This new British textbook of pediatrics is a "compact" despite having nearly 600 pages. It was written entirely by one author, Hugh Jolly, now physician in charge of The Children's Department at Charing Cross Hospital, University of London. Prior to this, Dr. Jolly practiced pediatrics in the West of England where he served as a consultant to urban and rural practitioners. His textbook gives evidence of this; it has been written essentially as a practical work for medical students and general practitioners, as the author informs his readers in the first sentence of the Preface.