This publication is a collection of articles by well-known authors on various subjects in pediatric neurology and neurosurgery. Although not specifically stated, it seems as if the authors were members of a symposium held at the Barrow Neurological Institute of the St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix, Ariz. The title is somewhat of a misnomer, since the volume certainly is not a comprehensive text, but a series of topics in the two disciplines. The publication suffers because of the many authors involved, and the quality of the articles is quite variable. Most of the articles are well written and are very interesting. However, many of them present a personal point of view and some of them do not have a list of references, which is a serious omission.
The chapter entitled "Prenatal factors affecting development in children," by Prensky and Dodson, is an excellent, concise review of the subject