edited by Jacqueline L. Longe
Reference Collection RC41 .G35 2006
This third edition of Gale’s popular multivolume medical encyclopedia, once again edited by Longe (The Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer), covers more than 1750 disorders, medications, tests, and treatments. As in the previous editions, articles incorporate a definition and related key terms and detail causes and symptoms of the disorder, how diagnoses are made, possible treatments (including alternative treatment methods), and the general prognosis. Articles addressing medical tests discuss preparations, aftercare, risks, and normal/abnormal results. Most of the articles are a minimum of two to three pages long and contain a very brief list of additional resources; some are enhanced with high-quality color photos and diagrams. Although each article is signed and reviewed by a medical advisory board for accuracy, currency, and appropriateness, only ten percent of the 192 contributors are MDs. More than 80 new articles have been added to this edition, addressing such topics as anabolic steroid use, club drugs, SARS, and umbilical-cord blood banking. Unfortunately, updates to many of the earlier articles are minimal, making this edition less useful to those already owning the previous editions. Bottom Line: While The Merck Manual of Medical Information: Second Home Edition (2004) covers several of the same disorders and topics, its thematic format makes ready reference more difficult than does Gale’s alphabetical arrangement. With entries that are well written in lay language and generally unbiased, this easy-to-use resource is recommended for public or college libraries, particularly those without print or electronic access to the second edition.-Tina Neville, Univ. of South Florida Lib., St. Petersburg Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
