Recent Advances in Perinatal Medicine

Book reviews 81 approach.In the second part these questions are repeated, followed by more detailed sub-questions.No answers are supplied although the prognosis and management are hinted at in some of the sub- questions.The contents cover a wide area ranging from the 'Balint' type questions 'Why has this patient really come?' or "Is the 'patient' always the one presenting to you?" to cases of patients with problems such as chest pain, tiredness or urinary tract symptoms.Some of the histories are fascinating and present in a readable form a wide range of primary care problems.They also highlight some of the differences in doctor-patient relationships in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, and the degree of intervention expected of family practitioners in these countries.This book is of value for general practitioner teachers of vocational trainees, and would be a useful addition to a library of a Teaching Practice.It can be used as a resource for small group seminars, discussing topics such as 'tiredness', 'the dying patient' or 'family crises'.The short case histories are not a substitute for the discussion of patients seen by the trainees or students in their general practices.These must continue to remain the most important material for any teaching programme in the same way that video tapes of consultations involving the trainee are more useful, though often less technically satisfactory than video cassettes provided by organisations outside the practice.