In the preface to the first edition of Practical Clinical Biochemistry, Dr. Varley indicated that: "The book should be especially useful to technicians studying for the examination in Chemical Pathological Technique of the Institute of Medical Laboratory Technology." The fact that the book is now flourishing in its third edition indicates how successfully it has filled this type of need. Although written in England, and I presume primarily for an English audience, the minor differences in idiom and apparatus, in themselves, do not impair the usefulness of this book to American readers.
Neither the preface nor the contents of the third edition indicates a basic change in orientation. This book remains essentially an uncritical, eclectic collection of "classical" laboratory techniques. Important recent advances in clinical biochemistry, such as automation, microtechniques, and quality control, are mentioned only briefly or not at all. Although alternative assay techniques are listed frequently, this is