Commentary
CURRENT CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS LARRY E. MILLIKAN, M.D.
The accompanying article on dermatitis herpetiformis initiates what we believe is an important new series of articles on clinical therapeutics. We would expect this series to appear on a quarterly or more frequent basis (see page 538). The series is aimed at an important need in modern dermatology, being an up-to-date documentation of current standards of therapy for dermatologic diseases. This would appear frequently enough to update most major textbooks and to provide a current status of therapy for various diseases. There has long been a need for such a series. Controversy on the treatment of some diseases is intense, with numerous articles on literature espousing different modes of therapy. It is often difficult for the busy practitioner to decide which approach is best and most expeditious for his patient. The need is particularly great in those diseases in which therapeutic advances have been rapid in recent times; it is in these particular diseases that disparate reports are most common in the literature. The treatment for some of these Address for reprints: Larry E. Millikan, M.D., Division of Dermatology, University of Missouri Medical Center, M752, Columbia, MO 65210.
519
From the Division of Dermatology, iJniversity of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
diseases has undergone rapid and significant changes and the differing opinions by many experts may leave the busy practitioner confused as to the best approach to therapy. In these same diseases, the volume of literature published may rapidly exceed the clinician's ability to appropriately interpret and follow. The articles to be published in this feature may provide a balanced and expert opinion on the best and most appropriate therapy, allowing the physician to rely on the experience of an authority. It can save him time in literature review, and allow him to read a distillation of the best in current therapy. This section with the subsequent articles will provide a more up-to-date treatise on current dermatologic treatment than can be available in any single textbook. For even the latest edition of any major textbook is at least 18 months behind on therapy and the literature in general. This series will answer the need of the practitioner for an authoritative interpretation of the best modes of therapy and truly provide a forum for current concepts in treatment.
CURRENT CLINICAL THERAPEUTICS LARRY E. MILLIKAN, M.D.
The accompanying article on dermatitis herpetiformis initiates what we believe is an important new series of articles on clinical therapeutics. We would expect this series to appear on a quarterly or more frequent basis (see page 538). The series is aimed at an important need in modern dermatology, being an up-to-date documentation of current standards of therapy for dermatologic diseases. This would appear frequently enough to update most major textbooks and to provide a current status of therapy for various diseases. There has long been a need for such a series. Controversy on the treatment of some diseases is intense, with numerous articles on literature espousing different modes of therapy. It is often difficult for the busy practitioner to decide which approach is best and most expeditious for his patient. The need is particularly great in those diseases in which therapeutic advances have been rapid in recent times; it is in these particular diseases that disparate reports are most common in the literature. The treatment for some of these Address for reprints: Larry E. Millikan, M.D., Division of Dermatology, University of Missouri Medical Center, M752, Columbia, MO 65210.
519
From the Division of Dermatology, iJniversity of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
diseases has undergone rapid and significant changes and the differing opinions by many experts may leave the busy practitioner confused as to the best approach to therapy. In these same diseases, the volume of literature published may rapidly exceed the clinician's ability to appropriately interpret and follow. The articles to be published in this feature may provide a balanced and expert opinion on the best and most appropriate therapy, allowing the physician to rely on the experience of an authority. It can save him time in literature review, and allow him to read a distillation of the best in current therapy. This section with the subsequent articles will provide a more up-to-date treatise on current dermatologic treatment than can be available in any single textbook. For even the latest edition of any major textbook is at least 18 months behind on therapy and the literature in general. This series will answer the need of the practitioner for an authoritative interpretation of the best modes of therapy and truly provide a forum for current concepts in treatment.
