Seek simplicity, but distrust it
Alfred North Whitehead
I admire what Doctor Koepke, associate professor and associate pathologist at the University of Kentucky Medical Center, has tried to do in this little paperback volume. Drawing from his experience in teaching students, he sets out to guide readers through the maze of laboratory tests by concentrating on symptoms or organ systems.
Unfortunately at times this organizational scheme proves awkward and oversimplifies important matters. For example, he places his discussions of sedimentation rate in chapters entitled "Chest Pain" and "Arthritis and Arthralgia," but does not mention sedimentation rate when discussing the surgical abdomen, unexplained fever, infections, or myeloma. Also, in his fleeting go at gout, he does not say that gout comprises only one of many conditions causing hyperuricemia.
In our laboratory's experience, at least, only 15% to 20% of patients with high uric acid levels have gout. One final small criticism: