The book will undoubtedly be helpful for many SHOs preparing for the examination; it could also be usefully read by those who tutor them but who have never sat the MRCP in its present format. Educational advisors would be enlightened if they 'attempted' one of the 20 papers, each comprising 10 case histories; few are likely to be aware of how SHOs are assessed and the range used by the examiners. In one paper, cases range from necrobacillosis to CJD; from hepatic granulomata to rhabdomyolisis. The author suggests 50% would be a reasonable mark for SHOs about to sit the examination; it is doubtful that any consultant physician with a special interest would approach any such score. Some of the cases are 'rare' as well as hard. There is a good balance between the medical specialties plus a smattering of paediatric case histories. A short index adds to the usefulness of the book as a means for reference as well as coaching. As in clinical practice, there is more than one likely diagnosis; the answers section ranks likely diagnoses using asterisks.

The book can be recommended as a coaching manual for pre-MRCP SHOs and tutors wishing to understand how candidates are assessed. T J Bayley, Dean for Postgraduate Medical Educatio This is, as it is meant to me, a practical and functional presentation which I am sure will be of great help to the next generation of those aspiring to acquire MRCP. Postgraduate Medical Journal 1999; 75:773.