To be asked to prepare a second edition of a book is heartening for any author or editor. Apart from the opportunity to make the corrections and amendments which are inevitable in a practical manual there is also the possibility to make additions which enhance its usefulness. Above all a further edition usually means that the book has been found to be accept- able to a large number of readers and has fulfilled a need. This is indeed the case with Offshore Medicine, which in its description of the medical aspects of offshore work has provided a unique guide to the occupational health of a new...