The purpose of the book is to bring together current knowledge about injury in childhood. While there are many books, and a large literature, which address the epidemiology of childhood injury, and textbooks to which doctors can refer when in need of guidance about management of injuries, we believe there has not yet been a book which brings together the science of injury responses and injury management in relation to children.

We have asked our contributors to review experimental and empirical data which influence the rational management of injury in childhood. Because management of injury in its widest sense has to relate to the organisation of pre-hospital services and emergency rooms, and because the needs of children are different to those of adults, we have also included material on organisational issues, and on the management of families when a child cannot be saved. We all start, unashamedly, from the assumption that knowledge acquired in adults cannot readily be extrapolated to the young.

There is no doubt that in recent years there has been a huge advance in our knowledge of injuries in childhood, although publication of this work is scattered across a wide variety of journals and clinical disciplines as can be seen from the reference lists in all the chapters. Other trends have been in evidence as well. Advanced life support courses have become established, both for trauma and specifically for paediatrics.