Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 1988.

Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 1988

Edited by Schroeder SA, Krupp MA, Tierney LM Jr. East Norwalk, CT 06855, Appleton & Lange, 1988, paper, 1,160 pp, $32.50

This volume is the 27th annual revision of a general medical text designed to function as a complete, single, and useful source of information about adult medicine. To this end, the book serves its purpose well. Throughout the text the most practical features of patient management are emphasized. The work is the combined effort of over 40 authors, each a specialist in his or her field. This multi-author format adds both variety and diversity to the text proper, and it enables the reader to reap the accumulated experience of a wide sampling of practitioners.

The book is conveniently and logically developed, principally by organ system. Thirty-three distinct chapters make up the work. The first chapter covers general medical care, including symptoms, disease prevention, and pain management. The second chapter outlines geriatric medicine and the elderly patient; however, this chapter is far too brief. Fluid and electrolyte disorders are discussed in the third chapter; here a well-designed presentation simplifies an otherwise difficult topic. Chapters 4 through 19 describe diseases and disorders and their treatment by organ system. These chapters, which make up about two thirds of the book, are well organized, concise, and well written. In this large collection, the chapters on cardiovascular and nervous system diseases are particularly noteworthy. On the other hand, the chapter on musculoskeletal disorders and arthritis is far too terse and rather a disappointment.

The remaining chapters address nutrition, infectious diseases (with separate chapters for viral, bacterial, protozoal, parasitic, and mycotic diseases), disorders caused by physical agents, poisoning, and immunologic disorders. The information on AIDS is updated for this edition. I welcome the addition of the chapters on medical genetics and chemotherapeutic and antibiotic agents. A chapter on malignant disorders covers the paraneoplastic syndromes, emergency problems and complications of cancer, and chemotherapy.

The textual material proper is not referenced, but two to five reference entries follow each disease or topic. Longer, more inclusive bibliographies follow each chapter. The latter, however, are far from exhaustive. Figures and tables are used sparingly, but the tables in particular are detailed and informative. The appendix, one of the highlights of the book, incorporates common clinical and normal laboratory values into a well-organized format that is supplemented by beneficial tabular data. The appendix also includes a discussion of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other emergency treatments, nomograms for body surface area determination, and conversion tables. Even though the text is multi-authored and scientific in nature and scope, the writing style is consistent, clear, and even lustrous. in a work of this breadth, depth occasionally must be sacrificed for inclusiveness; however, the text contains a wealth of useful information.

It is rare to find such a comprehensive reference text in such a readable format and at such an affordable price. Although this book primarily is intended as a guide and reference for physicians (as a source of information for the immediate management of patients), it would be useful to physical therapy practitioners who wish to enhance their understanding of diagnostic principles and therapeutic procedures. For detailed information on specific disease entities, however, more specialized texts should be consulted.

Stephen A Gudas, PhD