The author states in his preface that his book, a discussion of metabolic bone disease in terms of current knowledge of calcium metabolism, was planned and completed in little more than a year. This may account for some of its considerable virtues. It is concise, well organized, and up to date. Most of the 1,300 references are from the present decade; even the 1973 literature is well represented. Although the title and preface do not so indicate, discussions of hypercalcemia, hypocalcemia, and renal stones are included. Of the 284 pages of text, 208 are directly or indirectly applicable to pediatrics. The chapters on hyperparathyroidism, Paget disease, osteoporosis, and disorders of calcitonin secretion will rarely be useful on most pediatric services.
Dr Paterson, a member of the Royal College of Pathologists, is presently Senior Lecturer in Clinical Chemistry at Dundee. As these qualifications would suggest, his chapter on methods of investigation