Book excerpt: Rheumatism in Populations provides information pertinent to rheumatic diseases. This book covers certain systemic orders such as the systemic lupus erythematosus that frequently affect the joints. Organized into 16 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the history of the epidemiology of rheumatism. This text then examines the prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in screened sample and in total population samples. Other chapters consider the relative significance of rheumatic disorders as a cause of loss of work as revealed by the National Health Insurance statistics. This book discusses as well the pathology of disc disorders, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, benign polyarthritis, metabolic joint disease, general connective tissue diseases, and immune deficiency diseases. The final chapter deals with diagnostic criteria for population investigations of rheumatoid arthritis. This book is a valuable resource for rheumatologists, physicians, and medico-social workers. Readers who are interested in the study of rheumatic diseases will also find this book useful.