Book excerpt: An illustrated guide to surgical procedures that can facilitate rehabilitation of selected patients with deformities due to poliomyelitis. Addressed to doctors providing surgical services in district hospitals the book concentrates on simple procedures that can significantly facilitate rehabilitation and improve the physical independence of polio victims. The importance of including physical therapy in the management of patients is repeatedly emphasized. The manual can be used for training purposes or as an aide mTmoire. The book covers both simple essential procedures that can be carried out by a general duty doctor with some experience in an average district hospital and those more difficult procedures that require more experience and better than average facilities. Most of the procedures covered are corrective and stabilizing procedures on the lower limbs which aim to enable patients to stand and move. The book features nine chapters presented in two parts. Chapters in the first part describe the disease and its sequelae provide detailed advice on the tests to be used when evaluating patients and selecting the appropriate procedures and explain a number of basic surgical techniques. Chapters in the second and most extensive part describe specific surgical procedures for the hip knee foot and ankle and elbow. Although some procedures involving bone are described the handbook stresses that these techniques require more training and experience.