Radiologic Diagnosis of Chest Disease

Prior to the virtual atomic explosion of medical knowledge, at a time when communica- tion was very much slower, a medical book, to be authoritative and believable, had to be written by a very knowledgable, and, per force, usually quite senior person. The choice of texts was limited and tended to be dominated by a few "e;classic"e; (a phrase not quite synonymous with dogma). Following the information explosion, the scenario is quite different. Not only is there a geometric progression in the quantity and speed of devel- opment of new medical knowledge, but also this development is occurring at very dif- ferent rates in different countries. This is particularly true in medical imaging. The result is that it is now virtually impossible to produce a "e;single author"e; book that can cover the field or even a subdivi- sion of it. This absolute requirement for multiple authors has in turn created the need for a new type of editor/author who must be multinational in approach, have a uniquely informed appreciation of what is going on in medical imaging research throughout the entire world and possess the depth of personal knowledge and experience to judge cor- rectly what work is the most rigorous and likely to have the greatest impact.