Thomas Addison, a physician from the North of England, was acutely ill, and he knew it. The profession of medicine had been his life. Students and patients flocked to Guy's Hospital in London because he taught and worked there. He had no rival in Britain during the early Victorian era.

Addison taught his students that most people resisted new ideas even when society benefitted from them and that people were unwilling to admit the merits of a great discovery. This would prove to be true particularly in the case of his own discoveries. Addison weathered five years of scorching criticism from his peers when he discovered that the adrenal glands were essential to life and that diseased adrenal glands could darken a white person's skin to mulatto hues. In the end, he experienced an unshakable depression that ultimately led to suicide.

Medical science subsequently validated Addison's ingenious discoveries, which led other investigators to isolate and identify epinephrine, the adrenocortical steroids, and even vitamin B12.

In this biography, author Margaret R. O'Leary, MD, presents Addison's life story, considering his reception during his lifetime and recognizing his profound contributions to modern medicine.

This issue of Heart Failure Clinics, guest edited by Antonio Cittadini and Hector O. Ventura, will cover key topics in Emerging Comorbidities in Heart Failure. This issue is one of four selected each year by our series consulting editor, Dr. Eduardo Bossone. Topics discussed in this issue will include: Anabolic deficiencies in Heart Failure, Thyroid Abnormalities in Heart Failure, The Gut Axis Involvement in Heart Failure: focus on trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Heart Failure, When Pulmonary Hypertension complicates Heart Failure, Sex and Gender-related Issues in Heart Failure, Cardiac Cachexia Revisited: The Role of Wasting in Heart Failure, Atrial Fibrillation in Heart Failure, The Impact of Obesity in Heart Failure, Sleep Breathing Disorders in Heart Failure, The Cardiorenal Syndrome in Heart Failure, Psychological Disorders in Heart Failure, Hypertension in Heart Failure, among others.

Advances in Anesthesia highlights the year's significant medical advances, providing one source to review the essential information updates for the Anesthesiologist in that year. The distinguished editorial board, led by Dr. Thomas McLoughlin, includes Drs. Richard Dutton, Laurence Torsher, and Francis Salinas. The board has assembled a first-rate volume for 2019."

This issue of Veterinary Clinics: Food Animal Practice, guest edited by Dr. Christopher Chase in collaboration with Consulting Editor Dr. Robert Smith, focuses on Ruminant Immunology. Article topics include: Herd immunity: an epidemiologist's view; Genetics of immunoresponsive and correlates of immunity; Microbiome and immunity: an evolving field; Vaccine administration dos and don'ts (endotoxin stacking; delayed MLV); Mycoplasma bovis: interations with the immune system and failure to generate an immune response; Nutriceuticals and their effect on immune response; Adjuvants; Immunology of maximizing passive transfer; Mucosal immunity and common mucosal response; Vaccinating in the face of maternal immunity; and Gamma Delta T cells in ruminants: their role, function, and importance.

This issue of Medical Clinics of North America, guest edited by Dr. Howard P. Levy, is devoted to Genetics and Precision Medicine. Articles in this important issue include: Family History in Genetics and Precision Medicine; Genetic Testing: Who, What, When and Why; Test Result Disclosure and When to Consult a Geneticist or Genetic Counselor; Patient Engagement to Inform a Large-scale Population Sequencing Program; Pharmacogenetics: Prescribing Precisely; DNA Testing for Early Cancer Diagnosis; Breast Cancer: BRCA and Beyond; Colon Cancer and Other GI Cancers; Neurofibromatosis and Related Disorders; Marfan, Loeys Dietz, and Other Syndromes Causing Arterial Fragility; Ehlers Danlos Syndromes and Related Disorders of Connective Tissue; Parkinson, Alzheimer, and Other Neuropsychiatric Diseases; Genetic Neurologic and Neuromuscular Disorders; and Polycystic Kidney Disease and Other Genetic Kidney Disorders. A CME program is also available for this title.

