This is Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Endocrinology: Physiology, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Management, 2nd Edition, published by Elsevier this week.

Dr. Cheri Deal is co-editor of the second half of the book, which deals with pediatric endocrinology.

There are some 120 authors from around the globe, including many Canadians, contributing to 55 chapters and 2 introductory essays.

The scope of the textbook reflects my clinical and research interests in endocrine disorders during pregnancy and fetal development. The first half of the book, The Mother, is divided into three sections. The first section covers the normal adaptations in maternal endocrine physiology that occur during pregnancy and lactation, and how expected normal values for hormones differ during reproductive time periods. The second section deals with endocrine disorders and how they may present differently and require different diagnostic techniques and management during pregnancy and postpartum. The third section deals with the complexity of pregnancy and lactation in transgendered individuals. The second half of the book, The Child, is similarly divided into three sections. The first deals with endocrine physiology during fetal development and the neonatal period. The second deals with endocrine disorders and how they present during fetal or neonatal development and may be managed. The third section addresses new technologies for prenatal diagnosis of endocrine disorders as well as the utility of patient/caregiver support groups.

Dr. Kovacs contributed five chapters, including four that deal with mineral and bone physiology and disorders during pregnancy, lactation, and fetal/neonatal development; several co-authors contributed to those chapters.

The book also features four black-and-white paintings by Dr. Kovacs, which adorn the front and back covers, and are each presented as full page reproductions to separate the major sections in the textbook. This nicely combines together his careers in art and medicine.