The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy / Edition 20

by Robert E. Porter

Overview

Back by popular demand! The world's most widely used medical reference is now in its 20th edition. The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy now in its 20th edition has been thoroughly updated and thoughtfully expanded with a new larger trim size to include 40% new and revised content. Including 36 new chapters with more than 200 new tables, and numerous new figures.

Packed with essential information on diagnosing and treating medical disorders, this comprehensive guide was written by a team of medical experts. This book is intended for everyday use by health care professionals for delivery of the best care to their patients.

This new edition offers:

• Revised and expanded Cardiovascular, Genitourinary, Gynecologic, Neurologic, Pregnancy, Infants and Children, and Pediatrics and Trauma chapters
• Key Points summarize the facts at-a-glance
• Pearls and Pitfalls highlight noteworthy medical info and areas of caution
• 16-page full-color insert aids visual recognition of skin, eye, and oral disorders

The new Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy 20th edition is a must-have for medical students, residents, practicing physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780911910421
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/17/2018
Pages:	3500
Sales rank:	47,807
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 3.00(d)

About the Author

Robert S. Porter, MD
Dr Porter earned his MD from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, PA and completed an Emergency Medicine residency at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland, OH. Dr Porter is board certified in Emergency Medicine and is a Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians. Since 1983, he has held a variety of clinical and teaching appointments in the Philadelphia area, most recently at Albert Einstein Medical Center and Thomas Jefferson University. He currently works for Merck, where he is editor-in-chief of The Merck Manuals.

Table of Contents

Guide for Readers

Abbreviations

Editors and Editorial Board

Consultants

Contributors

NUT 1 Nutritional Disorders

GI 2 Gastrointestinal Disorders

HEP 3 Hepatic and Biliary Disorders

MUS 4 Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders

PUL 5 Pulmonary Disorders

CRC 6 Critical Care Medicine

CVS 7 Cardiovascular Disorders

ENT 8 Ear, Nose, and Throat, and Disorders

DEN 9 Dental Disorders

EYE 10 Eye Disorders

SKN 11 Dermatologic Disorders

HEM 12 Hematology and Oncology

END 13 Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders

IMM 14 Immunology; Allergic Disorders

INF 15 Infectious Diseases

PSY 16 Psychiatric Disorders

NEU 17 Neurologic Disorders

GU 18 Genitourinary Disorders

GYN 19 Gynecology and Obstetrics

PED 20 Pediatrics

GER 21 Geriatrics

RX 22 Clinical Pharmacology

INJ 23 Injuries; Poisoning

SPS 24 Special Subjects

APP Appendixes

Ready Reference Guides

Normal Laboratory Values

Trade Names of Some Commonly Used Drugs

IND Index

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Vincent F Carr, DO, MSA, FACC, FACP (Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences)
Description: This is the 20th edition of the Merck Manual, which has been published continually since 1899, first as Merck's Manual of the Materia Medica. As the preface outlines, the first edition was "meant to be an aid to physicians and pharmacists, reminding doctors that "Memory is treacherous." This edition is a continuation, and the 19th edition was published in 2011."
Purpose: The purpose in 1899, as now, is to provide a starting place, a first stop on the road to understanding medicine for readers encountering a medical topic for the first time or for the first time in a long time. The preface goes on to state the manual is available on smartphone apps allowing access to the entire contents of the print version along with multimedia and interactive features.
Audience: This is a book for everyone, consumers and professionals, particularly the website. The website gives a choice of the consumer version or the professional version and both are accessible in many languages and through smartphone apps.
Features: The book is divided into the traditional organ systems in addition to subjects such as nutrition, geriatrics, injuries, poisoning, and special subjects. Each section is then divided into chapters such as gastroenteritis and further into topics like traveler's diarrhea, approach to the patient with liver disease, and portal hypertension. Each of the topics contains an introduction, pathophysiology, symptoms and signs, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and key points. There are numerous easy to interpret tables and figures, along with a section on abbreviations, Appendixes provide conversions from metric to conventional U.S. measurements, normal laboratory values, a list of generic and trade names of pharmaceuticals, and some selected full-color photographs of eye and skin disorders. There are no references, but the preface states that the manual has begun to provide select references ti articles in the primary medical literature that provide background to and expansion of the content. The Merck Company also publishes the full contents for free through their websites (merckmanuals.com and msdmanual.com) accessible in 10 languages for consumers and professionals and in five languages in smartphone apps.
Assessment: This is a unique and extraordinary book and website combination that has a long and rare history. The Merck Company deserves accolades for maintaining this endeavor. I admit perusing this book decades ago when beginning my medical career and I am pleasantly surprised to see that it is still being published and is still providing an extraordinary service to consumers and professionals.

Doody's Review Service