In 1963, the Western Australian Public Health Department decided it was time to introduce a geriatric service to Western Australia. The Evolution of Geriatric Medicine is a fascinating chronicle of the early days of this service, from its small beginning in one of the state's two so-called 'benevolent homes'these, the relics of the asylum era when custodial care was the accepted solution to the health and social problems of old age. The author's sensitively written account describes how rehabilitation, provision of home care, and attention to people needing residential care became the basic principles of a geriatric service in Western Australia. Assessment of social and medical needs of elderly people was deemed paramount in deciding the most appropriate kind and level of care. People in country centers at last had a choice of remaining at home, rather than being transferred to Perth. Hostels, including ones catering for people with mild dementia, were another aspect of aged care that