Will Rogers once remarked, "Everyone is ignorant—only on different subjects." In concert with that thesis, Controversy in Internal Medicine II demonstrates convincingly how relatively ignorant we are on 31 major subjects ranging from prevention of atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, and gastroesophageal reflux to management of gallstones, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and adult onset diabetes. To exchange divergent views on these timely matters, the editorial team of Ingelfinger, Ebert, Finland, and Relman selected 89 authorities. The results are instructive, stimulating, and entertaining.
Similar in format to its predecessor, Controversy I, this version focuses on a fresh set of issues. It also contains brief but informative status reports on each of the 23 topics debated in the first volume. Especially worthwhile are the essays by Stead on the dying patient; Macklem on management of acute pulmonary insufficiency; Simpson, Strunin, and Walton on the hepatotoxicity of halothane; Crosby on the treatment of Hodgkin disease; and Millikan