Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Third Edition

move away from ketamine to more selective NMDA antagonists and competitive antagonists. One hopes that the publication of this book signals a serious interest on the part of pharmaceutical companies to provide clinical researchers with the tools to advance this area of research. Together, these two books will provide the student or junior resident with much of what they will need to know to obtain a working knowledge in the field of obstetrics and gynecology. However, for research, and for detailed formal presentations, additional sources will be required. Essentials of Obstetrics and Gynecology is a fantastic, thoroughly relevant book for the medical student or housestaff officer wanting to look up concrete information. Although more extensive texts exist for specialists in this field, this book is very useful for those wanting a well-grounded appreciation of obstetrics and gynecology. Even junior housestaff in obstetrics and gynecology have been known to read this book as a main source of information. With over 225 charts, tables, and figures, the book is nicely organized into useable, quick reference information as well as into more in-depth treatments. There are useful algorithms for clinical decision making, and the figures enhance the material covered, such as fetal monitor traces that show characteristic decelerations of the heartbeat with uterine contractions. The book is divided into five main sections covering the broad disciplines of obstetrics and gynecology including maternal/fetal issues, general gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, and gynecological oncology. Topics are discussed briefly yet thoroughly. For example, the section on complications of pregnancy identifies the major complications and the relevant steps to take. All the basics that the student needs to master are covered in sufficient detail and in a very readable text. The book, although somewhat voluminous, could be the sole text for a medical student on the wards, and if read in its entirety-roughly fifteen to twenty pages per night over a six-week rotation-would provide the student with an excellent education in the principle aspects of this field. Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility is a handbook written mainly for resident physicians ("resident survival guide"). It was originally designed as the introduction to the obstetrics and gynecology residency for first year of the program at the Stanford University Medical Center and has developed into a very popular and widely used handbook. New to the fourth edition are sections on primary care, which include depression, emphasize the emerging role of obstetricians and gynecologists …