Apley's System of Orthopaedics and Fractures, Ninth edition

This new edition of an established classic appears 11 years after the previous edition was published. In that time there have been enormous changes in both the diagnosis and management of many orthopaedic conditions, and it would seem an enormous task to bring it up to date. To that aim the book has increased in size by some 240 pages. The well-loved format, however. has stayed the same and many of the drawings and photographs from the previous edition remain. All sections however have been radically overhauled. The basic science section has increased some 100 pages with extensive improvements in the sections on neuromuscular disorders, nerve injuries and metabolic bone diseases. The section on tumours has doubled in size with the addition of photographs of the relevant histology. The same applies to the next section on regional orthopaedics, but all the classical descriptions on examination techniques and the useful notes on applied anatomy have been retained. The final third section on fractures and joint injuries has been brought right up-to-date with emphasis now on modern imaging and fixation techniques in fracture management, in particular the sections on pelvis, spinal and calcaneal fractures. Overall the authors have achieved the goal of bringing this most respected text right up-to-date, whilst retaining those elements that have made it such an outstanding book in the past. Although it is probably best aimed at the junior trainee in surgery the book would still provide useful background reading for the more senior trainee, particular in the first year or two of the soon to arrive seamless continuum of training. S. L. HODKINSON