Preface to the Third Edition
Enzrojcouraged by the overwhelming response to the first two editions, I am delighted to present third edition of this widely acclaimed Textbook of Pediatrics. Present edition has been extensively revised and updated to provide state of the art information on the subject in a concise and simplified format, according to the Competency Based Medical Education Curriculum, prescribed by National Medical Commission.
Apart from being a primary resource to undergraduate students, it is also expected to benefit postgraduates and practicing pediatricians as primer for further study.
This edition includes latest guidelines (till 2023) from various national and international academic and regulatory bodies including World Health Organization, Government of India and Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), including recent Standard treatment guidelines (2022) and Guidelines for parents (2022). It also covers updated information on major national health programmes from pediatric perspectives, either in corresponding chapters or in the chapter on Social pediatrics. Revised IMNCI Guidelines 2021 have been presented in a new and independent Chapter 29.
While India has made major strides in the field of public health during last decade, expectations have been fuelled further with setting up of many ambitious targets under national health mission to improve healthcare for children as well as control or eliminate many infectious illnesses. This edition includes authentic demographic data from latest sources, e.g. National Family Health Survey -5 (2021) and Sample Registration Survey (2022), as well as current targets set-up under national health mission/policy.
Among other noteworthy features of this edition are exclusive chapters on History taking, General examination and Procedures and Equipments to enhance clinical skills and Pediatric Pharmacology for ready reference.
Most of the chapters on systemic pediatrics have dedicated Sections on Basic considerations, Clinical evaluation and Laboratory investigations to enhance fundamental understanding of the subject and strengthen clinical skills. Over 200 clinical images and illustrations have been updated or added to enhance the visual appeal or many new diagnostic algorithms or step-by-step approaches have been included to simplify the process of decision making.I am extremely grateful to renowned chapter contributors for their scholarly inputs and valuable suggestions, while updating the chapters. Special thanks are also due to Dr Niranjan Shindurnikar, my close friend and mentor in the field of publication matters, as well as colleagues and residents, who provided useful inputs and some excellent images with permission to use them.
My family has always been a constant source of inner strength including my wife Reena and Daughter Paankhi, with heavenly support of my parents and son Ayush. Further, my grandson Rahil has been kind enough to permit me work undisturbed, sometimes.
Finally, I wish to place on record my special thanks to Mr Satish Kumar Jain (Chairman) for his commitment to publish this edition at earliest, along with Mr YN Arjuna, (Senior Vice-President - Publishing, Editorial and Publicity) and his team at CBS Publishers for the commendable job, specially the illustrations.
I am sure that this edition will also be widely accepted by the students and practitioners of pediatrics as a primary resource to acquire, enhance and update their knowledge. Corrections, suggestions, feedback and reviews are welcome from readers to improve further editions, which may be sent at dr_mukesh_agrawal@yahoo.co.in
Mukesh Agrawal
Professor and Head
KJ Somaiya Medical College and Research Center, Mumbai Ex-Professor and Head
Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital Mumbai, Maharashtra, India