It is 40 years since the publication of the first edition of Davidson. Since then, in its 16 editions, it has established an international reputation as a medium-sized textbook of clinical medicine used by clinical students as well as junior doctors, GPs and trainees, and other ancillary markets. The 17th edition contains a new colour page layout aimed at making the book look attractive and to aid in learning and revision. All line illustrations are in colour to better aid understanding, as are all photographs, and new diagrams present information in a novel way, e.g. whole-body diagrams of multi-systems disease. A large percentage of the radiographs are new to the book, covering the range of imaging techniques appropriate to all branches of modern clinical medicine. The internal layout of the book has been revised to make information more accessible to students: information summary boxes break up the text and information summary boxes break up the text and are ideal for quick revision - each chapter has been reviewed by a junior doctor to ensure that it is pitched at the right level for clinical studies. Seven new contributors and two new editors ensure a fresh approach for this edition. Topics covered include: genetic, climatic and environmental factors in disease; disturbances in water, electrolyte and acid-base balance; endocrine and metabolic diseases; psychiatry; and acute poisoning. A new chapter on the principles of geriatric medicine has also been included.