviated descriptions of almost all the disorders that affect the gastrointestinal tract, from geographic tongue to anorectal diseases. In contrast to the usual sequence, it begins with a discussion of functional syndromes so