A potential problem in bringing connective tissue diseases under one heading is what we mean by the term and what to include. The editors have steered a safe route and included almost everything, although one could argue that osteoarthritis (which is not included) belongs as much as rheumatoid arthritis. In fact the latter is given a small chapter that seems rather incongruous in terms of its relative importance, and the management of important systemic manifestations such as Felty syndrome and rheumatoid vasculitis is barely …