Book review.

摘要

The timing could not have been better. In this time of huge interest in cervical cancer prevention, propelled by the introduction of vaccines against HPV, Joe Jordan and Albert Singer publish the second edition of The Cervix. It can be said at once: The book is a masterpiece in the larger format. In 650 pages the 72 authors tries to cover all aspects of the cervix - anatomy, physiology and not a least, disease. With only 10 pages devoted to labour and 33 pages to fertility-issues the emphasis in this volume clearly is on neoplasia in a wide sense. The description of anatomy, changes during pregnancy and immunology of the cervix all have the perspective of HPV-infection, precancer or cancer. This is natural as this is one of the most expanding fields of medicine. It is also natural as the editors, including the co-editors Howard Jones and Mahmood Shaft, for many years are among the foremost in the clinical aspects of this field. That of course has helped in recruiting many of the top scientists of the world as authors of the 47 chapters, giving the book a robust scientific foundation.