One of the advantages of the new crop of A-level syllabuses has been the introduction of optional material allowing students to probe into new territory as well as maintaining some deeper exploration along well-worn pathways. Medical physics has proved a very popular topic; several syllabuses include sections on the physics of the human body, and on the physics of diagnosis and therapy. These subjects are supported by very few suitable school textbooks. Diagnosis and therapy techniques are developing very rapidly and texts quickly become out of date. Roger Muncaster has written a straight-forward account of the state of the art as of last year, and the book should be welcomed by teachers, pupils and A-level examiners. The content has been selected with a sharp eye on the syllabuses, and this will be seen as a strength in most instances, but a stricture at times. After attempting to extract the relevant physics from standard books, it is good to find just enough of the theory behind endoscopy added to the applications. However, I would have enjoyed a little deeper discussion of lasers and a paragraph on photodynamic therapy. The theory behind nuclear medicine is adequately covered, but the examples given are very limited and barely suggest the exciting possibilities of the rapidly developing field. I think the chapter on ultrasound is particularly well conceived, the diagrams are simple, aspects are clearly paragraphed and, as in most chapters, there is a useful summary or 'consolidation' at the end of the topic. The chapters on the physics of the human body cover some familiar mechanics, geometrical optics and sound, neatly set in the context required. However, the promising chapter on 'Electrical activity' left me searching in vain for the information on the heart pacemaker required by at least one major A-level Board. Throughout the book, the discussion of the design and operation of equipment is clear and to a level generally sufficient for the syllabuses, while the definitions and vocabulary used avoid the contradictory and confusing terms which have arisen in some other texts. The collection of A-level questions is very welcome. I hope that the many students studying this expanding discipline will have access to this welcome book.