Internal medicine : its theory and practice / in contributions by American authors ; edited by John H. Musser.

  • Musser, John H. (John Herr), 1883-1947.
Date:
1945
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Internal medicine : its theory and practice / in contributions by American authors ; edited by John H. Musser. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    PREFACE. In writing the preface of this, the fourth edition of Internal Medicine, I should like to express myself much as I would were I writing a review of a new edition of a book which has passed through three previous editions. After all, I have merely been the editor of the four editions, responsible for outlining the policies and purposes of the book, the selection of the authors, obtaining their manuscripts promptly, for the arrangement of the material, for the reading of the proof and producing an index. When an editor has had the good fortune, as I have had, to secure a group of authors, for the most part heads of medical school departments and all of them teachers of wide experience and authorities on the subjects upon which they write, there remains but a minimum of editorial work, as these men know what to say and how best to say it; they are experienced writers and teachers. Such being the case, I feel that I may view this new edition with sufficient detachment to write of it as would a reviewer. A book reviewer should point out the purposes for which the book has been written; he should, when subsequent editions appear, note the changes, alterations and additions that have been made in the newest edition and he should evaluate, when there is more than one author, the various contributions and then the book as a whole in order to tell his reader if the book has attained its aim and can be recommended to him. Let it be said that this book on internal medicine was compiled first for the purpose of giving to the undergraduate student a textbook written by a limited number of well qualified authors who would be able to give the essentials, without allowing the work to become encyclopedic in size and impractical for study, or even handling. Its second purpose was to give to the practitioner of medicine a book on medicine to be used for ready reference, and properly documented so that he could, did he so desire, go to source material or to outstanding contributions to medical literature for more detailed information. As a reviewer, I believe the purposes of the book have been fulfilled. Many changes from the third edition appear in the fourth. Some of the chapters have been almost or entirely rewritten. In a few other chapters on subjects which have undergone but little change in the past few years, the revision has not had to be so extensive. Because of death or retirement or other causes, four of the chapters are by new authors. W. J. Kerr and S. R. Mettier have replaced the late R. G. Torrey in the presentation of the Chapter on Diseases of the Loco¬ motor System. They have written from a somewhat different angle and have presented their material more in detail than did their prede¬ cessor-contributor to this section. W. W. Spink, who has entirely rewritten the section on Rickettsial Diseases, necessarily has materially added much subject matter because of the increased knowledge, interest and importance of diseases in this group, due in part to the present war. F. E. Stevenson undertook to revise the section previously written by the late Graeme Mitchell, but was able to complete only a portion of this chapter on Contagious Diseases of Childhood. The
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