Medicine Textbooks

Diabetes Complete CD Concept Media

2011-07-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

Diabetes: Complete Series (CD)

This comprehensive, seven-part series illustrates the multiple ways diabetes affects individuals as well as interventions that help delay or control its complications. Healthcare professionals will find that the information presented in this series will help them enhance their care and support of these patients and their families. Also available as individual programs.

Concept Media, Diabetes: Complete Series (CD), Concept Media, 1564377318, Medical, Medical / Education & Training, Medical / Nursing / General, Education & Training, Nursing - General

Diabetes Complete CD Concept Media Product Details:
* CD-ROM
* Publisher: Concept Media; 1 edition (January 1, 2004)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1564377318
* ISBN-13: 978-1564377319
* Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches

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Emergency Imaging Acutely Injured Child

2011-06-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

Emergency Imaging of the Acutely Ill or Injured Child

Written by one of the most eminent pediatric radiologists, this popular textbook is a practical, concise, and easy-to-read guide to the radiologic workup of acute illnesses and injuries in children. The book is conveniently organized by anatomic site and covers all acute conditions encountered in the emergency room, outpatient clinic, and office. Close attention is also given to normal findings and anatomic variants that can mimic pathology.More than 2,100 MR, CT, ultrasound, and plain film images--350 new to this edition--complement the text. This edition features expanded coverage of abdominal ultrasound, pulmonary infections, skeletal fractures, and cervical spine injuries.

Emergency Imaging Acutely Injured Child Product Features:
* Hardcover: 610 pages
* Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Fourth edition (June 15, 2000)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 068330710X
* ISBN-13: 978-0683307108
* Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches

Most Helpful Emergency Imaging Acutely Injured Child Customer Reviews:

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars - a must read for anyone rotating through pediatric radiology, March 21, 1999 By A Customer
This is simply a must read for anyone starting out in pediatric radiology. I'm a resident at Mallinckrodt Inst of Radiology and found this a readable and very well written primer on pediatric emergency radiology. A must read before night float... Read more

National Nursing License Study Guide

2011-06-26T09:21:00.000-07:00

The National Nursing Home License Exam Study Guide: A Comprehensive Preparation Guide for Administrators and Directors of Nursing

Written by two long term care administrators Melissa Tracey and Kenneth Bowman, The National Nursing Home License Exam Study Guide: A Comprehensive Preparation Guide for Administrators and Directors of Nursing is the only resource that is up to date, easy to use, and addresses the rapid changes happening in long term care so that directors of nursing and administrators can prepare for the future. The National Nursing Home License Exam Study Guide is the ultimate resource for administrators and directors to use before, during and after the test. With it, you'll be able to quickly reference the following: Six management subject areas of the exam: resident care, personnel, financial, environmental, regulatory and organizational Practice exam questions Answers and explanations for the questions in each subject area.

National Nursing License Study Guide Product Features:
* Paperback: 246 pages
* Publisher: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co (January 1997)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0786309733
* ISBN-13: 978-0786309733
* Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches

Most Helpful National Nursing License Study Guide Customer Reviews:

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars - EXCELLENT BOOK FOR NUSING HOME ADMINISTRATORS, February 20, 2003 By PATRICIA BROOKSTONE (BOSTON, MA)
I READ THIS BOOK AND I THINK IT'S A MUST READ FOR NEW ADMINISTRATORS PREPARING TO TAKE THE EXAM AND SEASONED LTC ADMINISTRATORS, JUST TO KEEP ABREST OF HELPFUL LTC MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND TRENDS. I THINK THIS BOOK SERVES AS AN EXCELLENT COMPLIMENT TO THE NAB EXAM REVIEW, BUT IT GOES BEYOND WHAT THE NAB INCLUDES IN THEIR STUDY GUIDE. THIS BOOK INCLUDES SEVERAL MORE CONSIDERATIONS... Read more

Diabetes Physiology Pathophysiology Concept Media

2011-06-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Diabetes: Physiology and Pathophysiology (DVD Series)

Quick-reference and bulleted format, covers all aspects on the care of patients with diabetes. Like many other hormones insulin is released in a pulsatile manner, which results in oscillatory concentrations in peripheral blood. The oscillatory pattern is believed to improve release control and to enhance the hormonal action. Insulin oscillates with a slow ultradian periodicity (approximately 140 min) and a high-frequency periodicity (approximately 6-10 min).

Only the latter will be discussed in this review, which focusses almost exclusively on human data. Probably at least 75% of insulin secretion is released in a very regular pulsatile fashion in healthy people. In contrast, type 2 diabetic subjects exhibit in general irregular oscillations of basal plasma insulin. Furthermore, disturbed pulsatile insulin release is also a common feature in people prone to develop diabetes e.g. first-degree relatives of patients with type 2 diabetes.

Tiny glucose oscillations (approximately 0.3mM) are capable of easily governing or entraining insulin oscillations in healthy people. This differs from type 2 diabetic individuals underlining a profound disruption of the beta-cells in type 2 diabetes to sense or respond to physiological glucose excursions. A pivotal question is how approximately 1,000,000 islets each containing from a few to several thousand beta-cells can be coordinated to secrete insulin in a pulsatile manner. Coordination is extremely complex involving the intrapancreatic neural network, the intraislet communication and metabolic oscillations in the individual beta-cell itself, but our understanding is still rather rudimentary.

It is important to realize how antidiabetic treatment influences high-frequency insulin pulsatility. Only a few studies have been performed, but very recently it has been demonstrated that acute as well as long-term administration of the sulfonylurea compound gliclazide results in a substantial amplification (approximately 50%) of the pulsatile insulin secretion in type 2 diabetes. The fraction between pulsatile vs nonpulsatile insulin secretion is stable, which may be essential for controlling glucose and lipid homeostasis in type 2 diabetes.

The influence of repaglinide, thiazolidinediones and a potential future antidiabetic compound (GLP-1) on pulsatile insulin secretion is also discussed briefly. Evaluation of high-frequency insulin pulsatility may be an important player in future tailoring of antidiabetic drugs and may turn out to be relevant as a predictor of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk for developing the disease.

Diabetes Physiology Pathophysiology Concept Media Product Details:
* CD-ROM: 250 pages
* Publisher: Concept Media; 1 edition (June 22, 2009)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 0840020287
* ISBN-13: 978-0840020284
* Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:

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Kaplan Legal Nurse Certification Wallace

2011-06-24T20:39:00.000-07:00

Kaplan Legal Nurse Certification

Cara Wallace has a Master’s of Science in Nursing degree and is a Certified Legal Nursing Consultant. Her direct experiences as a nurse include time in both a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Operating Room. She has expanded her knowledge of the medical field by working in medical Case Management and as a Nursing Educator for both land-based and online educational institutions. Wallace, who has developed the curriculum for and taught legal ethics courses designed specifically for nurses, is a current Kaplan University instructor. She currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Kaplan Legal Nurse Certification Wallace Product Details:
* Paperback: 272 pages
* Publisher: Kaplan Publishing; 1 edition (December 2, 2008)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 1427797765
* ISBN-13: 978-1427797766
* Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches

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Pocket Medicine Massachusetts Hospital Handbook

2011-06-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine (Pocket Notebook Series)

One of the must-haves for all medical students on an Internal Medicine rotation. It is not good to study from for the shelf exams, but is VERY useful on clinical rotations. I am now finishing a residency in Internal Medicine and still find it useful for patient care. It contains quick facts on assessment and treatment of common disorders. Many of the topics also have the source cited in case you need more information. Unlike the Washington Manual, it also fits conveniently into the coat pocket.

