Congenital Malformations: Notes and Comments

Abstract

For a long time pediatrics has felt the need of a comprehensive, scholarly monograph on malformations. Josef Warkany has now filled the gap. The author begins his preface with the modest statement that: ... the notes and comments published in this book are a portion of the data on malformations that I have gathered over a 35-year period. ... During this time span I have accumulated many books and more than 20,000 reprints concerned with malformations. He later explains in an important caveat that his survey will not attempt to include inborn errors of metabolism, despite the current popular trend to join them with anatomical variants under the all-encompassing term congenital anomalies or defects. In further clarification of the scope of the text, the author begins with the definition: malformations are structural defects present at birth. Following an initial chapter on definitions, there is an admirable historical overview