Polycythemia: Theory and Management

This multiauthored symposium on polycythemia is about the size of aMedical Clinics of North Americaand, except for the price, reminds me of one. But don't be fooled by the title, which suggests that the book is devoted toalltypes of polycythemia. The lion's share of the book is devoted to polycythemia vera. While some chapters are better than others, the volume lacks the unity one expects from a monograph—and in places suffers from an anemia of substance. In classifying polycythemia, two authors point out that red blood cell volume is the most important determinant of polycythemia. But another author states: "It is debatable whether a red cell mass need be determined in every patient under study for polycythemia vera. The diagnosis can be established with conviction in the presence of pancythemia, splenomegaly and a solidly cellular bone marrow." The author of the chapter on clinical manifestations refers