Textbook of Critical Care

Named among the contributors to this book are many of the great and near great in this area of medicine. The editors have produced a much-needed work directed toward the understanding and rational management of the acute and chronic problems of acutely ill persons. Minor problems plague the publication, however. Poor correlation between figures and text in the chapters that address basic cardiopulmonary physiology send the serious reader back to the original manuscripts. By a minor reworking of these figures, the authors would have produced more readable chapters. An important disease is occasionally given only passing reference, while the less commonly encountered problems receive a disproportionate share of space. Hyaline membrane disease (HMD) and its sequel, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, are afforded a mere four pages, while respiratory diseases other than HMD receive almost four times as much space. Equally confusing is the misplacement of certain significant chapters. An example of questionable