Now that the alimentary canal has become accepted as a proper object for clinical research, we stand at the threshold of new discoveries and new concepts, but enough information has not yet accrued to let us know whether the malabsorption syndrome, so-called, is an entity, an inborn error of structure and of function of the alimentary canal which leads to a bewildering array of secondary deficiencies or whether a nutritional deficiency actually is an essential precursor or trigger mechanism which has to be sprung in order to bring the clinical discorder into an active and recognizable stage.
Despite the great amount of work which has been done on absorption in man and animals, many basic problems are far from solved, and it is against this background that Adlersberg and his colleagues have brought together this symposium. One shortcoming of the book is the lack of a detailed historical review, though