Scleroderma and Pseudoscleroderma: Systemic Scleroderma, Morphea, and Allied Conditions

Obviously well-acquainted both with clinical scleroderma and with concepts about scleroderma, the authors have written a first-rate monograph which may need to be better advertised to reach the proper readers. The book is not an introduction to the subject. It is appropriate for the specialist, some residents, and a few well-supervised students, because unusual emphases and some modifications in terminology require careful interpretation if one also is to understand the Anglo-American literature. The authors do not hesitate to make generalizations or answer controversial questions, and their devotion to practical answers is commendable. The book opens with a concise review of pathogenesis, touching on each vague theory about hormones, infections, or allergy. The pertinent evidence for including scleroderma in a collagen disease group is reviewed and found inadequate. The unfamiliar European literature is summarized by subject and discussed with our familiar literature about scleroderma. The immunologic changes in the disease are