For many years there has been great need for a single-volume laboratory manual which not only describes practical methodology and the relative merits of various procedures, but also presents clearly the underlying theory and basic physiology and pathology that any specific method is trying to assess. The present volume aims at achieving this goal. It covers all facets of medical technology as practiced in an average general hospital. The degree of emphasis placed on each facet appears related to the expected needs of the technician. In most laboratory texts too much emphasis is placed on some procedures and not enough on others. Explanations may be too involved or not sufficiently definitive. One highly-regarded recent volume has excellent chapters on serological procedures and sputum analysis, for example, but a rather meager section on the endocrines. Another current text includes 21 pages on hospital epidemiology. The technician in an average general hospital