4
Preface
It is important to emphasize that the
Companion
Handbook should not and cannot be a replacement
for a textbook of internal medicine. Rather it is an
extension of the Thirteenth Edition of
HPIM. The
Companion Handbook is meant to be used when the
house officer or student requires a brief introduction
to or reminder of some aspect of clinical medicine
but does not have immediate access to or the time
to consult
HPIM. Since the amount of material pre-
sented is too brief to stand on its own, it is recom-
mended that the relevant subjects in a standard
textbook be consulted as soon as time permits.
Thus, we consider the two books,
HPIM and the
Companion Handbook, a single educational pack-
age.
The Editors
