Customer Reviews

Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics e-dition: Text with Continually Updated Online Reference, 18e (Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics (Bherman))

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

No medical text can ever be comprehensive, or completely up to date. The science of medicine advances so quickly that books are outdated the day they are published.

Nonetheless, "Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics" comes as close as possible. Along with another other classic pediatric text, "Rudolph's Pediatrics," Nelson's represents the best of pediatric medicine in America. Every pediatrician has a favorite, but Nelson's is the gold standard.

Nelson's is particularly strong in pediatric cardiology and immunology. For the latest in infectious disease, see the "Red Book" published by the American Academy of Pediatrics. For neonatology, developmental pediatrics, and the surgical sub-specialties, consult specialty books in those fields. For congenital malformations and syndromes, "Smiths's" (by Jones!) is a good place to start. For the latest in oncology, your best bet (after your local trusted oncologist) is to search Medline or the Web, but watch out for quackery.

I don't think I need to explain how great the "Nelson's Textbook of Pediatrics" is, so I focus on the features as software.

This product is based on a java applet and for Windows and Macintosh. For each of the chapter, about 30 review questions are available in a multiple-choice format. The answer is not only with alphabetical one, but also with a concise explanation with a link to the textbook. I find this feature very helpful. I haven't checked "Nelson Review of Pediatrics, 2nd ed., Behrman,R.E.CW.B.Saunders , 2000 263p", but the publisher says that this feature is based on this book.

Update service is available. Every time when you launch the program, you are asked whether it checks the updates. Full access to NelsonPediatrics.com for further information is also available, after you sign up on the web site. After all, the support service is awesome.

However, there are some things you should know as windows users, which is why I put 4 stars. First, you are required to use Netscape or Internet Explorer as your default browser. The browser must be new enough, too. Second, you must insert the CD-ROM every time you use this program, since it doesn't install all the files to your hard disk unlike the previous edition. Third, if you are using localized Windows other than English, you may have to replace some files. The procedure is as follows, quoted from the mail I got immediately from the support center:

>The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) that we distribute with the Nelson
>product is not the internationalized version. It could be that one of
>the following may address the issue (FIRST BACKUP THE JRE DIRECTORY IN
>NELSON'S INSTALL DIRECTORY):
>1. Download and install the international version of the JRE 1.2.2 (the
>one we use for Nelson) from
>http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/jre/download-windows.html. Then
>copy the installed JRE directory and all contents to the Nelson
>directory, naming it JRE.
>
>2. Download and install the international version of the newer JRE 1.3.0
>from http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.3/jre/download-windows.html and do the
>same thing as above.

This textbook is the gold standard of pediatric books. I used mine all through medical school and still use it in my practice. I highly recommend this text to students, residents and physcians. The thought provoking text and excellent illustrations make this a must have book. I couldn't practice without mine.

The 17th edition of the Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics is available now. I have seen it on the publisher's website. This textbook is one of the main physician-level educational sources for pediatrics, and I highly recommend it for the personal libraries of all medical professionals as well as those in training. No matter what your field, there will always be the potential that you will become responsible for caring for a child. However, it is usually best to find the latest edition for any textbook.

This is THE textbook of pediatrics. I own Rudolphs and Oski's as well. This is the book to buy (or read if you have MDconsult). It has the best diagrams, graphs and is the easiest to read. Don't waste your time with the minibooks such as currents or the mini Nelson book, as most of the information in those books is available for free online on websites such as eMedicine etc... One think i must stress however is that we all need to read the classic core texts. So much emphasis is placed on "Evidence Based Medicine" and advanced diagnostic testing and the latest treatments that we often forget the core pathophysiology of the disease. And that is why core texts like this and Harrison's are still relevant today. We still need our building blocks.

The Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics covers just about
every possible subfield in childrens medicin. As
a lot of different authors have contributed, the style
tends to differ a lot between different sections and
chapters.

Some of the chapters, such as the one describing the
immune system, are very technical and only aimed at
the well-versed in microbiology, whereas others, like
the acutely ill child, are very descriptive and make
a compelling read.

NToP is a particularly useful reference work for
those who want to read a good description on a
particular pathology or disorder. It is not written
or intended as a diagnostic aid, but rather as
a starter to bring the reader up to speed in a
particular subject after the diagnosis has been made.

It is also not intended as "the last word" on anything.
For instance, although the pediatric cardiology section is
extensive, you will need rather more to discuss a complicated
case with the pediatric cardiologist at the local university
hospital.

Sadly, some topics are barely touched. Look for sliding
hernia or oesophagitis, for example, and you will be
disappointed.

This book is a useful investment both for medical
practicioners and the loving parents to which it is
dedicated.

When I was on my PA Peds rotation, I often consulted this great reference in the medical library. Now, that I have my own book, I know its value. There is no other Pediatrics book out there that is better than this one. Don't waste your money on less expensive books like Current Pediatrics which doesn't cover half as many topics as Nelson. Also, for a great little pocket books, try Harriet Lane and Current Clinical Strategies Pediatrics 5 Minute Review.

I had hoped to start building an electronic medical library but so far my hopes are dashed. Nelsons electronic is not at all user friendly. I don't know if this is due to the electronic design of the data or the e-reader itself. This e-book is designed as any recreational e-book, to be read from page one to the end, not designed as a reference.

You can't go directly to the index, instead you must first go to the table of contents click that then go to the A of the index then page by page thumb through the index to get to your key word. The index is not bookmarked by letter so you have to spend an evening leafing through the index and creating your own bookmarks for each letter of the alphabet.

You can't search only the index, the e-reader will search the entire book (a lengthly procedure) then you are expected to look at multiple irrelevant citations before you find the one important one. Once you go to a citation via the find function, the chapter or subsection is not listed at the top so you have to page forward or back to see where you are in the book to determine the relevance of that citation.

Looks like we have to wait a bit longer to get an e-library for reference books.

Awesome source of any pediatric literature! Need to have one if you are seeing pediatric patients!

THIS BOOK PAVED THE WAY TO THE HIGHEST SCORE ON MY BOARD CERTIFIED FAAP TEST! I READ IT EVERYDAY!