MacBryde's Signs and symptoms: Applied pathologic physiology and clinical interpretation

contributed to the previous (fifth) edition and a few to the fourth edition. The table of contents lists 40 sections, with headings such as "Growth and Sex Development"; "Sore Tongue and Sore Mouth"; "Problems of Communication: Speech and Hearing, Ear Pain"; "Constipation and Diarrhea"; and "Hematemesis and Melena." Some of these sections are excellent. I was especially impressed with those dealing with jaundice, constipation and diarrhea, fever, and pathologic bleeding. Most of the remaining sections are adequate. Unfortunately, several of the sections should not be published in a textbook of medicine in the 1980s. I use that on coma and convulsions only as an example of the problems encountered in a few of the sections in this book. Dr O'Leary (now deceased) and Dr Landau wrote this section as they did the same section in the 1970 and the 1964 editions. Unfortunately, they changed very little in either the text