Essential Pediatric Pulmonology, Dr. S.K. Kabra and Dr. Rakesh Lodha, Editors, Pages 260, price Rs. 275/-.

It has been a pleasant exercise for me to review this textbook written by Drs. Kabra and Lodha, who are not only eminent experts in the field of Pediatric Pulmonology and therefore colleagues, but friends as well. This book has indeed filled a void that has existed for many years since majority of published material in pediatric Pulmonology either originates from abroad or relies on extrapolation of information from such sources. Therefore, this book is a welcome addition and will be particularly useful to postgraduate students of Pediatrics and pediatricians with an interest in Pulmonology.

The book has been written in a simple, lucid style with emphasis on a clinical approach to each condition mentioned therein. Thus sections on diagnosis and treatment are highlighted, while pathology and pathophysiology are restricted to essential information only. There has been adequate citation of Indian and regional literature besides extensive referencing of international publications.

Although, the textbook is an excellent effort, probably one area that needs improvement in future editions is the style of printing which is rather small in size and cramped. It may also be worthwhile to consider adding clearer pictures and radiologic photographs.

Overall, this reasonably priced textbook is a useful manual for pediatricians working in diverse sectors of health care in our country.

Joseph L. Mathew,
Assistant Professor (Pediatric Pulmonology),
Advanced Pediatrics Center,
PGIMER, Chandigarh 160012,
India.
E-mail: [email protected]