MEDICAL ADVANCES

Medical writer Lawrence Galton, on whom an honorary ""doctorate"" might be conferred, has written a layman's reference to the latest drugs, diets, surgical and non-surgical methods of treating common illnesses. Chapters are alphabetical, ranging from allergies and arthritis to skin and sleep, plus one catch-all chapter and one on drug interactions. Most of this material has been mined from Galton's articles in the Sunday supplements. The problems in reporting latest findings are ones of judgment and selection. Some ""advances"" amount to little more than ""my doctor says to try. . ."" or represent results of a single experiment with a few patients. Others are controversial (Vitamin C therapy), while still others, such as multiple chemotherapy in treating certain cancers, are becoming increasingly accepted, So Galton's advice to show the book to your doctor seems a bit premature if not injudicious. As a digest of what's happening in medicine, the book does a good job; Galton is an excellent reporter. The reader should be aware, however, that what's happening in medicine is not always proven nor necessarily what's best for the patient.