Holland and Stewart have updated their book on screening from 1990. The new edition gives the inexperienced reader a thorough introduction to the specialty of medical screening, with numerous valuable references for further reading. The authors want to cover the entire subject of screening and that is probably the weakness of the book. We never really get an in-depth knowledge or a discussion of the specific screening programmes. Therefore, the impression after having read the book is a quick superficial introduction to a complex topic full of dilemmas.

The message to the reader is that screening does harm and some screening programmes also have benefits. Therefore, throughout the …