Customer Reviews

Medical Toxicology

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The original Medical Toxicology by Matthew Ellenhorn was a fabulous resource for the clinical/medical toxicologist. That it is still widely used despite being published in 1988 is a testament to it's impact and utility. This third edition of Medical Toxicology goes back to those first edition roots: a plethora of useful topics written in a clear, consice manner.

The book provides excellent detail needed for the understanding of a wide range of toxicologic problems. Treatment recommendations are as evidence-based as possible given the field of study.

The third section of the book focuses on one of the key elements of being a toxicologist: detective! The section is titled, "Diagnosis of the Poisoned Patient: The Toxicolgist as Sleuth". Rarely do patients present with a (accurate) diagnosis. It's the job of the clinician to take all the available information, work through the possibilities, and identify the most likely agents that could be causing the observed effects.

This is an outstanding resource and should be considered for critical care and emergency clinicians as well as poison center staff (especially those still in training in these areas). Given the popularity of TV and movie scripts that include toxicologic information (e.g., CSI, ER, etc.) those writers would do well to review this text.