Endocrine Autoimmunity and Associated Conditions

47 flowing style and in an easily digestible format. It contains a good deal of useful information, bringing together the principles of advanced life support, and a guide to the diagnosis and management of fractures (occupying five of the 15 chapters). The book also encompasses the epidemiology and control and prevention of injury as separate chapters. The text is written from the perspective of individual injuries, and covers in some detail and in a logical and methodical manner the cause of injury, and assessment and treatment of injured children. Throughout the book the differential diagnosis of non accidental injury recurs and the importance ofrecognition of history and pattern of injury is emphasised. There is a useful section on child abuse and guidance on the preparation of medico-legal evidence. The book is comprehensively illustrated with tables, line drawings and photographs. However some of the subject matter is based upon individual practice and in particular a section on Bier Block regional anaesthesia for the reduction of limb fractures using Lignocaine at a dose of 3 mg/kg could not be considered standard practice, particularly by an inexperienced SHO. Since it is clearly aimed at that particular audience, I have gathered the views of my own A&E SHOs. All found the book readable, one describing its style as "like a novel". The consensus view was that the book would be useful in the on-call room as general reading, but not suitable for the white coat pocket. In particular the sections on fracture management were commended as being comprehensive and useful. This text is a useful resource for those whose practice may involve the assessment or treatment of injured children and as such would be valuable reading for an A&E SHO. Because of its style and size it is not a rapid reference guide but rather should be viewed as preparatory reading. Those contemplating the purchase of this book should also consider Paediatric Autoimmunity owes much to endocrinology for helping to clarify and establish this basic principle of disease pathogenesis which has subsequently been realised to be applicable to many other diseases. Equally, as a concept, it has continued to provide a tantalising research challenge to immunologist, geneticist and clinician alike. Undoubtedly we have come a long way over the last four decades since autoimmunity was postulated as the aetiological agent in experimental and human autoimmune thyroiditis, and since the formal documentation of insulitis in …