Customer Reviews

Differential Diagnosis Mnemonics, 1e

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3 star:		(2)
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The good thing about this book is that it is not 3A and 7T's kind of mnemonic book.
The mnemonics chosen relate to the topic eg: neuropathy has "LIMP" hence they are easy to remember and recall.
Lastly, this is not just lists but an explanation and some places an approach follows as well.
Don't forget to read the Introduction !!!

Good: The book has great summaries of common diseases and symptoms, with helpful associated sets of "notes" that offer explanations and clinical advice (such as which tests to order to narrow the differential.) If I could find a copy for less than $20, I would consider buying the book just for this feature; however...

Bad: the mnemonics are not that helpful in actually remembering the differentials. The mnemonics are typically words or phrases that are related to the symptom, with each letter in the mnemonic representing an etiology; the mnemonics are memorable in themselves, but it's much more difficult to remember what the individual letters are supposed to stand for. Does the "I" in the mnemonic "Is PTH OK?" (for hypocalcemia) stand for "Insulinoma," "Iatrogenic," "Intrinsic renal disease", "Intestinal disease," or "Infectious hepatitis?" Many mnemonics also cheat by using the first letter of an adjective rather than the associated noun, which makes things even more difficult, e.g. "Intrarenal emboli" instead of just "Emboli" (if you're trying to remember causes of intrarenal failure, it's no help to put "intrarenal" on the front of everything.)

If you learnt the twelve cranial nerves easily via the "Oh, Oh, Oh,....." method, you might find this book more useful than I did. I am more of a "visual learner," I think, and the mnemonics just did not work for me.

In their finest collaboration to date, Donnelly and Giza take the reader on a whirlwind tour de force that instantly grabs and never lets go until the final page has been devoured, most likely in a single sitting. Relying on Donnelly's trademark wit and Giza's good old fashioned medical know-how, the tome functions well as a useful tool for young physicians, who might otherwise get bogged down in confusing science and medical jargon. Moments after opening the conver, this reviewer was more than able to correctly and, more importantly, quickly diagnose his ferret's liver failure with jaundice. Medical school can take a long time and is frequently hard, with lots of reading. Differential Diagnosis Mnemonics made the whole thing seem worthwhile, even if the title itself is kind of hard to read.

Not only is this an invaluable medical reference, but is so witty and artfully written, that it is easily retained by the reader for application. It speaks of a passion of the art of medicine through its useful clinical pearls and insightful observations with such perfunctional clarity that it reinforces the precision it advocates. Such functional aesthetics is so rarely appreciated and well conveyed in the written form.