This work includes Foreword by Phillip J S Steer, Professor of Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London. It includes Introduction by Gwyneth Lewis, National Clinical Lead for Maternal Health and Maternity Services, Department of Health, England and Director of the UK Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths. 'The reductions in maternal mortality over the last half century are an eloquent testimony to the value of the technical expertise in life support that anaesthetists bring to the management of labour complications. Many direct causes of maternal death have been substantially reduced as a result of anaesthetic innovations ranging from advances in regional anaesthesia to the panoply of techniques used in intensive care. This book is essential reading.' - Phillip J Steer, in his Foreword. Offering a unique insight into real cases, this book covers the physiology, pharmacology and organisational factors involved in previous maternal deaths, highlighting key lessons to be learnt. This practical guide provides an ideal introduction for new anaesthetists and up-to-date information for senior practitioners, particularly those who cover labour wards. It is also invaluable for anaesthetic nurses, obstetricians and midwives. 'For more than 50 years the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK have collected together invaluable information about why mothers die in pregnancy and childbirth. For the first time ever, this unique book collects together all the valuable lessons into one volume. Experts in their fields provide a physiological, pharmacological, and evidence based commentary on the events of each death. The overall result pays homage to the value of collecting together lessons from the past, and we hope will help people avoid repetition of these situations in the future.' - Daryl Dob, Anita Holdcroft and Griselda Cooper, in the Preface.

Obstetric anaesthesia is a specialized practice and covers the entire range of pain relief throughout normal labor as well as general anaesthesia for special procedures such as caesarian section. While there is a specialist group based at main teaching centers who practice obsteric anaesthesia exclusively, the majority of anaesthetists are based at smaller hospitals where there is no such specialist. Consequently, it is essential that all anaesthetists are familiar with the anaesthetic requirements of normal labor, and of all but the most extreme cases of abnormal labor. While this book is written for the specialist in obstetric anaesthesia, it is also ideal for trainee anaesthetists. It provides enough information for the final FRCA examination, but also contains sufficient detail on the various clinical problems that may present at any stage in their future career. The underlying principle is that the anaesthetist must understand the physiology of labor in normal and abnormal situations as well as the interventions of his obstetric colleagues in order to practice safely and effectively. The book will replace J. Selwyn Crawford's text, which presented a personal view, backed by his extensive research experience of obstetric anaesthesia.

Originally published in 2005, Core Topics in Pain provides a comprehensive, easy-to-read introduction to this multi-faceted topic. It covers a wide range of issues from the underlying neurobiology, through pain assessment in animals and humans, diagnostic strategies, clinical presentations, pain syndromes, to the many treatment options, for example, physical therapies, drug therapies, psychosocial care and the evidence base for each of these. Written and edited by experts of international renown, the many concise but comprehensive chapters provide the reader with a guide to all aspects of pain. It is an essential book for anaesthetic trainees and is also an invaluable first reference for surgical and nursing staff, ICU professionals, operating department practitioners, physiotherapists, psychologists, healthcare managers and researchers with a need for an overview of the key aspects of the topic.

The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) has exerted a profound influence not only on twentieth century linguistics but on a whole range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. His central thesis was that the primary object in studying a language is the state of that language at a particular time--a so-called synchronic study. He went on to claim that a language state is a socially constituted system of signs that are quite arbitrary and that can only be defined in terms of their relationship within the system. This new perspective has changed the way people think about linguistics and has led to important attempts to apply structuralist ideas in anthropology, literary criticism, and philosophy. Professor Holdcroft's book expounds and elaborates Saussure's central ideas. It also offers a critical assessment of them, arguing that many of Saussure's claims are either questionable or have been misunderstood. The book will be read with profit by nonspecialists and could be used as a textbook by students of linguistics, philosophy of language, literary criticism and anthropology.

The Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (1857-1913) has exerted a profound influence not only on twentieth century linguistics but on a whole range of disciplines within the humanities and social sciences. His central thesis was that the primary object in studying a language is the state of that language at a particular time--a so-called synchronic study. He went on to claim that a language state is a socially constituted system of signs that are quite arbitrary and that can only be defined in terms of their relationship within the system. This new perspective has changed the way people think about linguistics and has led to important attempts to apply structuralist ideas in anthropology, literary criticism, and philosophy. Professor Holdcroft's book expounds and elaborates Saussure's central ideas. It also offers a critical assessment of them, arguing that many of Saussure's claims are either questionable or have been misunderstood. The book will be read with profit by nonspecialists and could be used as a textbook by students of linguistics, philosophy of language, literary criticism and anthropology.

The author presents a unique scheme for selecting processes at the drawing board stage where a need for a connection is usually first perceived. Leading the enquirer through a series of diagrams and tables, he reveals the processes which are feasible for a particular joint. The book includes descriptions of 28 joining processes in which the principal method of use, advantages and limitations, application and factors affecting costs are explained. The book is well illustrated and contains much useful advice invaluable to practicing engineers and designers having no previous knowledge of joining.

The true story of a volunteer firefighter who finds himself involved in fighting the largest wildfire in the history of the State of Arizona.