Every volume appearing in this magnificent series is a major event in the reviewer's harried life and is always accorded a special celebration in our department, but one which always remains somewhat private to the reviewer. I always savor, selfishly I suspect, but also with some sadness, the reactions of the students, house officers, research fellows, and faculty members to a new volume of Becker's Handbuch, specifically to its title (by now almost everyone has read the "Running Commentary by Peripatetic Correspondents" in The Lancet concerning Becker's Handbuch1), its weight, its "outlandish" language, and the price per volume. The fact that I actually read each volume from cover to cover is considered confirmation of my oddness, if not downright perversity. Unfortunately, these volumes receive little use in our department except by the reviewer, and I can rest assured that they will not be among the great number of books