Psychosomatic Medicine and Contemporary Psychoanalysis

on antibiotic dosing in pediatrics; treatment of tuberculosis; chemoprophylaxis for special situations such as surgery, travel, and contact with cases of meningitis; drugs for parasitic infection, infections transmitted by pets, and many others. There is an entire section on vaccination, including routine vaccines, special vaccines, and detailed coverage of many vaccine issues, including the Federal Vaccine Compensation Act. Infection control in day care centers is also covered. In order to judge the quality of this book, one must keep in mind its objective. This volume is meant to be a handy bedside or office-based compendium of information for use in clinical management decisions. Thus, it is not exhaustive in its coverage of any single topic, and, most important, there is no attempt to educate a student of any particular subject in the way a textbook does. For this reason, the book probably does not belong in the hands of a student. As an instance, the section on Hemophilus influenzae infections is seven pages long and covers most epidemiologic and management areas, including antibiotics, vaccine, and chemoprophylaxis, very well. Nevertheless there is no information on biologic susceptibility factors other than age; there is no information on the role of natural antibody, nor on virulence factors of the organism. These facts are easily found in a number of textbooks of infectious diseases. The section on infections due to hepatitis B virus is very comprehensive and over ten pages long, but it contains only one and one-half lines about the virus itself. While I feel the book is outstanding for its purpose, its limitations are also quite clear. Pediatricians keep this book next to their phones to answer questions concerning incubation periods, contraindications to vaccines, drug doses, and the like. They do not use it to learn about diseases. Other criticisms? The consensus of an expert committee assures that the recommendations represent the community of experts, but the range of opinions is not evident. Since the objective of the book is to deliver clear, unambiguous recommendations, the strength of the data supporting these recommendations, and minority opinions, are not present. This volume is not only recommended for its intended audience, it is really a necessity for them. Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics receive it free. Other pediatric practitioners should invest the modest cost ($25). In addition, it would be useful in the library of any practitioner in a primary care area, as well as specialists in clinical infectious diseases, infectious disease epidemiology, and hospital epidemiology. It is appropriate that this book be found in any pediatric library and pediatric ward nursing station. The very familiar phrase "What does the 'Red Book' say?" is a request for the most authoritative statements on children's infections.