This handy volume represents a compilation of the current management of a wide range of emergency situations that potentially face the physician caring for children. The editors preface the handbook with an apology for not attempting to be all-inclusive. No apologies are necessary, however, for they have provided considerably more than an overview of the field in this compendium.
Despite the fact that all but two of the contributing authors are affiliated with a single medical school, they do not attempt to speak with one voice, nor do they provide a single approach to each problem. There are, in fact, some significant discrepancies in approach, such as between the management of acute laryngotracheobronchitis by the otolaryngologist (pp 92-93) and the pediatrician, the latter being much more selective and circumspect about the "shotgun approach" (pp 233-234).
A manual such as this lends itself to those interested in problem-oriented patient management. Although