Congenital Deformities of the Hand and Forearm

Abstract

To review in depth Kelikian's encyclopedic<i>Congenital Deformities of the Hand and Forearm</i>is not feasible. For the author to have amassed the amount of material, bizarre and otherwise, in this monumental work must doubtless have taken a lifetime. This book promises to be the definitive text on these deformities for years to come. Kelikian considers congenital deformities on a much broader base than have other authors. He includes not only anatomic abnormalities present at birth, but also deformities manifest later in life and attributable to hereditary errors—in metabolism, circulation, growth, and in other ills. A comprehensive all-inclusive classification of anomalies, the hereditary vs the environmental, still represents a puzzle. Kelikian has recorded a considerable number of both time-worn and recent classifications, calling attention to the inevitable omissions of each. Titles in the later chapters include general topics such as "Syndrome Implicating the Hand and Forearm," "Usable Tenets of Treatment,"