Strangely, this word has also come to mean two opposite things: to conduct a superificial examination or to conduct an in-depth examination. I quote from www.m-w.com:
Main Entry: pe·ruse
Pronunciation: p&-'rüz
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): pe·rused; pe·rus·ing
Etymology: Middle English, to use up, deal with in sequence, from Latin per- thoroughly + Middle English usen to use
Date: 1532
1 a : to examine or consider with attention and in detail : STUDY
b : to look over or through in a casual or cursory manner
2 : READ; especially : to read over in an attentive or leisurely manner
Note definition 1b. I even wrote a haiku on September 12, 1998 to commemorate this dual meaning:
Peruse This Haiku
To peruse something
Can mean to inspect briefly
Or to scrutinize.