Pocket Medicine Massachusetts Hospital Handbook Product Details:
* Ring-bound: 304 pages
* Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Fourth, North American Edition edition (September 20, 2010)
* Language: English
* ISBN-10: 9781608319053
* ISBN-13: 978-1608319053
* ASIN: 1608319059

Most Helpful Pocket Medicine Massachusetts Hospital Handbook Customer Reviews:

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars - Invaluable, April 27, 2011 By Nick Talon
If you're looking for an overloaded, and generally not helpful pocket medicine book that doesn't actually fit in your coat pocket...you may want to look elsewhere. But if you want a great book that covers all the most important points of critical topics with consistent efficiency, this is most definitely the book you want to buy. The amount of important and consistently helpful information this little stack of pages fits in is very helpful, particularly for us medical students who seem to consistently be on the receiving end of those pimping questions that we need a quick way to look up the answer to... Read more

Essaying Ethics Reading Writing Pedagogy

2010-10-25T21:43:00.000-07:00

Essaying Ethics: Reading, Writing and Pedagogy

Completely and thoroughly revised, The Web That Has No Weaver is the classic, comprehensive guide on the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. This accessible and invaluable resource has earned its place as the foremost authority in the synthesizing of Western and Eastern healing practices. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author:
Ted J. Kaptchuk, O.M.D., is associate director of the Center for Alternative Medicine Research and Education at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Product Details:

Paperback: 432 pages
Publisher: Congdon & Weed (February 28, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312293232
ISBN-13: 978-0312293239

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Acupuncture 101, April 14, 2001 By "anderdog"
This book provides a comprehensive introduction to the theory and philosophy behind traditional Chinese medicine. The average lay person may find more information here than they need at first but better that than a dumbed-down, less comprehensive book which will leave them nothing to turn to if/when they eventually decide they want more information. And unlike some Chinese medical books where 'facts' are produced seemingly from thin air, each of Kaptchuk's chapters is followed by an extensive section of notes/references.

The Web was one of the first books on Chinese medicine published in English for the layman and despite its limitations, I feel it is still one of the best. I am a practicing acupuncturist/herbalist and I recommend this book to my patients. It isn't perfect - sometimes there's too much detail, the illustrations could be clearer, could have included more info about herbs, etc. But to Kaptchuk's credit, some sections of this book are written with a beautiful simplicity unmatched by anything I've seen written since, e.g. when he compares the way Chinese painters represented the natural elements in their landscapes to the "poetic logic" a Chinese physician employs when evaluating a patient. It is no small task to sum up traditional Chinese medicine in a single volume but Kaptchuk has done an admirable job.

Classic?, August 19, 2000 By Phylis Wheeler, LAc
This book is considered required reading for every acupuncture student and is often recommended for patients who are interested in learning more about the medicine. I find it too difficult for the layman. and the text becomes laborious. Exploring the wonders of Chinese medicine should be exciting and enjoyable. There are many books which fulfill this with excellent illustrations. As students we found the book less than helpful and few ever finished reading this tome. As a practitioner, it sits on my shelf, but I have never referred to it.

My recommendations for the beginner in these studies are:

1. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Chinese Medicine by Tom Williams
Great pictures, easy to read. Have it my waiting room. Most read by my patients (next to the Chinese astrology books).

2. The Chinese Way to Healing: Many Paths to Wholeness by Mischa Cohen, LAc
Mischa presents the medicine clearly and has easy to follow suggestions for self care.

3. Healing With Whole Foods, Oriental Traditions and Modern Nutrition by Paul Pitcford
Integrates Oriental and Western nutritional knowledge. Excellent resource for layperson and practitioner alike.

4. ANYTHING by Giovanni Maciocia or Dan Bensky

5. A Manual of Acupuncture by Peter Deadman and Mazin Al-Khafaji

As a professor of acupuncture, I have found this textbook to be one of the best attempts to integrate all of the translated material and organize it into a very readable reference. Excellent, invaluable resource for students and practitioners alike.

Excellent book for the student of acupuncture, September 2, 1998 By Brian Paige
This book is a very good treatment of the subject of acupuncture, and its associated methods of diagnosis and pattern recognition. Herbology is not discussed. Having finished the book, one will at least have an understanding of what one's acupuncturist is talking about, and may be able to take steps to better one's health. The meridians are described in basic detail, with interior and exterior branches discussed. Points and their properties are not discussed. Overall, a very good and basic description of acupuncture and its methods.

Man Who Mistook His Wife

2010-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: And Other Clinical Tales

A neurologist who claims to be equally interested in disease and people, Sacks (Awakenings, etc.) explores neurological disorders with a novelist's skill and an appreciation of his patients as human beings. These cases, some of which have appeared in literary or medical publications, illustrate the tragedy of losing neurological facultiesmemory, powers of visualization, word-recognitionor the also-devastating fate of those suffering an excess of neurological functions causing such hyper states as chorea, tics, Tourette's syndrome and Parkinsonism. Still other patients experience organically based hallucinations, transports, visions, etc., usually deemed to be psychic in nature. The science of neurology, Sacks charges, stresses the abstract and computerized at the expense of judgment and emotional depthsin his view, the most important human qualities. Therapy for brain-damaged patients (by medication, accommodation, music or art) should, he asserts, be designed to help restore the essentially personal quality of the individual. First serial to New York Review of Books, The Sciences and Science; Reader's Subscription alternate. January
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review from Library Journal:
Neurologist Sacks, author of Awakenings and A Leg To Stand On , presents a series of clinical tales drawn from fascinating and unusual cases encountered during his years of medical practice. Dividing his text into four parts"losses" of neurological function; "excesses"; "transports" involving reminiscence, altered perception, and imagination; and "the simple," or the world of the retardedSacks introduces the reader to real people who suffer from a variety of neurological syndromes which include symptoms such as amnesia, uncontrolled movements, and musical hallucinations. Sacks recounts their stories in a riveting, compassionate, and thoughtful manner. Written on a somewhat scholarly level, the book is highly recommended for larger collections. Debra Berlanstein, Towson State Univ. Lib., Baltimore
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details:

Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st Printing edition (January 1987)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0060970790
ISBN-13: 978-0060970796
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Truly incredible tales and a great read, November 18, 2004 By Dennis Littrell
It is utterly fascinating to know that, as a result of a neurological condition, a man can actually mistake his wife for a hat and not realize it. It is also fascinating to learn that a stroke can leave a person with the inability to see things on one side of the visual field--which is what happened to "Mrs. S." as recalled in the chapter, "Eyes Right!"--and yet not realize that anything is missing. In both cases there was nothing wrong with the patient's eyes; it was the brain's processing of the visual information that had gone haywire.

Neurologist Oliver Sacks, who has a wonderful way with words and a strong desire to understand and appreciate the human being that still exists despite the disorder or neurological damage, treats the reader to these and twenty-two other tales of the bizarre in this very special book. My favorite tale is Chapter 21, "Rebecca," in which Dr. Sacks shows that a person of defective intelligence--a "moron"--is still a person with a sense of beauty and with something to give to the world. Sacks generously (and brilliantly) shows how Rebecca taught him the limitations of a purely clinical approach to diagnosis and treatment. Although the child-like 19-year-old didn't have the intelligence to "find her way around the block" or "open a door with a key," Rebecca had an emotional understanding of life superior to many adults. She loved her grandmother deeply and when she died, Rebecca expressed her feelings to Sacks, "I'm crying for me, not for her...She's gone to her Long Home." She added, poetically, "I'm so cold. It's not outside, it's winter inside. Cold as death...She was a part of me. Part of me died with her" (p. 182). Rebecca goes on to show Dr. Sacks that they pay "far too much attention to the defects of...patients...and far too little to what...[is] intact or preserved" (p. 183). Rebecca was tired of the meaningless classes and workshops and odd jobs. "What I really love...is the theatre," she said. Sacks writes that the theatre "composed her...she became a complete person, poised, fluent, with style, in each role" (p. 185).

Another of my favorite stories is Chapter 23, "The Twins." These two guys, idiots savants, "undersized, with disturbing disproportions in head and hands...monotonous squeaky voices...a very high, degenerative myopia, requiring glasses so thick that their eyes seem distorted" (p. 196) had the very strange ability of being able to factor quickly in their heads large numbers and to recognize primes at a glance. They could also give you almost instantly the day of the week for any day in history. One day a box of matches fell on the floor and "<111,> they both cried simultaneously." And then one said "37" and then the other said "37" and then the first said "37" and stopped. There were indeed 111 matches on the floor (Sacks counted them) and three times the prime number 37 does indeed equal 111! (p. 199). Later he discovered them saying six-figure numbers to one another. One would give a number and the other would receive it "and appreciate...it richly." Sacks discovered that they were tossing out primes to one another just for the sheer joy of doing it.

