The Scientific Basis of Medicine

This book collects in 13 chapters, written by 27 authors, some specialized aspects of hypothyroidism.Professor Crispell, the Editor, makes it clear that it is not compre- hensive and though the thoughts may be 'current' they are not necessarily new.The specialist in the field will already have absorbed much that is contained in this review from the literature of the last decade.Others will find individual chapters, such as the succinct review by Smart and Owen of the relationship between thyroiditis and hypothyroidism, a valuable resume of the present position of a field which commands everyone's attention, while Marvin Sachs contributes a most interesting chapter on cholesterol metabolism in hypothyroidism with special reference to the effects of the thyroxin analogues.His chapter reiterates the interesting observa- tion of Pitts and Man in 1950 that in myxoedematous patients under treatment the cholesterol levels may return to normal before such values as the P.B.I. have altered appreciably, suggesting a dissociation of individual effects.Chapters on iodine metabolism by Stanbury and his colleagues and the metabolism of thyroid hormone by Braverman and Ingbar, could be read with advantage by student and postgraduate alike.It is this diversity that makes the correct positioning of the book in the pattern of medical literature so difficult to assess.It is neither a survey of recent advances nor a consideration of estab- lished work.Beautifully produced, as one might expect as a product of Pergamon Press, it will no doubt find its way to many library shelves where much of the content will be dated in a decade.