Nausea is an extraordinarily common and under appreciated symptom that afflicts patients and non-patients alike. In a North American population, approximately 15% of subjects surveyed had moderate to severe nausea in the past month. Thankfully, the nausea most of us experience is brief and self limited. Almost all of the medical and surgical subspecialties however have patients who are intermittently and chronically nauseated. Unfortunately, little progress has been made in the study of nausea from a pathophysiological and treatment viewpoint.

The authors of the book seek to change this situation and have produced a most interesting and readable book about nausea and vomiting for students, primary care physicians, and researchers interested in these unique human symptoms. Gastroenterologists with a clinical or research interest …