Another of Sacks's discoveries about his patients is that "music, narrative and drama" are "of the greatest practical and theoretical importance" (p. 185). He demonstrates this again and again here and in his more recent book, An Anthropologist on Mars: Seven Paradoxical Tales (1995), which is also an incredibly fascinating book. (See my review here at Amazon.com.) Many people with neurological disorders or deficiencies become whole when engaged in a process such as story, music or drama. The process seems to give them a structure to follow which, for the time being, overcomes their handicap. This is seen remarkably even in a surgeon with Tourette's syndrome who, while performing surgery, was without tics (as reported in the book mentioned above).

It's clear that one of Sacks's purposes in sharing his experience is to dispel the prejudice against people who are different because of their defects. One can see that respect for others regardless of their limitations is something Sacks incorporates in his practice and his life. It is one of the many virtues of this wonderful book, that in reading it, we too are moved to a greater respect for others, people who really are challenged in ways we "normal" people can only imagine.

Fascinating, October 3, 1998 By M. Broda "ScuzzBuster"
The first thing I did after reading this book was to hop back onto Amazon.con and order "Awakenings" and "An Anthropolgist on Mars." This book was recommended by one of my philosophy professors in college about six years ago. Well, it took me six years to pick it up, and I don't regret the decision. As a complete layperson, my eyes were opened to what a complex piece of machinery the brain is. Sack's personal perspective on these patients disorders is what takes this interesting material and makes it fascinating reading. The only problem I had with this book was that I was disappointed to see most every chapter end. I wanted to know more about most every case. I only rank it 4 instead of 5 for that reason (It could have been more in-depth) and a couple of the cases were simply mildly interesting rather than mind-bending. It's almost imcrompehensible to perceive the world and one's self in the same manner as some of these unfortunate people. I was especially intrigued by one of the questions Sack's brings up concerning the case history discussed in the chapter "The Lost Mariner." A man can remember nothing for more than a few seconds. His entire life, all of his experiences are gone almost as soon as they are past. "He is a man without a past (or future), stuck in a constantly changing, meaningless moment," Sacks writes. Sacks then ponders the question that will stop your heart: "Does he have a soul?" If you have ever been bothered by the question of the spiritual nature of man, Sacks --who stops well short of reaching any theological conclusions -- will disturb you with this material. From that standpoint, he is brilliant at informing by simply forcing the reader to ask questions of his or her self...questions which Sack's himself admits even he has no clue as to the answers. This book could change your perspective on life, or simply entertain you as an interesting novelty. In any case, I very highly recommend it...can't wait to get into "Anthropologist" next.

A little old, but still interesting, July 25, 2002 By Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen"
I used to work on a neurology ward when I first started in health care, and the many sad stories that I was privy to during that time has encouraged me to keep up with some of the research in brain and mind science.

Oliver Sacks' book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat was first published in 1970 and has been reprinted several times with new material added. The book is an interesting collection of stories of individuals with neurological deficits that highlight and clarify how the normal brain works. The author approaches his study with a compassion for his patient's troubled existence, and where the patients are content with their lot, he prudently leaves well enough alone, something not all MD's are willing to do. He also appreciates what his patients have to teach him about life and even about the practice of medicine itself. His ability to learn from others considered "unfortunate" or mentally "defective" makes the book a very insightful work.

While the author's extensive clinical practice has allowed him to make some interesting statements about what parts of the brain are involved with different mental functions, what he fails to do in this book is to provide anything approaching testable ideas or actual research supporting his theories. The colorful stories are well worth reading as moral parables, but a better book on current mind and brain research might be Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain. One might begin with the Sacks book, which is easy to read, and proceed to the more extensive work by Ramachandran.

ACSM's Guidelines Exercise Testing Prescription

2010-10-24T22:36:00.000-07:00

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription

The single most internationally read and referenced text in sports medicine, exercise science, and health and fitness, this manual succinctly summarizes recommended procedures for exercise testing and exercise prescription in healthy and diseased individuals. This gold-standard text is a convenient, one-stop resource for the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) that must be mastered by candidates for all ACSM certifications. Written by international experts in numerous fields, the Eighth Edition is fully compatible with newly released physical activity guidelines from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and state-of-the-art, research-based recommendations.

A companion Website for instructors will offer a test generator, an image bank, PowerPoint slides, and a WebCT/BlackBoard-ready course cartridge. A student Website will offer the fully searchable text.

Product Details:

Spiral-bound: 400 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (February 5, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781769035
ISBN-13: 978-0781769037
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
An excellent resource!, May 6, 2000 By A Customer
The newest edition of ACSM's guidelines continues to be the gold standard for the professional in sports medicine. The content is research based and fairly easy to interpret and apply. Information is easy to access and the new spiral bound edition is much more user friendly. Overall, I think that ACSM does a great job in providing professionals in the field of sports medicine and exercise physiology with the practical information they need on a daily basis.

useful resource, June 2, 2008 By N. Graves
This book appears to be a pretty darn good resource for fitness prescription and testing. I have read much of it and it is pretty well written and quite clinical. So if that's what you need, then this book is it.
However, I was intending to get books to study for the ACSM Personal Trainer certification. This is NOT the book for that. Now granted, they recommend this book on their website, and it may be helpful, but the intended primary study source is the ACSM's resources for the personal trainer...book. So if that's what you are trying to do (like i was) then get that book, not this one. If you want a bunch of cool knowledge about exercise prescription, then this is the book for you.

Invaluable, August 18, 2005 By S. MCKENZIE
This book by the American College of Sports Medicine is an invaluable resourse for anyone in the field of Exercise Physioloy or other related fitness fields. I use it on a regular basis as a quick reference guide for fitness testing and evaluation. This also a necessary book for anyone taking one of the ACSM certification tests. I highly recommend this book.

LabNotes Guide to Lab Diagnostic Tests

2010-10-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

LabNotes: Guide to Lab & Diagnostic Tests

A DAVIS'S NOTES BOOK! Don't be without this quick and portable reference tool for explaining, preparing, and caring for patients before, during, and after common lab and diagnostic testing.

Product Details:

Spiral-bound: 252 pages
Publisher: F.A. Davis Company; 2nd edition (May 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0803621388
ISBN-13: 978-0803621381
roduct Dimensions: 6.3 x 3.6 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Lab Notes, October 17, 2005 By D. Irvin "Dottie Irvin DNS, APRN, BC"
A nice pocket size with good information. Would be more helpful to students if "causes" of high or low values were included.

Great Resource, January 13, 2006 By SP
Great resource! Handy with a ton of information packed into the pocket-sized format. Thorough and organized in a way that is extremely clear and easy to use. Explains abnormal ranges of laboratory results without giving way too much information like the big lab books do. It's great for clinicals, too!

KEEP it in your pocket!, February 14, 2007 By Girl Friday "LF"
This is such a great resource - I left it at the charge nurse desk so we could ALL use it and it "took a walk" - even with my name plastered all over it! Sooo-o-o, I'm buying another one because I can't live without it. Great for finding tests in the computer that the doctor ordered but you can't read exactly what he/she wrote. Alphabetical - easy to find tests. Tells what color lab tube and any special handling (if needed) and the indications for the tests (what they're looking for). Also, the significance of ABNLs in brief concise form. A must have for quick, easy-to-understand reference and a good "look-through read" just for the 'fun of it'.

