Cecil-Loeb Textbook of Medicine

We believe that a textbook of medicine should be an authoritative, discriminating, precise and concise presentation of what is currently known about the diseases within its field of coverage. In a sense it should be an extended lexicon with all the authority of a long-established work. A textbook of medicine, in its proper use, is not an end station in the learning process. It is merely a beginning. We believe strongly that space for discussion cannot be strictly allocated on the basis of the "importance" or prevalence of the diseases. . . . In a very real sense, to the physician and the student in today's world there are no rare and no common diseases. . With the vast increase in international travel, our own self-teaching can no longer concern itself solely with the disease pattern in our particular geographical milieu. We must have ready access to medical information about all diseases no matter where they occur.