Introduction

The six-volume series, GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS, represents the evolutionary development of a textbook that was first published in 1933 under the editorship of Carl Henry Davis, MD, of the Marquette University School of Medicine. The original three-volume, loose-leaf compendium of clinical gynecology and obstetrics, with emphasis on the practical aspects of patient management, has expanded considerably over the ensuing years, as has the number of contributors. To a large degree, these additions parallel the progress that has occurred in gynecology, obstetrics, and related disciplines during the past eight decades; however, the hallmark of the series remains the emphasis on practical clinical application in patient management.

Although he eventually relinquished editorship, Dr. Davis continued as sole editor until 1953, when Dr. F. Bayard Carter of the Duke University School of Medicine joined him as co-editor. Two years later, each of the original three volumes was divided into two parts to accommodate the ever-increasing number of contributions. Dr. Carter served as editor until 1968, when Dr. Joseph I. Rovinsky of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York took over the editorship. In 1974, I became the editor of the series, which had grown to encompass material by more than 200 contributors. Today this number has almost tripled.

With rapid changes occurring in the discipline of obstetrics and gynecology, it became apparent in the mid-1970s that the format of the series would have to be modified to meet the changing needs of the specialty, with emphasis not only on the clinical practice of obstetrics and gynecology but also on the expanding subspecialty areas of maternal and fetal medicine, gynecologic oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, reproductive genetics, family planning, and human sexuality. To this end, a new format was designed and a new editorial approach was initiated. Specifically the material is presented in six well-defined volumes: 1—Gynecology and Gynecologic Surgery; 2 and 3—Obstetrics/Maternal and Fetal Medicine; 4—Gynecologic Oncology; 5—Reproductive Endocrinology, Infertility and Genetics; 6—Fertility Regulation, Psychosomatic Problems, and Human Sexuality.

GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS has become a practical and authoritative encyclopedic reference source designed to keep the busy clinician abreast of new information. Established approaches to medical care and new developments are all carefully presented by leading specialists chosen for their knowledge and experience. Each chapter in each volume is reviewed regularly and annually, obsolete information is deleted and new information added. Herein is the great strength of the loose-leaf format for those subscribers who maintain the printed version of the series. With the advent of all six volumes available on CD-ROM, it is even easier to provide on an annual basis a comprehensive reference work in both general gynecology and obstetrics as well as in the subspecialty areas important for women's health care physicians.

Associate editors have been selected for each volume based on their stature and expertise, and the individual chapters and volumes reflect to a significant degree the personality and background of the editors. Accordingly, there may be areas of overlap or different points of view expressed by various contributing authors and editors discussing related subjects in the individual volumes of this series. In the opinion of the editors, this represents a strength rather than a weakness, in that contemporary approaches to traditional problems may often vary but nonetheless have equivalent validity.

GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS has now been in continuous publication for more than eight decades. The associate editors and contributors have worked diligently to develop and expand the objectives as set forth in the original series. I believe that they have been eminently successful in this endeavor. The series is available both in binders for our long-standing subscribers and on CD-ROM for our new subscribers. The CD-ROM version offers not only increased capacity for color illustrations and video clips to demonstrate selected procedures, but also allows for greatly expanded bibliographic references from recent issues of major journals. The future of GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS has never been more exciting.

The goal of the editor and associate editors is to provide an encyclopedic reference in obstetrics and gynecology and the related subspecialties so that the busy practitioner will be able to obtain up-to-date information that will enhance the quality of women's health care. It is, indeed, a pleasure to serve as editor of GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS and, as always, I value your comments.

January 2004 John J. Sciarra, MD, PhD