Book excerpt: Non-Invasive Instrumentation and Measurement in Medical Diagnosis, Second Edition discusses NIMD as a rapidly growing, interdisciplinary field. The contents within this second edition text is derived from Professor Robert B. Northrop’s experience teaching for over 35 years in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Connecticut. The text focusses on the instruments and procedures which are used for non-invasive medical diagnosis and therapy, highlighting why NIMD is the preferred procedure, whenever possible, to avoid the risks and expenses associated with surgically opening the body surface. This second edition also covers a wide spectrum of NIMD topics including: x-ray bone densitometry by the DEXA method; tissue fluorescence spectroscopy; optical interferometric measurement of nanometer tissue displacements; laser Doppler velocimetry; pulse oximetry; and applications of Raman spectroscopy in detecting cancer, to name a few. This book is intended for use in an introductory classroom course on Non-Invasive Medical Instrumentation and Measurements taken by juniors, seniors, and graduate students in Biomedical Engineering. It will also serve as a reference book for medical students and other health professionals intrigued by the topic. Practicing physicians, nurses, physicists, and biophysicists interested in learning state of the art techniques in this critical field will also find this text valuable. Non-Invasive Instrumentation and Measurement in Medical Diagnosis, Second Edition concludes with an expansive index, bibliography, as well as a comprehensive glossary for future reference and reading.