Publisher's Synopsis
This is a textbook of paediatrics that concentrates on the commonest problems in paediatrics, and seeks to discuss the subject of child health from the standpoint of presenting symptoms and signs. The book concentrates only on the core facts that are essential for thorough competence in paediatrics. The inclusion of a community paediatrician on the author team also reflects the current emphasis on community-based medicine and the acknowledgement that child health is a continuum that extends beyond the hospital.;The book emphasizes the causes of illness and makes special mention of aftercare. An introductory section outlines the basics of child development and then discusses the unique problems of eliciting a history and examining sick children.;The third chapter details the fundamentals of child health surveillance, which leads into the subsequent chapters that discuss the commonest problems in paediatrics. Each chapter discusses the presenting symptoms and signs, and then investigates the underlying disease mechanisms. Clinical relevance is emphasised by the inclusion of numerous case studies. This book should appeal to medical students and allied health practitioners.;Children do not tend to present to a doctor or medical student complaining of bronchiectasis of hyperthyroidism. It is more likely that the child or parent will describe the symptoms of a chronic cough or the failure of the child to thrive in infancy. However, existing undergraduate literature shows that the textbooks are primarily structured by body system which then leads into a discussion of the various diseases. This is an artifical approach to teaching and does not stack up with medical practice, nor the trends in medical education.
