Expanding knowledge of renal diseases since the first edition clearly warranted this re-presentation. The updated information is comprehensive and authoritative; it is presented with consistent clarity by the large number of contributors.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of most chapters is the tightlyknit connection between underlying concept, relevant experimental and clinical evidence, and recommended clinical management. While each of the authors could have written more theoretically for his own specialized field and readership, each has also reflected his extensive practical experience; hence most chapters continue to be practical and useful for clinical decision-making. Where progress has been limited, that fact is stated and the version in the first edition is changed very little.
In the first ten chapters, the reader is oriented to renal structure and function by means of experimental and clinical methods, to the consequences of renal failure in terms of functional derangements in nephrons, blood, bones, and