Medical Consultation: Role of the Internist on Surgical, Obstetric, and Psychiatric Services

A recent flurry of texts devoted to medical consultation attests to a newly acquired notion that medical education has lacked adequate teaching of consultative skills. Among the texts written to address this problem, Kammerer and Gross' is one of the most pleasurable and instructive. The first 15 pages of this multiauthored well-edited textbook provide a concise introduction to the process of providing consultative advice to noninternists. Following this, the authors initiate the "scientific" portion of their textbook with a chapter on the effects, toxicity, and risks of anesthesia. Next, the authors provide a nice review of techniques for assessing adequacy of nutritional status, as well as specific information on oral and parenteral nutritional supplementation. Chapters 6 and 7 are devoted to pulmonary issues—perioperative pulmonary evaluation/management and mechanical respiratory support. Both chapters are practical in orientation, providing useful information in an easy-to-read manner. A problem with these chapters is the occasional