Anticancer New Life Thorndike Nonfiction

2010-10-24T07:34:00.000-07:00

Anticancer: A New Way of Life (Thorndike Nonfiction)

After undergoing chemotherapy and surgery for brain cancer, Servan-Schreiber, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, asked his oncologist if any lifestyle changes would prevent a relapse; the answer was no. Certain this was wrong, Servan-Schreiber spent months researching a mass of scientific data on natural defenses against cancer. After a lucid introduction to cancer and its causes, he points out studies indicating that a poor diet, unhealthy habits (like smoking), some hormones, and environmental toxins increase risk. But as his advice grows more specific, evidence dwindles that these steps work. Eating organic foods, avoiding red meat and processed food, and eliminating household chemicals seem reasonable, but readers curious about how much turmeric or garlic to consume and how much it lowers their cancer risk will find no answers. Servan-Schreiber also advocates a positive, life-affirming attitude, illustrating with anecdotes of patients whose cancers disappeared when they attained inner peace. Servan-Schreiber underscores that his advice should be an adjunct to, not a replacement for, conventional treatments like surgery and chemotherapy, in this spirited mixture of good medical information, helpful suggestions and alternative medicine. (Sept. 22) ""
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review From Booklist:
*Starred Review* If anyone has the cred, professional and street, to discuss cancer prevention and survival, it is Servan-Schreiber, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, cofounder of Doctors Without Borders, and 15-year brain cancer survivor. That he chooses to talk about, even promote, certain environmental, dietary, and emotional adjustments one can make in one’s life that can mitigate suspected carcinogenic influences makes this a slightly controversial book. Typical of his demeanor, though, as researcher-teacher rather than practitioner, he addresses the controversy head-on, cautioning his critics to note that he does not promote these life adjustments in lieu of conventional medical interventions such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. He promotes them in addition to, as a support for, traditional treatments. He calls them anticancer practices. Stay away from white sugar and flour. Eat more cruciferous vegetables and dark-colored fruits. Get regular exercise, and take up yoga or some other form of meditation. These practices made for him a new way of life that he claims helped him beat cancer twice and, he believes, once and for all. This has been a best-seller in France and may well become a valuable resource about personal wars waged on cancer in this country, as well. --Donna Chavez --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details:

Hardcover: 507 pages
Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (September 9, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1410410560
ISBN-13: 978-1410410566
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Enjoy the benefits of medical progress and the body's natural defenses.", October 2, 2008 By E. Bukowsky "booklover10"
In "Anti-Cancer: A New Way of Life," French-born psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. David Servan-Schreiber discusses his fifteen-year battle with brain cancer. Although conventional treatments worked initially, the cancer recurred. Fortunately, he has been cancer-free for the past seven years, and he attributes his success to an anti-cancer regimen that, he asserts, boosts the body's natural defenses. Dr. Servan-Schreiber does NOT encourage cancer patients to reject their doctors' advice concerning surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments. However, he does believe that there is nothing to lose and everything to gain by making changes in one's diet, level of physical activity, psychological attitude, and environment.

This book is an informative and eye-opening look at the mechanisms of cancer, explained in a way that a layman can understand. There are many helpful charts, tables, and illustrations that clarify the sometimes technical information about the latest research on the genesis and progression of cancer. The author maps out how rogue cells are nourished and conversely, how they can be starved of the nourishment that they need to multiply. Although researchers have undoubtedly made a great deal of progress, Servan-Schreiber assures us that we have a long way to go before we can declare victory over the many types of cancer that still plague mankind. In addition, he includes well-chosen quotations from literature (such as Tolstoy's "The Death of Ivan Ilyich"), philosophy, and other physicians and scientists to illustrate his points, some of which deal with our fear of dying without having lived a full and meaningful life.

"Anti-Cancer" is a personal, touching, instructive, and thought-provoking. Whether or not the reader is interested in adopting the author's recommendations concerning diet, exercise, meditation, and other lifestyle changes, no one who completes this book will ever think about cancer or about the human body in quite the same way. Servan-Schreiber is not a new-age charlatan who advocates far-out therapies. Everything that he suggests is based on solid and well-documented research, and he includes numerous citations from scientific journals.

Although no one wants to confront a fatal illness, Servan-Schreiber contends that his battle with cancer has had a positive aspect. "By exposing life's brevity, a diagnosis of cancer can restore life's true flavor." Forced for the first time to look into his soul and evaluate his approach to living, he realized that he had been caught up in a treadmill that allowed him little time to appreciate the importance of mind-body equilibrium, inner peace, relationships with loved ones, and personal fulfillment. Everyone, no matter what the state of his or her health, can benefit from this stimulating and provocative work.

Connecting the Dots, October 24, 2008 By Rita Arditti
A REVIEW OF ANTICANCER: A NEW WAY OF LIFE by David Servan-Schreiber, MD, Ph.D.
Viking Penguin, 2008. 258 pages. Hardcover, $25.95.

Mind and heart come together in this remarkable book, making it a must read. As a person living with cancer I found it impossible to put down. Servan-Schreiber, a physician and neuroscience researcher, co-founder of the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was 31 years old, received treatment and went into remission. Eventually though, he had a recurrence. After the recurrence he started to look into natural approaches to prevent or help treat cancer. The book is both a memoir and a riveting journey through recent developments in the ideas about cancer. We learn about his personal story and how he slowly transformed himself from a laboratory scientist mainly interested in writing papers into a proponent of an integrative approach to cancer treatment who is keenly interested in human beings. He does a marvelous job of connecting the dots in widely dispersed areas of knowledge-all relevant to his interest in cancer and our natural defense mechanisms.

Key ideas presented are: 1) everybody has cancer cells in their bodies, but not everybody develops cancer; 2) we must include the concept of "terrain," our whole being, in any discussion about cancer; and 3) at this point in history, we cannot attempt to deal with cancer without the tools of conventional Western medicine. Based on these ideas, he presents an updated view on cancer growth and how to mobilize our vital mechanisms and use the resources of the body to defend ourselves.

Chapter 4, "Cancer's Weaknesses," presents some of the current thinking about the immune system, inflammation, and angiogenesis. He discusses "natural killer" cells (NK cells), white blood cells that attack cancer cells, and activate their self-destruction. The more active NK cells are the more they can stop tumor's growth. It follows that we must do all we can to activate them through a healthy diet, clean environment, physical exercise, and stress reducing activities.
The discussion on inflammation is clear and concise. Inflammation is the normal process that our bodies use to repair tissues after a wound. But, as it turns out, inflammation can be diverted to promote cancer growth, as if cancer were the outcome of a wound repair mechanism gone wrong. Cancer cells need to produce inflammation to sustain their growth and block the natural process of apoptosis-the suicide of cells. As Servan-Schreiber aptly puts it "Thanks to the inflammation they create they infiltrate neighboring tissues, slip into the bloodstream, migrate, and establish remote colonies called metastases" (page 37). Dietary imbalance in the ratio of essential fatty acids has led us to an incredibly higher consumption of omega-6s oils compared to omega-3s, which increases inflammation.
Judah Folkman was a surgeon whose great contribution to cancer research was to highlight angiogenesis, the fact that tumors need new capillaries to feed themselves and expand. Tumors hijack blood vessels by producing a chemical substance that attracts them and stimulates them to grow new branches. Though it took quite a while for Folkman's ideas to be accepted, how to block angiogenesis is now one of the central areas of cancer research. There are some foods, spices, and herbs that reduce angiogenesis and diminishing inflammation will also prevent new vessel growth.
Servan-Schreiber gives very practical suggestions about these three areas of knowledge, so that we can stimulate our defense mechanisms, while receiving conventional treatment. Just this chapter is worth the price of the book!

In discussing the contribution of the environment to the cancer epidemic, Servan-Schreiber writes about the typical Western diet, the changes in farming and raising animals during the last century, and the chemical contamination of our planet since the forties. Sugar and white flours dominate our diet and raise rapidly the level of glucose. Insulin and IGF-1 (insulin Growth Factor 1, a powerful growth hormone) are released to allow glucose to enter cells. Insulin and IGF1 also promote inflammation. He argues convincingly that we should eliminate sugar and white flour from our diet.
There is a detailed section about anticancer foods in daily practice. Servan-Schreiber has been influenced by the work of Richard Béliveau, at the University of Montreal. Béliveau, a cancer biologist working in medical pharmacology for twenty years, shifted to working on diet, through a series of interesting circumstances that I won't tell you about here. Read the book! It is a fascinating story and it has led to the concept of anticancer foods, like phytochemicals, components of some vegetables/fruits, which have antimicrobial, antifungal, insecticidal, and antioxidants properties. They also act as detoxifiers of the body. There is also a wonderful description of the research on traditional spices, like turmeric, by Professor Bharat Aggarwal at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Research Center. A key substance called nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is secreted by tumor cells, it promotes cancer cell growth and spread. The whole pharmaceutical industry is trying to find out drugs that inhibit NF-kappaB. Servan-Schreiber points out that two substances that do so are available easily, catechins, found in green tea and resveratrol, found in red wine. And as it happens, turmeric is also an antagonist to NF-kappaB. He also states that since the pharmaceutical industry and the food industry are not interested in any changes we badly need "... public institutions and foundations to finance human studies on the anticancer benefits of food" (page 115). Indeed!

