Being so far, and relatively speaking, only occasionally involved with the law, pediatricians will probably find but occasional use for this particular reference-source. The present edition of this interesting and compact volume includes a number of cases decided in the four-year interval since the first edition and properly stresses the alarming nationwide increase in malpractice claims.
Three chapters might be considered to have particular pediatric interest: Chapter 7 deals with responsibility of the physician in sudden and unexpected deaths, but it contains relatively little information pertinent to those most commonly encountered among infants and children. Chapter 9, "Blood Group Tests and Blood Transfusions," contains some interesting records concerning disputed parentage and several anecdotes dealing with negligence in transfusion procedures—particularly as to concepts concerning "calculated risks"—when these are followed by hepatitis. Chapter 11, "Adoption of a Baby," very briefly emphasizes the remarkable variations in statutes from state to state and the