Clinical Surgery: A Practical Guide

I really enjoyed reading this book, which focuses on a practical approach to surgery as stated in its title. It is not a comprehensive surgical textbook but is a comprehensive text in the practical aspects of surgery and should appeal to its readership. This is clearly aimed at the peri-membership trainee and, as such, is a valued addition to the subject, giving a slightly different aspect to other texts in this field. Each of the 31 chapters is well researched and written, covering the whole field of practical surgery including peri-operative care, laparoscopic surgery, day surgery, obesity, surgery of the elderly, etc. The last four chapters look at the common tropical diseases as they affect general surgical practice – hydatid, schistosomiasis, tuberculosis and typhoid. These diseases are becoming more common in Western medicine and their inclusion makes this book widely relevant. There are a large number of authors, drawn from the UK and internationally. Each chapter, therefore, has a slightly different writing style. This actually adds to the text, making it very readable, and the editing has drawn the different chapters together – exemplified by the high-lighted key points throughout and the summary and question sections at the end of each chapter. There are excellent bibliographies throughout, which are concise and up to date. This is a well-written text suited for all peri-MRCS trainees and I highly recommend it.