The book emphasizes the importance of a healthy mindset that will stimulate the will to live in cancer patients and the need to find support, to deal with emotions, and to find ways to relieve stress. There is a lot of work going on about the link between psychological factors and the immune system. White blood cells can detect the presence of stress hormones and react according to the levels of these hormones in the bloodstream by releasing inflammatory substances. Natural killer cells can be blocked by stress hormones, and become passive instead of reacting to viruses or cancer cells. Feelings of helplessness can influence directly our immune system. Meditation, yoga, and other practices that develop awareness and attention to the present moment can help the body's harmonious functioning and in so doing stimulate the life force that keeps us healthy. Our bodies need touch and physical exercise, we can benefit from massage, and we must increase our sense of connection with others that it is so important to give meaning and purpose to our lives. A holistic approach needs to take all the dimensions of living into consideration and Servan-Schreiber pushes us to leave nothing out of the picture and to pay attention to our inner selves so that we can live fully and gracefully.

The book ends by stressing three points: the importance of our "terrain," the effects of awareness, and the synergy of natural forces. This last point is important. The body is a system in equilibrium, each function interacts with all the others. If we just change one of these functions the whole is affected. So, we can start with one thing, diet, psychological work, whatever makes sense to us and nourishes the will to live. Awareness in one area will automatically lead to progress in others, and little by little, the equilibrium will shift to greater health and will make changes easier. Finally, he addresses an important point, the worry that some oncologists have "not to give false hope." He turns this idea around, and points out that "...this comes down to restricting ourselves to a conception of medicine that withholds the power every one of us has to take charge of ourselves. As if we couldn't do anything to protect ourselves actively against cancer- before and after the disease. Encouraging this passivity creates a culture of hopelessness" (page 203).

One reservation that I have about the book is that the discussion about chemical contamination of the environment seems weak in comparison to the depth with which other topics are discussed. This is an area where individually we can do very little. This needs to be addressed at a system level, and in fact it is beginning to happen. For instance, in Massachusetts, the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, a coalition of over 160 organizations, has relentlessly pursued legislation that will require the use of Safer Alternatives, when feasible, to dangerous chemicals. This year, the Senate voted unanimously in support of this but the House did not get to vote. The law will be introduced again in the 2009 legislative session. Keep an eye on it.

The book has eight pages in color on glossy paper that summarize visually the information about foods, inflammation, contamination in fruits and vegetables, effects of certain foods on specific cancers, detoxification, and an anticancer shopping list. And a list of ten precautions for cell phone use. Very useful!

If you want to take a look at Servan-Schreiber go to [....] and look for the video Anticancer, in English. He conveys intelligence and warmth. I highly recommend this book for everybody.

Rita Arditti

A Must-Read for Everyone!, September 6, 2008 By Jo Krupinski
Being a mom of two small children, I rarely have time to read a book from start to finish without interruption. However, the day I bought this book I had read 40 pages in one sitting and only put it down because the hours sped past midnight before I knew it! I'm very impressed with how Dr. Servan-Schreiber is able to break down extremely complex subjects in cellular and molecular biology in such a way that everyone can understand them. Cancer runs in my family, so I'm always trying to stay current on the science of living healthfully in order to avoid it. This book explains vital information about how to do that. It thoroghly describes what cancer is, how it behaves, and what things are necessary for it to grow. Then Dr. Servan-Schreiber shows you how to deprive a cancer of those things, thus avoiding mestasteses and prolonging life.

Given the cancer epidemic we are currently experiencing in the West, I truly believe this is an important book for everyone to read. You won't regret buying this one.

Research Manuscript Guide Scientific Writing

2010-10-21T09:06:00.000-07:00

From Research to Manuscript: A Guide to Scientific Writing

"Compulsory reading for post-docs wanting to achieve success in the scientific field."
(Ronan Bree, National University of Ireland, Galway)
"The book would be a great addition to the personal libraries of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows bent on careers in science. Many seasoned scientists could also be advised to read the book to improve their skills in writing."
(Donald K. Ingram, Editor-in-Chief of AGE)

"From specific details of style to manuscript publication and practices of peer-review, From research to manuscript covers a wide range of topics. … Overall, Katz provides a pleasant overview of the research-science report process for both first-time science research authors and seasoned professionals. … it could serve as a teaching guide for students learning the process of taking science from the laboratory notebook to the scientific paper-in Katz’s words, ‘from research to manuscript.’" (Julie Kinyoun, Technical Communication, Vol. 54 (2), 2007)
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the reviews:
"Compulsory reading for post-docs wanting to achieve success in the scientific field." (Ronan Bree, National University of Ireland, Galway)

"A great addition to the personal libraries of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows bent on careers in science. Many seasoned scientists could also be advised to read the book to improve their skills in writing." (Donald K. Ingram, Editor-in-Chief of AGE)

"Overall, Katz provides a pleasant overview of the research-science report process for both first-time science research authors and seasoned professionals." (Julie Kinyoun, Technical Communication, Vol. 54 (2), 2007)

"... another excellent book to treasure." (Dr. Achuthsankar S. Nair, University of Kerala)

Product Details:

Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: Springer; 2nd ed. edition (January 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402094663
ISBN-13: 978-1402094668
Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Very useful content, needs better graphics, February 21, 2010 By R. L. Wright "biology prof"
If you are looking for a very solid, well-written, practical guide to writing research papers, this is a great choice. It begins with a strategy of turning an outline into a paper, then moves into basic statistic and approaches to developing good figures, graphs, and tables that lay out the significant results of the work. (This is a real strength, and not something you usually find in these kids of books.) Then, it follows each section in a reseach paper, providing very practical explanations, approaches, and examples. I would definitly consider this book appropriate to require for a college senior-level scientific writing course, such as a senior capstone thesis course. The only drawback is that this is not a "pretty" book. The diagrams are in black and white (helping to maintain the reasonable cost) but honestly not very well done. It really needs a professional layout/graphic artist's touch.

An outstanding guide for science authors, June 30, 2009 By Busu
I find it very helpful and useful guide. It will be a great for all scientists especially to all postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers who will be in the business of writing manuscripts for publications in peer-reviewed journals.

OK book, September 21, 2010 By James Schammerhorn "schammy"
Too many example (weird to say that) and seemed unnecessarily long. The info it provided was good and the flow of the book was good.

My Stroke Insight Scientist's Personal

2010-10-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey

A brain scientist's journey from a debilitating stroke to full recovery becomes an inspiring exploration of human consciousness and its possibilities

On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain--the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side--swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help before she was lost completely.

In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor shares her unique perspective on the brain and its capacity for recovery, and the sense of omniscient understanding she gained from this unusual and inspiring voyage out of the abyss of a wounded brain. It would take eight years for Taylor to heal completely. Because of her knowledge of how the brain works, her respect for the cells composing her human form, and most of all an amazing mother, Taylor completely repaired her mind and recalibrated her understanding of the world according to the insights gained from her right brain that morning of December 10th.

Today Taylor is convinced that the stroke was the best thing that could have happened to her. It has taught her that the feeling of nirvana is never more than a mere thought away. By stepping to the right of our left brains, we can all uncover the feelings of well-being and peace that are so often sidelined by our own brain chatter. A fascinating journey into the mechanics of the human mind, My Stroke of Insight is both a valuable recovery guide for anyone touched by a brain injury, and an emotionally stirring testimony that deep internal peace truly is accessible to anyone, at any time.

Review From Publishers Weekly:
In 1996, 37-year-old neuroanatomist Taylor experienced a massive stroke that erased her abilities to walk, talk, do mathematics, read, or remember details. Her remarkable story details her slow recovery of those abilities (and the cultivation of new ones) and recounts exactly what happened with her brain. Read proficiently by the author, this is a fascinating memoir of the brain's remarkable resiliency and of one woman's determination to regain her faculties and recount her experience for the benefit of others. Taylor repeatedly describes her "stroke of insight"-a tremendous gratitude for, and connection with, the cells of her body and of every living thing-and says that although she is fully recovered, she is not the same driven, type-A scientist that she was before the stroke. Her holistic approach to healing will be valuable to stroke survivors and their caregivers, who can pick up suggestions from Taylor's moving accounts of how her mother faithfully loved her back to life. A Viking hardcover.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details:

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Plume; 1 Reprint edition (May 26, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0452295548
ISBN-13: 978-0452295544
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Important, March 13, 2008 By David H. Peterzell "Ph.D., Ph.D."
This is, indeed, a first-person description of stroke by a scientifically and dare I say it -- spiritually -- sophisticated person. The author describes a range of experiences that make sense given our knowledge of localization of function. I'm not sure that such a detailed and consistent report by a scientist is available anywhere else. As such, this story is unusual and important. Moreover the author reports how she turned her stroke into an opportunity for profound wisdom and insight. Amazing stuff! And this may save lives.

