Commonsense Paediatrics

As 'seasoned campaigners' we offer our readers more than 60 joint practice years of commonsense experience on children and their prob­ lems. Child care is a large and fascinating part of general family practice. More than any other discipline it is a mix of understanding the wide range of normal and abnormal development, of skilful diagnosis and treatment of treatable conditions, of long-term care for handicapped children, and of organizing and carrying out prevention. F or all this and more the physician has to rely on sound knowledge and understanding of the child, parents, family, social and community conditions, available services and the likely natural history of the condition - and to dispense all this with humanity, sense and sensi­ bility. We have divided the book logically into 6 sections: (I) Factual background. (2) Universal problems of behaviour and development. (3) Common clinical disorders, so frequent and yet often so dif­ ficult to manage. (4) Social,family and community factors that create and influ­ ence many problems of childhood. (5) How to use available services and resources with discrimina­ tion and sensitivity. (6) The importance of understanding and managing the whole child. We have no single group of readers in mind. We hope that our views will be appreciated, for example, by parents, nurses, health visitors, general practitioners, community physicians and paedia­ tricians - in fact all who care for children.

Section I First Principles.- 1. Children in the practice — Basic facts — Basic principles.- 2. Roles in child care.- Section II Behavioural and Developmental Problems.- 3. Non-thrivers.- 4. Non-eaters.- 5. Non-sleepers.- 6. Crying babies.- 7. Late walkers.- 8. Late talkers.- 9. The overactive child.- 10. School problems.- 11. Learning problems.- 12. Handicapped children.- Section III Common Clinical Problems.- 13. Catarrhal children.- 14. Tummy aches.- 15. Bowel problems — too much or too little.- 16. The feverish child.- 17. Spots and rashes.- 18. Fits and funny turns.- 19. Normal variants.- 20. Accidents.- 21. Non-accidental injuries.- Section IV Society, Family and Community.- 22. Problem families: children at risk.- 23. Single (one) parent families.- 24. Divorce and separation.- 25. Children in care.- 26. Like mother, like child — keeping it in the family.- 27. Cultural patterns.- 28. Housing.- Section V Uses of....- 29. Use of drugs.- 30. Use of ‘the team’.- 31. Use of the hospital.- 32. Use of practice clinics.- 33. Use of surveillance.- 34. Use of community clinics.- Section VI The Whole Child.- 35. The whole child.- Appendix. Helping your child to talk — advice to parents.