This book on oesophageal atresia and tracheo-oesophageal fistula sets out to describe all aspects of a congenital anomaly which has been described as 'the epitome of modern surgery' and 'the raison d' etre of paediatric surgery'. Although the literature contains references to the survival of one baby with oesophageal atresia (without fistula) who was born in 1935, the major component of the oesophageal atresia story concerns the most frequent anomaly, namely oesophageal atresia with a distal tracheo-oesophageal fistula. The first long-term survivals of babies born with this anomaly were in...