This book is prefaced by the statement that it is neither a "complete textbook... nor a first aid book." By traveling the middle road between completeness and brevity, it offers both, but does not accomplish either.
Much of the subject matter covered would not be expected in a book on emergencies. For example, an equivalent amount of space is devoted to the various congenital heart diseases and congestive heart failure. In a strictly emergency situation, it is doubtful that exact diagnosis is necessary. If congestive failure can be recognized and the correct therapy instituted, there is then time for reference to a complete textbook. I am not certain that this book would be any faster or more informative than a larger volume.
For the physician not dealing exclusively with children, this could be a useful text. It covers the emergency syndromes of childhood and concisely outlines good, fundamental medicine in