One morning in 1969, out of the blue, I received a letter which both distressed and astonished me. It was from a Prof. S. R. Das in Calcutta, who requested me to accept, for eventual analysis, a mountain of anthropometric data he had accumulated, as he was ill and did not expect to survive to analyse it himself. The data provided the astonishment; twenty-two anthropometric characters recorded every six months or a year, over a period of 14 years, in a mixed longitudinal study of some 560 children, aged six months to twenty years. Most were in families with siblings also in the study, and...

Is knowledge an economic good? Cumulation of knowledge is a key determinant of economic growth, but only recently has knowledge moved to the core of economic analysis. This volume adopts an interdisciplinary approach to focus attention on knowledge as a key economic issue.

Technology seems to be an integral part of modern living. Urologists have over the years embraced new technological advances for patient beneft. On some occasions, however, the initial enthusiasm in something new has failed to endure rigorous scientifc scrutiny. Thus, while being technological leaders, we urologists know better than most other surgical speci- ties that what is new is not necessarily good. This textbook is aimed at urologists and surgeons at all levels and has contributions from international experts. The topics vary from robotics to lasers to single port laparoscopy. The...