Personally, I don't share all the author's ideas about strict functional localization in the brain... but that is secondary and doesn't detract from my admiration of her remarkable contribution.

My enjoyment of this book was enhanced considerably by the material and links at the author's website. She has posted a number of video and audio presentations, radio shows, etc.

Stroke of Brilliance!, December 2, 2008 By B. Madhu
I first came across Jill Bolte Taylor, Phd when her speech at TED (an annual conference devoted to Technology, Entertainment, Design) went viral. In it, she describes how she witnessed herself having a stroke and the subsequent feeling of peace that enveloped her when her logical left brain shut down and her right brain became dominant. I became intrigued after watching the video and then read the book.

The book expounds on her experience while having the stroke and her subsequent recovery. It was amazing on many levels:
(1) She gives a 1st person narrative of her experience of the stroke and recovery but she doesn't portray it as something we should all pity and feel sorry for. Instead, she lays it out not unlike an explorer discovering new territory, full of suspense and wonder.

(2) She gives incredible tips on how to communicate with and care for stroke victims. For e.g., some people would yell at her after they saw she didn't understand what they were saying. However, she wasn't deaf. She could only process one word at a time. If those people would have spoken more slowly rather than loudly, she would have been able to understand them. This is something that would never have occurred to me if I hadn't read this book.

(3) She takes us on a tour of the 'mystical' right side of her brain which little is known about and whose capabilities in today's world seem to be dismissed. She says the right side of the brain is the gateway to enlightenment and nirvana. She shares tips on how to 'tend the garden of your mind' and to interrupt or stop those stories we all tell ourselves over and over again (usually about how we are deficient, not good enough, etc.). She calls them loops.

Dr. Taylor's tips about how we can all achieve nirvana by accessing the right side of the brain as a conscious process is worth the price of the book many times over. We all have a "loop of deep inner peace" wired into our neurological circuitry in our right brain and we can consciously choose to run this loop whenever we wish.

Closely related to this topic are books by Ariel & Shya Kane. They've written three outstanding books: Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life, How to Create a Magical Relationship: The 3 Simple Ideas that Will Instantaneously Transform Your Love Life & Being Here: Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment. The Kanes have been teaching about accessing the magic of the right-side of the brain for over 20 years and their book is chock full of tips, and stories on how to recognize those loops Dr. Taylor talks about and how to bypass them. If you're serious about getting enlightened, get Dr. Taylor's and the Kanes' books NOW!

Valuable information about stroke; but the book has its flaws, August 2, 2008 By Gregory J. Casteel "Dr. Gregory J. Casteel"
I debated over whether to give this book three, four, or five stars. The information that Dr. Taylor presents about the brain and stroke is worth five stars, without question. But I have a few complaints about how she presents this information; and lots of complaints about the "self-help" aspects of this book. I almost wish I could post two reviews of this book -- a five-star review for the information about the brain and stroke; and a two-star review for everything else about the book. I ended up giving the book a (somewhat charitable) compromise rating of four stars (but in some ways the four star rating is too low; and in others it is way too high).

Let's start with the positives: This book is a must-read for anyone who is interested in the human brain and how it functions, any health care professional or caregiver who deals with stroke patients, anyone who has a friend or family member who has had a stroke, and anyone who is concerned about the possibility that they might someday suffer from a stroke (a statistical possibility, since about 700,000 Americans will have a stroke this year). If you want to know about what it's like to have a stroke and to recover from it, this is the book to read. Dr. Taylor is a brain scientist who had a stroke and lived to tell her story of survival, recovery, and rehabilitation. The information she provides about her personal experience is priceless for anyone who wants to better understand what happens when someone has a stroke, and what is needed for recovery and rehabilitation. This information is also of extreme value for anyone who wants to better understand how the brain works to make us who we are. Five stars for the information on the brain and stroke.

But now I must deal with the negatives, and comment on the "two-star" aspects of this book. First of all, the writing style is a bit amateurish; but we can excuse Dr. Taylor for that, since she's a brain scientist, not a professional writer. But I do have a bit of a problem with how she tells her story. What bothers me about her account is her description of what was going on in her mind while she was having the stroke and during her recovery. She describes herself as having certain thoughts that just don't seem plausible given her description of the mental impairments she was suffering at the time. She makes a point of saying that the language centers of her left cerebral cortex had been impaired, silencing the inner voice in her head, leaving her mind in a state of peaceful quiet. Yet she goes on to describe thoughts that were running through her mind. (How could she have such thoughts without that inner voice?) I got the feeling that she was actually describing the thoughts that went through her mind years later as she was recalling her stroke experience. (But, given the fact that our minds actually "construct" our memories as we reflect on our past experiences rather than simply recording our experiences and playing them back for us with perfect accuracy, this sort of thing is to be expected.)

But what really annoyed me about this book was that, in the last few chapters, it turned into a sappy, shallow, self-help book of the "learn-to-love-yourself-and-think-happy-thoughts" variety; and includes what has to be the single corniest sentence ever written in the English language: "When my bowels move, I cheer my cells for clearing that waste out of my body." (p. 156) In these later chapters, the book even delves into "New Age" stuff like "energy dynamics", Feng Shui, and "Angel Cards". I felt that this seriously compromised the integrity of the valuable information that Dr. Taylor presented about brain science and stroke recovery. This information is so valuable that I would still recommend the book in spite of its many shortcomings; but I would encourage you to take the last few chapters of the book with a grain of salt.

Ghost Map London's Terrifying Epidemic

2010-10-20T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World

The idiosyncratic thinker and cultural historian Johnson leaps from trumpeting video games (in his previous book Everything Bad Is Good for You) to uncovering the history of murderous cholera infestations in London and the scientific research that revealed the microbial origins of the outbreaks. Sklar reads Johnson's engaging book with a deep, measured baritone that is the embodiment of solidly backed reasonability. Sklar makes each word sound as if it has been chipped into a block of marble, there to rest for all eternity. This is not always conducive to following the flow of Johnson's narrative, but Sklar does well with his voice what Johnson seeks to do with his book: insert a slip into the history book, adding the mundane deaths of working souls and the audacious efforts of scientists into the story of the European march of progress.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review From Bookmarks Magazine:
In books such as Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, Steven Johnson neatly draws connections between seemingly unconnected aspects of life—think of James Burke in the digital age. The Ghost Map is no different in applying a 21st-century sensibility to a 19th-century cholera epidemic. According to critics, Johnson makes a single tactical error in the last pages, where he attempts to link the events he describes to too many other contemporary historical trends while ignoring some real-world realities. Regardless, the story is in capable hands, and the lives of individuals and a culture on the cusp of technological and medical advance resonates with readers 150 years later.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details:

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Riverhead Trade; 1 Reprint edition (October 2, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594482691
ISBN-13: 978-1594482694
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Fascinating: A look at the past, A look into the future., October 29, 2006 By Peter Senese
This is surprisingly, one fascinating and important read that spins the historical reality of pathogenic disease with a well crafted story regarding the plight of a society facing a treacherous epidemic. Combining an in-depth view regarding the indefatigable energy and brilliance of Dr. John Snow in his quest to solve the deadliest outbreak of cholera in the history of London, with the history of epidemic plagues, `The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic- And How it Changed Cities, Science, and The Modern World' provided me with one page-turning, gripping historical tale that also provided further insight into the plight free societies face today in lieu of the possabilities of biological or chemical attacks on innocent people.

When I was recommended to read Steven Johnson's book, it was not for the sake of diving into a good read, but rather to `browse' through it for further insight on the origins of water contamination and how, thru these origins, terrorist could look at contamination for horrific purposes. As a writer with an interest in international affairs, and a tendency to use fiction storytelling to share my views, I opened Steven Johnson's book and within pages was completely hooked on this extraordinarily written, well researched tell all of the London epidemic of cholera that killed so many lives.

