Churchill's Pocketbook of Surgery (3rd edn)

Abstract

This is the third edition of what has in the past proved a popular book as evidenced by the publisher's commercial confidence in going to a further edition. The authors' aim as stated in the preface is to produce a concise, didactic account of the common surgical disorders that is both affordable and fits in the pocket, although not many trainees wear white coats these days! They have achieved this objective admirably and they make no claims that it is intended as a detailed text with discussions of opposing views on management. The book covers all the major spheres of surgery likely to be encountered by an SHO or SpR. As well as covering topics within general surgery, it also includes sections on neurosurgery, orthopaedics, urology and plastic surgery, so that somebody reading this book from cover-to-cover should end up with a broad knowledge, certainly from the point of view of final MB and MRCS. In addition, there are more general chapters on investigations, shock and trauma, pre- and postoperative care and malignant disease. There is also useful information on communication skills and breaking bad news. The layout is good, with boxes in the text to highlight important points and useful, simple diagrams. There is also a quick reference index for finding the sections dealing with common surgical emergencies. The text gives pointers on how to reach a differential diagnosis, which is very useful in today's era of specialisation. One of the best pieces of advice I ever had as a trainee was that it was better to know a little book well than a big book badly: this is a little book that is worth knowing well. The authors apologise in the preface for not including much that is in line with modern medical educational theory. I think the apology is unnecessary as, ultimately (despite the current enthusiasm for problem-based learning), like most practical, down-to-earth subjects, surgery is best taught in the first instance didactically rather than theoretically.