Clinical Gastroenterology

If, to be successful, a book need have but one reader, Spiro's Clinical Gastroenterology will be a megasuccess. For many will read it and all will profit. Blest with uniauthorship in an era when a case report must include even the name of the assistant resident who did the work, the style flows evenly throughout and overlap is kept to a minimum. Spiro's target is the physician who takes care of sick patients and GPs, internists, surgeons, pediatricians, as well as subspecialists of all kinds will find it useful. If one approaches the book in the more recent fashion (left to right) he will immediately find physical examination of the abdomen brought up to date in an engaging manner, giving relief to those who could never remember to search for d'Espine's sign. I suggest the reader first look at all the pictures and read the captions. Never have they been so well chosen and so well presented and described. Having done this the student or physician with a minimum of wit will be on his way to developing an enthusiasm for clinical GI work. No part of the field is considered so humble that it should be excluded. Regard the lyricism with which Spiro describes the approved manner of telling internal from external hemorrhoids and both from the less important redundant tissue. Best of all are probably the chapters bringing together for the first time all the information about ulcerative and granulomatous colitis. Much has been previously written about these two phenomena but only now has the chaff been separated. The words about peptic ulcer were obviously written with joy, and will be read the same way. Some may find it a pity that more space was not devoted to malakoplakia or proctalgia fugax but in general the author has used his and the reader's time wisely. Of particular usefulness is an appendix containing a number of diets, including restricted-fiber, lactose-free and gluten-free. Any physician, in or out of gastroenterology, should be familiar with these. There is not a single picture taken through an electron microscope, an omission for which every practicing physician will be grateful. Bockus, in his second edition, used 23 lines to make his acknowledgements. Spiro uses 106 and names everyone he has ever known except his late friend, Caesar, and the reviewer. This is a record for the free world press.