Across the broad spectrum that is the district health system in South Africa today, a wide range of knowledge and expertise is required to perform effectively and professionally. South African family practice manual focuses on practical skills that family physicians should obtain during their training which are required in primary care and general practice as well as at district or rural hospitals. South African family practice manual is a collaborative enterprise involving family physicians and educators. It draws on their wealth of practical experience to cover the full spectrum of family practice from the newborn to the elderly, including skills in both routine and emergency care. It deals extensively with aspects of clinical examination and common procedures, as well as key skills in the areas of communication, clinical training and teaching, management, research and community-oriented primary care. In this third edition, an entirely new section on anaesthetic skills for the district hospital has been added and there are new chapters on phototherapy, assessment of a drunk driver and facilitating meetings to review morbidity and mortality. South African family practice manual is aimed at medical officers, general practitioners, interns, medical students and associate clinicians. It is also an essential resource for all registrars in family medicine training programmes and will be particularly useful for those preparing for the national Fellowship examination.