With reflection on how science viewed pathogenic outbreaks during the midpoint of the 19th Century, it was startling to find that there really existed a classification system that gave all sorts of bizarre reasons why a disease would spread, including a weight based upon wealth and financial disposition! We sure have come a long way . . . or have we? I guess we can still look at Africa with great outrage and clearly say we're back in London during 1854! And this folks is important: in Johnson's attempt to share the history of the past, what he really is doing is talking about the immediate needs of to protect the most impoverished with assistance to medical treatment, and ongoing diligence to understand the nature of disease and how wide-spread health concerns effect not only those who are directly in contact with a pathogenic, but equally as important: how societies infrastructure's essentially crumble when epidemic disease spreads.

Writing with such an easy style that readers will not get lost, Johnson takes us on a fascinating trip with Dr. John Snow; clearly one of the scientific pioneers whose actions have saved the lives of untold people. Take your time and sit back with `The Ghost Map': it may bring you a bit closer to acting in a socially responsible way that connects all of us a bit further. It may even cause you to open your wallet and send a few much needed dollars to health care organizations attempting to follow the lead of Dr. Snow: determining pathogenic causes and feverishly attempting to help those in need. Steven Johnson's `The Ghost Map' is simply brilliant.

History With A Warning, November 13, 2006 By John D. Cofield
The Ghost Map is an engrossing tale of medical detection and discovery. In 1854 a London neighborhood was suddenly plunged into a massive cholera epidemic. The actual disease was awful enough, but ignorance added to the fear felt by Londoners, because no one understood the true method by which cholera spread from one victim to another. Prevailing medical opinion held that cholera, like nearly all other diseases, was spread through miasmas, bad air and bad smells.

Two men, Dr. John Snow and Rev. Henry Whitehead, began to suspect that the true culprit was water from the neighborhood pump and conducted an assiduous investigation that finally proved them right. Although most doctors and scientists were reluctant to discard the miasma theory, eventually the weight of the evidence convinced them that Snow and Whitehead were correct.

Like all good histories, The Ghost Map branches from the main story to trace the many different ways in which Snow and Whitehead's investigations helped lead to the development of modern cities. I especially enjoyed the final chapters and epilogue, in which Johnson identifies many ways in which our modern mega-cities are both more vulnerable (yet thanks to technology and communications safer and better able to cope with threats as well) than was London in 1854.

The Ghost Map is an engrossing read, well written, scholarly, yet dramatic too. It will appeal to historians and fans of medical detection alike.

Parts are great, overall frustrating, December 18, 2006 By Harold Davis
As I've indicated in my header for this review, I think parts of this book are great but parts are frustrating. I debated between three and four stars, 3.5 is about what I feel would be just.

Great: the background on Victorian sanitation and the human ecology that grew up about this sanitation (or lack thereof). For example, I bet you didn't know there was a whole occupation devoted to the collection of "pure" (dog poo) used in the tanning process. The details of the spread of cholera in the outbreak traced by Dr. Snow are fascinating, as is the dissection of the cult of miasma. The varnished cover, with a ghostly map (but it's not *the ghost map*) appearing at the right angle is very cool.

Not so great: This is a book called "The Ghost Map". It could use a great deal more cartography. The wonderful cover to the despite, there's no reproduction that I could see of the eponymous ghost map in the book.

The book could also have used a good editor, or at least some more self-editing on the part of Mr. Johnson. Coverage of Victorian sanitation, Dr. Snow, and the cholera outbreak of 1854 is fascinating every icky step of the way. But when Johnson heads out of the limits of his tale and heads into Jane Jacobs territory, his chapters begin to sound like lightly reworked Wired articles. Johnson's thoughts on global warming, for example, really do not belong in this book. A more disciplined approach to narrative could have produced a great and classic title. Alas, this book is not.

Better Surgeon's Performance Atul Gawande

2010-10-16T17:52:00.000-07:00

Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance

Starred Review. Surgeon and MacArthur fellow Gawande applies his gift for dulcet prose to medical and ethical dilemmas in this collection of 12 original and previously published essays adapted from the New England Journal of Medicine and the New Yorker. If his 2002 collection, Complications, addressed the unfathomable intractability of the body, this is largely about how we erect barriers to seamless and thorough care. Doctors know they should wash their hands more often to avoid bacterial transfer in the ward, but once a minute does seem extreme. Using chaperones for breast exams seems a fine idea, but it does make situations awkward. "The social dimension turns out to be as essential as the scientific," Gawande writes—a conclusion that could serve as a thumbnail summary of his entire output. The heart of the book are the chapters "What Doctors Owe," about the U.S.'s blinkered malpractice system, and "Piecework," about what doctors earn. Cheerier, paradoxically, are the chapters involving polio and cystic fibrosis, featuring Dr. Pankaj Bhatnagar and Dr. Warren Warwick, two remarkable men who have been able to catapult their humanity into their work rather than constantly stumble over it. Indeed, one suspects that once we cure the ills of the health care system, we'll look back and see that Gawande's writings were part of the story. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review from Bookmarks Magazine:
A surgeon at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an assistant professor at the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Atul Gawande succeeds in putting a human face on controversial topics like malpractice and global disparities in medical care, while taking an unflinching look at his own failings as a doctor. Critics appreciated his candor, his sly sense of humor, and his skill in examining difficult issues from many perspectives. He conveys his message—that doctors are only human and therefore must always be diligent and resourceful in fulfilling their duties—in clear, confident prose. Most critics' only complaint was that half of the essays are reprints of earlier articles. Gawande's arguments, by turns inspiring and unsettling, may cause you to see your own doctor in a whole new light.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Product Details:

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Metropolitan Books; 1st edition (April 3, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805082115
ISBN-13: 978-0805082111
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Difficult problems are ... difficult, April 7, 2007 By Stephen R. Laniel
First, as a quick proxy of how good it is, and as a way of enticing busy readers, I should note that I finished Atal Gawande's book Better: A Surgeon's Notes On Performance in less than four hours. I can't remember the last time that happened. True, it's a relatively short book, and I had some uninterrupted time on a bus. But mostly it's that Gawande is a straightforward, energetic, thoughtful writer whose essays relentlessly pull you forward. Each discusses one or two ideas in enough depth to make you realize that they're not easy problems -- which is all most people need, and which does a world of good on its own. Every country has its unquestioned assumptions; it's the rare writer who helps us question them and gently remind us that if there were easy solutions, we'd have found them by now. Gawande is good at that.

The most moving and thought-provoking of these essays, to me, was "The Doctors of the Death Chamber," in which Gawande interviews four doctors (whom he labels "A," "B," "C" and -- wait for it -- "D," in order to secure their anonymity) who help states carry out the death penalty humanely. The use of "humanely" here is questionable; it's humane in the sense that, if we are to use the death penalty, we must not be needlessly cruel at the time of the criminal's death. But it's inhumane in the larger sense that we are furthering a corrupt system -- we are "tinker[ing] with the machinery of death," to use Justice Blackmun's words. Since a doctor's role is to protect human lives, are anaesthesiologists who help execute people painlessly violating their roles? To put it more succinctly: should a doctor make the best of the machinery of death, or should he take no part in the machine? The American Medical Association has its answer and its role. Democratically elected governments have their own. It's Gawande's job to teach us that easy answers don't exist for complicated problems like this.

One reason it's so easy to come up with easy answers for questions like this is that we rarely come face to face with the system we critique. Gawande does the legwork for us. He's at his best, in this regard, when he interviews a medical-malpractice attorney, a doctor, and the family of a dead patient involved in one malpractice case. We're all inclined to boo at the malpractice attorney . . . right up to the moment we feel we've been wronged, when that attorney is the man we want on our side. Gawande knows that this is how we work, so he takes some time to look at a case when doctors failed other doctors: Gawande's friend Bill Franklin found that doctors had failed to treat a tumor on Franklin's son that they should have noticed years before -- that someone had actually singled out on an X-ray for further study. This is the test case where ethics hits the road: when it's your own son, and you're a doctor, and you're well aware of the expenses of medical malpractice, what do you do? After trying other routes, Franklin did what so many others do: he sued and won. (Along the way Franklin helped establish a precedent in the Massachusetts Supreme Court, in the case of Franklin v. Massachusetts General Hospital et al., affecting the statute of limitations on malpractice cases. Seems worth reading.)

