Customer Reviews

Acute Care of the Abdomen

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, let me say I went to medical school with "Mitch" Spirt at Mount Sinai. Mitch was a good man with good social skills--and, now, I see he's succeeded in the clinical teaching realm, too. I'm sad to see such a prominent surgeon as Dr. DeMeester rate this book so poorly without clarifying more. Having both attending the same medical school, we were often presented with a plethora of textbooks--none of which were EVER "recommended highly" by our professors.

A medical student will NOT--and should NOT read, in its entirety such books as Cecil's or Harrison's textbook of Medicine; nor, should they read Schwartz', Cameron's, or Sabiston's textbook of surgery because, simply, if you're on the wards, learning CLINICAL medicine, doing your H & P's, examining patients, and standing as the first-assistant in the operating room, THERE ISN'T TIME TO READ SUCH MASSIVE REFERENCE TEXTS.

If you HAVE time, you aren't seeing patients (Remember Osler's quote? "To study medicine without textbooks is to sail an uncharted sea; to study medicine without patients is to NOT go to sea at ALL!"
This is where Mitch's book comes in. This is a SOLID, quick reference material for any 3rd or 4th year medical student (it's small and you can fit it in your backpack), you can read it during your rotation, it has the PERTINENT clinical information, and even an intern or 2nd year medical or surgical resident would benefit.

It is written for Dr. DeMeester? Absolutely NOT. Is it written for attending surgeons with 15 years of experience? NO! But it wasn't written for that purpose.

I think this book should sit along side:

a. Wheater's Functional Histology (and Pathology)
b. Lang's Textbook of Medicine (formerly, "The John's Hopkins Textbook of Medicine")
c. Stein's Textbook of Medicine (for 3rd and 4th year medical students
d. "Baby" Sabiston's introduction to surgery.

If you're already in the field, this isn't your book. If your GOING into surgery or gastroenterology, this is a GREAT place to start.

An updated edition, written in conjunction with a general surgeon, would be most welcome in the field of medical student education.

It's a privilege to know Mitch, and, now, as an attending General Surgeon (for almost 13 years, and board-certified, and re-certified), this book is a strong 9.5/10.

A must for all general surgeons in clinical practice.

This textbook focuses on GI disorders in critically ill patients. It is a superbly-written text, and is destined to become a standard reference in the field. A real gem.

Poorly written book obviously written by a non-surgeon. As a practicing general surgeon for the past 30 years this book has little to offer anyone interested in anything but the most rudimentary aspects of abdominal disorders. Don't waste your money!!