The Citadel of the Senses

Despite the title of this multi-authored volume, the text deals almost exclusively with the use of parenteral nutrition in pediatric practice. More specifically, the content emphasizes the neonatal period and the treatment of premature and critically ill infants. The book is divided into five sections, each of which discusses total parenteral nutrition with respect to a specific area of scientific and clinical interest. These areas include nutrient utilization; metabolism and body composition; techniques, monitoring, and complications; indications and impact in infancy; and the relation to organ systems and disease. As with many multi-authored texts, there is some overlap between chapters, particularly in the discussions of the history of parenteral nutrition and the composition of infusates. While most of the chapters are capable of standing on their own, there are some subjects which were not completely covered where expected and are more completely discussed in a less applicable chapter. For example, the issue of Vitamin A deficiency due to formula instability is more completely discussed in the chapter on pediatric cancer. This problem is compounded by the incompleteness of the subject index, which decreases the value of the text as a reference tool. Each chapter contains numerous references, but in at least two instances typographical errors lead the reader to a reference other than the one cited. The writing styles are uneven, and a number of authors lapse into the first person. Some of the chapters include protocols which are not universally applicable, but which might serve as good "jumping-off points" for nutrition support teams developing their own procedure manuals.