Customer Reviews

A Clinician's Guide to Tuberculosis

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Those of us in the field of TB know Mike Iseman as one of the giants and this textbook provides an invaluable guide for the treatment of this spreading disease. He deftly mixes historical perspective with clinical wisdom to achieve that rare combination of an edifying text that is actually pleasant to read. I can honestly say that I found myself reading this book not just as a reference, but as a work of literature--a rare complement, indeed, in the world of medical writing. The writing is superb, the research is cutting edge, and the book is a must have for anyone who deals with TB.

Admittedly most medical texts are not "page-turners". This is an exception. Using beautiful prose, Iseman has compiled an excellent piece on this disease of antiquity. It is a joy to read and should be in the library of every physician who concerns him or herself with tuberculosis.

Videophiles may recall a classic TV advertisement (for Prego spaghetti sauce) that featured the tag line, "It's in there!" From the basic tomato paste to the more exotic herbs and spices, the ad line went, if it contributes to a fine spaghetti sauce, "It's in there!" Reading Dr. Iseman's fine new book gives me the same feeling of a complete and satisfying product. A compendium in the very best sense of the word, the text details the history, diagnosis, epidemiology, and treatment of tuberculosis in 14 elegantly-written, easily-digested chapters. My guess is that the secret ingredient in this impressive work is Dr. Iseman's obvious respect both for the disease and for those historical figures who struggled, sometimes heroically, to understand and to overcome it. And, as for Excellence...it's in there.

As a non-medical 2nd year uni student I found the book thorough and informative, more than sufficient as a source for assignment information. However I found myself reaching for a dictionary more often than necessary, to make it through words like 'involuted' and so forth. And the pathogenesis section was a little disjointed, it appeared to have conflicting information over the course of pages 66 to 69. Otherwise a very vigorous treatise of TB.