Book excerpt: Written in a concise, readable style, the Fourth Edition of this leadi ng text continues to set the standard in the constantly evolving field of clinical chemistry. Completely revised and updated, this text refl ects the latest developments in clinical chemistry. Recent advances in quality assurance, PCR and laboratory automation receive full coverag e. The immunochemistry chapter has been expanded to reflect the latest technological advances, and two entirely new chapters on cardiac func tion and point of care testing have been added. Chapters have been com bined and restructured to match the changes that have occurred in the clinical laboratory. Plus, the contributors continue to be the leaders in the field of clinical chemistry. Other text features include outli nes, objectives, case studies, practice questions and exercises, a glo ssary and more.