The Pericardium in Health and Disease

Dr Noble Fowler, of the University of Cincinnati, has produced an excellent book on pericardial disease. Although a few chapters on specialty topics are contributed by Spodick (history and electrocardiography), Nasser (congenital defects), Shabetai (physiology), and Engel (echocardiography), the main body of the volume consists of discussions by Fowler of the principal clinical types of pericardial disease and of cardiac tamponade and paradoxical pulse, and is essentially a clinical monograph. The writing style is clear, and the presentation is straightforward and factual. The clinical opinions expressed are heavily based on the author's own experience, which is extensive and well reviewed. The central clinical descriptive portion of the book consists of chapters on acute pericarditis, infectious pericarditis, and chronic pericarditis; these chapters include a review of the literature that is detailed and well balanced. Specific etiologic types of pericardial disease, eg, neoplastic, uremic, and rheumatic, are covered under one or another