Dr. Schaffer has written a fine book. There should be no hesitation in recommending it to students, residents, pediatricians, and all physicians interested in the problems of the newborn.
On the other hand, it should be pointed out that this book suffers from the deficiencies so often seen in textbooks that are the work of one author. Although Dr. Schaffer's interest in the whole field of neonatology has obviously been very great, it is apparent that this has not enabled him to be equally knowledgeable in all the areas of what has become a very large subject.
For example, one would have liked to have seen a section of the book devoted to the problems of fluid and electrolyte disturbance and therapy in the newborn period. Also, the section devoted to infection in the newly born suffers by not laying sufficient stress on the importance of nursery staphylococcal infections. It