This book contains an extensive bibliography, is well illustrated, and it is apparent that the authors put much effort into it. However, I must say at the outset that it contains many minor and several major errors. In addition to clear-cut errors, there are also numerous instances of over- or under-emphasis of available data, which could lead the unwary reader to diagnostic and therapeutic mistakes in the clinical situation.
Chapter 1 is entitled "Bacterial Meningitis: General Concepts and Management." In this chapter, antibiotic data are often incomplete, wrong, and unrelated. For example, the dose of ampicillin sodium for the premature infant (50 mg/kg/day) is insufficient. In Table 1-5, the ampicillin dosage interval is stated as four to six hours. It is important to emphasize that all reliable published studies on the use of ampicillin in meningitis employed four-hour intervals. The authors state, "In order to establish adequate blood levels rapidly