Although this is the first published edition of the British Columbia's Children's Hospital manual, it is based on an in-house resident's handbook that has been continuously updated for the past 10 years. Each chapter has been written by a pediatric subspecialist with extensive experience in that area of medicine. These sections represent the lessons learned from years of pediatric practice in a referral Children's Hospital. The manual is not aimed solely at pediatric housestaff. It will hopefully be of value to all health workers concerned with the care of sick children, whether practicing in hospital or out in the community.

We have tried to balance space limitations with the need to cover a subject in sufficient detail, by using point form for many topics. English grammar takes a beating but a lot of information can be presented quickly. Wherever possible, some background notes are given, especially for common medical problems.

Apart from individual authors, I am grateful to all the staff of British Columbia's Children's Hospital who made suggestions and helped with the preparation of this manual. I am particularly grateful to Ms. Julia Mark who typed and organized the entire manuscript single-handedly. The project would certainly not have been possible without her efforts.