The past few years have seen a plethora of books on multiple sclerosis. Many of these books simply decorate my bookshelf and are rarely consulted by any member of the team.

Some cynics have correlated a high number of recent publications with pharmaceutical investment in new drugs; there is no doubt that many of these books are purchased by the pharmaceutical companies and are often used as marketing tools.

Each new volume, therefore, needs to justify its existence in some way. In most cases the battle is between McAlpine'sMultiple Sclerosis and each newcomer. Most young pretenders are unable to match McAlpine in most areas. This is certainly true for the present …