This endeavor was generously guided and supported by Steven Gabbe, MD, whose well-respected text has an accompanying Website. I personally am grateful to Dean Gabbe for his thoughtful advice and support throughout the duration of this project, from it's inception to completion. In addition to Dr. Gabbe, I would like to dedicate this work to my parents, Lucille and Gene Fleischer, who have always supported my creative endeavors, and my family, Lynn, Braden, Jared, and Amy, for humoring me during this process by turning off lights that I tend to leave on during my late night/early morning vigils.
Many individuals helped and were crucial in achieving a final product. Marsha Loeb and Alyssa Fried, editors for McGraw-Hill Publishers, and Vera Merriweather and Areka Young were so helpful, as well as, John Bobbitt, our departmental audio-visual expert. Rajni Pisharody and the Glyph International staff are thanked for their efforts in turning the manuscript and images into a beautiful final product.