"I found it (the story) at first sad and tragic, all the more to be uplifted by its outcome. What better ever proof of a miracle, of the value of family support, of the power of faith, of the hand of God, of the unpredictability of life. All in all it's a wonderful piece to read. What's more, you make readers care, because the woman (Jane Williams) and her family, including the convincing and articulate narrator, Dr. Henry, become real people in readers' minds, people they know well enough to worry about, to cheer for. I came to feel, thanks to Dr. Joel Hilaire's sharp and rich writing, that I was one of those people, close to the family, involved in every down-and-up event. To my mind you achieved exactly what you were after with this extensive true-to-life story."--Lou Fisher, from Long Ridge Writers Group

Before the integration of expert systems in biomedical science, complex problems required human expertise to solve them through conventional procedural methods. Advancements in expert systems allow for knowledge to be extracted when no human expertise is available and increases productivity through quick diagnosis. Expert System Techniques in Biomedical Science Practice is an essential scholarly resource that contains innovative research on the methods by which an expert system is designed to solve complex problems through the automation of decision making through the use of if-then-else rules rather than conventional procedural methods. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as image processing, bio-signals, and cognitive AI, this book is a vital reference source for computer engineers, information technologists, biomedical engineers, data-processing specialists, medical professionals, and industrialists within the fields of biomedical engineering, pervasive computing, and natural language processing.

An invaluable resource for anyone touched by spinal cord injury-newly injured patients, longtime survivors, friends and loved ones, and medical professionals-"A Complete Plain English Guide to Living with an Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury" offers a survivor's perspective on the physical and emotional journey from the time of injury, through the entire recovery process, and on to living a full and happy life. This thorough, down-to-earth manual delivers solid, factual information and real-world advice from someone who has been there. Carolyn Boyles, a long-term spinal cord injury survivor, translates medical jargon into plain English, and helps you understand everything you need to know about living and thriving with an injured spinal cord. Boyles' handbook covers surgeries and complications, treatment and rehabilitation, working with medical professionals, dealing with family and friends, understanding your unique injury, prognosis and life expectancy, maintaining hope and faith, working through emotional baggage (including the many forms of survivor guilt), what to expect physically, and how to rebuild a quality life. She candidly answers all the questions nobody wants to ask, and she even includes statistics, ideas for additional reading and movies, resources, and more. But most importantly, she shows you that a spinal cord injury is not a life-ending event, but rather a new beginning.

This issue of Cardiology Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Marie-Annick Clavel and Philippe Pibarot, focuses on Aortic Valve Disease. Articles in this issue include, but are not limited to: Pathophysiology of Aortic Stenosis and future perspectives for medical therapy, Assessment of Aortic Stenosis Severity, Assessment of Cardiac Damage in Aortic stenosis, Aortic Stenosis with Other Concomitant Valvular Disease (AR, MR, TR), Biomarker in Aortic Stenosis, Aortic stenosis guidelines: evidence gaps and changing concepts, Heart Valve Clinics and Heart Valve Centers, Frailty and Multi-Comorbidities in Aortic Stenosis, Procedures and Outcomes of Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement, Patient selection and Work-up for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Procedures and Outcomes of Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement, Sex differences in the Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Aortic Stenosis, Implications of Aortic stenosis in Pregnancy and Non-Cardiac Surgery.

This issue of Critical Care Clinics, guest edited by Drs. Marie Baldisseri, Mary Reed, and Randy Wax, in collaboration with Consulting Editor John Kellum, is devoted to Intensive Care Unit in Disaster. Topics in this issue include: Intensive care role in disaster management; Preparing the ICU for disaster; Augmenting capacity; Triage; Natural disasters; Biological/pandemic disasters; Chemical disasters; Radiation; Anthropogenic (terrorist/criminal act) disasters; Special populations (i.e., chronically ill, morbidly obese, pregnant); Pediatrics; Austere environments; Hospital as disaster Ground Zero; and Special considerations (i.e., mental health, ethics, public relations).

This book reiterates the need for all stake holders involved in transfusion service delivery in Africa; from patients to the transfusion scientist, requesting clinicians, blood collection staff and distribution staff to work collaboratively to demonstrate judicious, world-class stewardship and use of the precious gifts of human blood as well as help people understand the limitations of blood supply. It is designed to emphasize the evidenced -based best practices in transfusion medicine in the developed world to enable countries in Africa optimise their transfusion service delivery to their patients.