Customer Reviews

The Merck Manual of Medical Information, Second Edition: The World's Most Widely Used Medical Reference - Now In Everyday Language

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent guide to health and wellness written for lay people and quite comprehensive in its coverage. This second edition (first comes from 1997) adds about adds 35 chapters and 400 pages to the first edition, with updates throughout the book (e.g., on various drug therapies). It is very well-organized, primarily as 300 plus chpaters written around body systems (e.g.. digestive disorders) or topical areas (children's health, preventative medicine). The book has many short sub-sections within chapters (typically 5 to 10 pages) that cover specific topics (skin cancer, glaucoma, family planning) that can readily be found in the table of contents. The book is extremely well written with a very detailed index that makes it easy to find information on specific topic. One nice feature of this book is that it is printed to be about the size of a college dictionary (though with larger print than most dictionaries). It also includes an excellent appendix listing other resources for information by topic, with organizations listed out with their mail addresses and web sites.

Compared to other medical references available in the market such as American Medical Assoc, Harvard's, Johns Hopkins, Mayo Clinic or British Medical Assoc medical / family health guides, etc. the Merck's Manual is definitely the best and the most complete & informative. With contributions from around 300 medical experts, no other guide comes close to it in terms of quality, readibility and relevance. However, this 1940-page awesome piece of work can yet be further improved. That's why I'm not giving it a full 5-STAR rating.

One feature that can be added to this Medical Manual are a series of FLOW CHARTS with cross-referencing for the readers to "diagnose" their symptoms, complications etc. Doesn't have to be too many - probably around 100 symptom charts would do. These decision diagrams would be quicker and easier to use than the Index. The ones found in British MA Family Doctor Home Advisor and Harvard's Family Health Guide are very good examples.

Secondly, the editors should use the METRIC SYSTEM for measurement units e.g. temperature in Celsius (with Fahrenheit in brackets), weight in kilograms, metres (or centimetres) for height, etc. so that everybody around the world can enjoy reading those knowledge-packed pages without having to convert and carry a calculator every time.

Thirdly, some COLOUR CODINGS (or thumb index) should be helpful for easier referencing since the book contains over 300 chapters. At least, we don't have to refer to the Appendix or Content Page too often. If colour codings are too expensive, shades of grey, light red (as in the diagrams) etc. should still be acceptable.

Fourthly, the middle coloured-pages section of the book (8-page colour inset) showing the various systems of the body should be placed with the flow charts (as suggested above) so that it can give an EXCELLENT OVERVIEW of the body's anatomy, physiology and related diseases and complications.

Lastly, the Index is not that exhaustive. Not all relevant pages are listed e.g. an important page on "thalassemia" (page 994) has been missed out. And entries for common symptoms like "sneezing" cannot be found. May be a REPRINT with CORRECTIONS is advisable.

P/S. A slightly THICKER PAPER would do justice to this book...

This is a comprehensive book, detailing nearly every type of ailment known to mankind. Those who judge just one small portion of it (who may or may not have medical degrees to support their opinions) do the work an injustice by focusing on the narrow instead of the entire range of the book.

This book is full of detail that the average person can comprehend. At times the book does seem a bit rigid in that certain ailments can only occur in specific parts of the body. Case in point, my wife was diagnosed with a ganglion cyst on her ankle, an uncommon location, but according to the book, such cysts are limited to the wrist.

But this does not detract from the overall usefullness of this book as a standard reference. Of course, no book should be the sole source of medical evaluation and doctors must be consulted as the needs arise.

This reference book is easy to use and understand. When I first leaned of this home edition version of the Merck manual I was hesitant. Over the years many books have been published that are medical in nature, some published by doctors, but the content is watered down or so vague that a layperson doesn't derive much information from it. Some books are actually condescending in attitude, some patronizing. So many books briefly skim symptoms and then caution to call a physician for more information.

My son was diagnosed on the phone by our pediatrician with chicken pox and it was made clear that they did not want to see him for a physical exam. I was given a tiny bit of information by the office staff but was still curious for more information. I spent over an hour surfing the Internet looking for information but found watered down information, repeated many times over on multiple websites, including some written by physicians intended for laypeople to use. I looked at my parenting books written by doctors (one titled "The Portable Pediatrician") and was still lacking any substantial information.

But when I consulted the Merck Manual home edition, (which I had forgotten I bought recently and had not yet used), I was surprised at the level of information given. There are many details that I had not found elsewhere, such as number of days from exposure to outbreak, how long it takes the pox to change from first appearance to crusted over, about how long the infection lasts, and treatment suggestions. Reasons why some children have a mild outbreak vs. a severe outbreak were even provided, something I had not found anywhere else.

The information here is not dumbed down in that it is not so vague that it is not useful. There is a lot of information here but it is written in a style for the layperson to understand. I appreciated the writing style, which presents information to the non-physician without putting on airs.

