Faced with the formidable and perhaps insuperable task of having to discuss this monumental review of endocrinology and metabolism, I at first optimistically believed I would critically read both volumes from cover to cover. However, it was soon apparent that the next edition would probably be out before I would find sufficient time to accomplish this gargantuan feat, and consequently I contented myself with reading several chapters and utilizing the textbook, over a two-month period, as my main reference in dealing with a variety of endocrine-metabolic problems arising on an active university teaching service.
Indeed, I was most impressed with the value of the textbook for this purpose. With little exception, I found that the coverage of subject material was well-organized, informative, thorough, remarkably up-to-date, and authoritative (which was not surprising considering the list of contributors). Most subjects were covered to a degree somewhat unexpected for a general review textbook,