Anyone who, like me, prefers to gather information and learn about things rather than making a call or office visit to their doctor to get just one opinion will appreciate owning this book. At about 1500 pages it covers many illnesses and ailments. If you are interested in this book I suggest you buy it so that you have it at your fingertips 24 hours a day, for whatever may arise. I am not suggesting this take the place of a doctor, but I know from working with physicians that there are certain calls that are non-emergent in nature that are not appreciated when the office is closed!

Note: I write this review in 6/2002 and don't know why the review never appeared here. I am resubmitting it over three years later. I have been using this book regularly since I wrote this review for many ailments and it has never disappointed me. I am still very happy with it.

This book belongs in everyone's home library. It is readable but not simplistic and doesnt dumb down the information presented. If there is one medical home reference book your going to buy, make it this one. It is basically the "Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy" with some of the medical and scientific verbiage removed and slightly refocused toward the patient rather than the medical professional. Buy it. Highly recommended.

If you are not a doctor, this book is probably the one and only medical book you will ever need, and if you *are* a doctor, you probably read a lot of other books, but this is a must.

Sometimes you are surprised how you miss a book that's been around for a century! wish I had access to this book earlier.
This book has been used by medical practitioners for a century. now it is been presented in a very readable form for the non medical community, without diluting it a bit.

It has all the questions and answers that pop up all the time about our own body.

What is a cold?, what is a fever?, what can be wrong with my stomach?, what could go wrong with my stomach?, how is exercise beneficial?, How does the heart work?, what could go wrong?, how do I care for it?,what is a diet?, what are the essential stuff the body needs, what can go wrong with my ears, nose, throat?, what is dying?. Just amazing. These few are like a few grains on the sands of a mighty ocean.

The beauty of this manual is that, it doesn't give some random answers to random questions, nor is it some feel-good mumbo jumbo. The entire manual is very logically structured. It begins with the description of the human body, cells, their structure, and begins the study using the major organ systems as the guiding map. Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Nervous, Skin,Musculoskeletal, Blood. Each of these systems are taken one at a time, explaned in depth, the functioning, the disorders, the symptoms and the therapies.

There is no topic not covered.

For example, many of us I bet have had this feeling, that in certain cases, when we take a drug given by the physician, we are not sure if the cure is due solely to the drug or is it just imaginary. would it have been cured even without taking the drug. I was surprised to know from the Merck, that this is a very well researched area and the effect is called the Placebo effect. so doctors know about it too ;)

Lots of useful references too, such as the generic vs trade names of drugs. etc.

The size of this manual surely indicates that what we have got in the form of our human body is indeed a complex system. and wow! we have a fantastic user manual in Merck! Thank you Merck and the numerous medical professionals who have contributed to it.

The entire book is available for free, online at Merck's website and fully searchable. However, the paper version is a very handy reference. They come in economical pocket size with b & w images, and a slightly bigger version with color illustrations and better paper.

Fantastic book for in depth but easy to understand reference book. It give you information in plain English, it's almost like a novel but very educational. For an example: It might say "take acetaminophen (Tylenol)" It gives you the meaning to words that are uncommon to everyday usage. Another great aspect is the the book uses a lot of examples after the explanation so that you can fully understand and apply that information if not understood. I have a learning disability (LD and ADD) and I find it very easy to read and understand with out mind boggling confusion.

This manual is a must for any house. It covers every medical problem out there. It'll inform you and help you. Not recommended for hyperchondriacs...just kidding.

An absolute treasure trove of information. Some complain that it's not detailed enough but its purpose isn't to provide a definitive treatise on each and every body part and disease. The writing is very readable and I like that the entire book is cross referenced with itself so you can follow up each entry. The drawings are a bit lean but, again, this is not meant as a visual dictionary. From the standpoint of a home medical manual the entries are thorough and give an excellent overview of the topic. The index is very detailed and there are several appendices included that provide additional information on a host of topics. This is a great reference to have around the house.

This is an excellent value for the money. Where else can you get 1900 pages of health info for about $25? I work with doctors on a regular basis and find the information in this book essential to both presenting a patient with an ailment to a doctor with my opinion regarding a diagnosis, and in understanding the official diagnosis the doctor presents. The drug interaction information is also good to know, and may save your life. Any time you are prescribed a medication you should read this section and identify any potential risks or interactions your doctor may have overlooked. I work with doctors daily, and these things do happen.

The best part of this book is its organization, which is understandably important when you have this much information to organize. For example, there are specific sections of the book that discuss cancers, digestive disorders, family planning, etc. The entire book is divided into several hundred chapters, and the book includes a detailed appendix for additional resources. However, be advised that internet references in the appendix may be outdated, as this type of information changes so quickly, a book cannot hope to keep up. As an added benefit, when this book goes out of date, you will find it makes an excellent door stop.