Better contains lots of great little insights into the medical profession -- for instance, how difficult it is to get doctors and nurses to wash their hands as often as is safe for patients, or the awkwardness of a male doctor palpating a naked female patient. Throughout it all, Gawande's organizing principle is to lay out for us the system in which doctors work, the limitations they operate under, and how they make the best within those limitations.

I'm less inclined than I used to be to believe that Gawande has an agenda, but I do think that a slightly different arrangement of the chapters within Better would have sent a different message. Had the chapter on malpractice come at the end of the book, after we've read about Gawande's own mistakes and about sloppy handwashing, we'd be less sympathetic toward doctors. In "The Score," which I've mentioned before, Gawande tells us that C-sections are vital in a world where doctors can't be expected to be very talented; in "The Bell Curve," he reveals that not all cystic-fibrosis clinics are the same, and that the medical industry was reluctant for years to release data on how well individual clinics performed. With these insights in mind, malpractice would seem to the reader to be completely justified. As it is, the malpractice article is tucked into the middle of the book; Better ends with a story about heroically performing surgery in poor rural India, and with a few pieces of advice to newly-minted doctors. It's a hopeful ending. I can't decide whether this arrangement was deliberately obfuscating. Nor does Gawande spend much time explaining whether malpractice makes doctors better.

He's fair throughout, however, and his point is that doctors' work is hard. Understanding precisely why it's hard, and what they do to get their jobs done under trying conditions, is Better's job, and it succeeds admirably. It's a great, thought-provoking, fun read.

An insider's perspective which can help you be a more informed patient, May 20, 2007 By K. Corn "reviewer"
I'm always on the side of self-education when it comes to medical topics, especially in light of the current health care system and its looming problems. Gawande's skill is in writing movingly ab out all sorts of medical issues, including both failures and successes, in a way that illuminates the complexities of practicing medicine in today's world of HMOs, soaring premiums and more.

Some of his essays may appeal more to you than others but I urge you to read the entire book, as well as to get his other one, Complications. I've read medical memoirs that put me to sleep and have been baffled by how someone could take life and death situations and turn them into dry writing. This isn't the case here and you'll come away from the book with a stronger understanding of all the factors (and possible solutions) that make up the world of medicine, medical ethics and patient care today.

An Intriguing Work by a Top-Notch Medical Writer, April 15, 2007 By Dr. Jonathan Dolhenty
Atul Gawande is a general surgeon at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and -- from everything I've heard and read about him recently -- one of the best of the new breed of medical writers who devote their prose to informing the general public about important concerns in the world of medicine. If this new book, "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance," is a representative example of his usual writing talent, I will completely agree with the above assessment. This collection of original and previously published essays is highly readable and very interesting. Normally, I am not all that interested in reading about medical topics unless it impacts me personally. I'm not a great fan of hospitals nor am I enthusiastic about going to a physician. Fortunately, for most of my life I have enjoyed relatively excellent health. My attitude, however, changed five years ago and Gawande's book takes on some genuine relevance for me. How so and why?

In a section of his book, entitled "The Mop-Up," Gawande discusses polio and the campaign to wipe it out in Asia wherein he was a momentary observer in the field in 2003. Way back in ancient history, when I was a mere child in the 1940s and America was hit with a polio epidemic, I was diagnosed with polio and almost died. Hence the relevance here for me. But more than that, I am convinced to this day that I was "saved" because of the efforts of a nurse -- I'm sure she was one of Gawande's "positive deviants" which he describes in his book -- who insisted on treating me and others with a controversial treatment (opposed by most of the medical "establishment" at the time) called "The Sister Kenny Method." She never lost a patient, by the way; we all recovered without any significant aftereffects that I know of.

Fortunately, from that time in the 1940s I never needed to be hospitalized again. That is, until 2002. Then I had a heart attack and was forced into a hospital for an angioplasty and had to take note of medical matters, including the state of medical care in this country." So, whereas before that latter year I could ignore books of the type that Gawande writes, I now have a profound interest in all things medical. Even more so since my second heart attack and angioplasty in 2006. (I even subscribe to daily updates via e-mail about medical topics!) I am now very concerned about "better" when it comes to medical care and policy.

Gawande divides his book into three significant sections: Diligence, Doing Right, and Ingenuity. He says that "Diligence" is "the necessity of giving sufficient attention to detail to avoid error and prevail against obstacles." The section "Doing Right" considers topics such as "how much doctors should be paid, and what we owe patients when we make mistakes." Important as these sections are, the final section, "Ingenuity," is of even greater importance in my opinion. Ingenuity, he says, "demands more than anything a willingness to recognize failure" and "arises from deliberate, even obsessive, reflection on failure and a constant searching for new solutions." Amen to that!

Furthermore, Gawande quite realistically concludes: "Betterment is a perpetual labor. The world is chaotic, disorganized, and vexing, and medicine is nowhere spared that reality. To complicate matters, we in medicine are also only human ourselves. ...Yet...to live as a doctor is to live so that one's life is bound up in others' and in science and in the messy, complicated connection between the two. It is to live a life of responsibility. The question...is not whether one accepts the responsibility. Just by doing this work one has. The question is, having accepted the responsibility, how one does such work well." Well said, that. Couldn't agree more.

One of the more politically relevant issues (at least for me) that Gawande discusses is the matter of medical practitioners' involvement in executions. In his essay, "The Doctors of the Death Chamber," he says that "We [doctors and nurses] must do our best to choose intelligently and wisely," and then notes that "Sometimes, however, we will be wrong -- as I think the doctors and nurses are who have used their privileged skills to make possible 876 deaths by lethal injection thus far." I cannot understand how a physician -- "First, do no harm" -- could even contemplate participating in the killing of another human being, even if officially sanctioned. Gawande addresses this issue in what I think is a sensible manner. But the debate on this issue is current, lively and will continue for some time.

I do, however, wish that Gawande had spent more time discussing the future of health care in America as regards the delivery of medical services to all its citizens. He briefly touches on this matter, but not in detail. From my perspective, HMOs are definitely not the solution (they are part of the current problem!) and government-managed health care (socialized medicine) is even less desirable. I mean, the government, in my opinion, cannot even provide a decent public education for our children; how can we expect it to provide decent health care? I have considered a number of proposals, all of them wanting in some way or other. I'd like to see Gawande tackle this problem in a detailed way from a physician's perspective. Maybe another book?

Moreover, regarding the above, it is disturbing to read what one American medical reviewer recently stated: "We spend 50 percent more per capita on health care than any other country, for a total of $2 trillion a year, yet our health system, according to the World Health Organization, ranks 37th worldwide. ...By any measure -- longevity, infant mortality, burden of disease -- we sit in the basement of the industrialized world." For a country that can spend trillions of dollars to wage war and promote "regime changes" throughout the world, that statement is embarrassing and hard to fathom.

All in all, "Better" is a good read and extremely informative. It is full of interesting anecdotes, as well as confronting, if only briefly, some of the major issues in the practice of medicine today such as the influence of money in the healthcare system, the problem of malpractice lawsuits, and medical practice under the tensions of the military battlefield, as well as more mundane issues which are often ignored such as the simple act of hand washing or how nakedness impacts the examination room. Since I have had my own experiences lately with the medical establishment, I can now relate to at least some of the topics that Gawande discusses. Therefore -- and since there is no medical experience like a really personal one -- I highly recommend this book to all readers. I guarantee you'll learn a lot, you'll enjoy the fine writing, and you'll have some thinking to do about the state of medical care in America.

Biology 5th Neil A. Campbell

2010-10-16T10:07:00.000-07:00

Biology (5th Edition)

With an extraordinary reputation for authority and accuracy, this landmark biology text continues to be an invaluable learning partner for students and teachers. The authors focus on the "big ideas" of biology: each chapter is organized around key concepts that build in a logical way, and are clearly explained and reinforced by the text discussion and illustration. The straightforward writing style, appropriate level of depth, and judiciously-selected coverage are other hallmarks. A comprehensive new supplements package includes a highly-interactive student learning CD-ROM. The Special Edition of The Biology Place allows students to explore animations, take quizzes, and access the most up-to-date biology resources on the web.

From the Back Cover:
The Sixth Edition of BIOLOGY by Neil Campbell and Jane Reece builds upon the earlier versions' dual goals to both help readers develop a conceptual appreciation of life within the context of integrating themes, and to inspire readers to develop more positive and realistic impressions of science as a human activity.

The authors have thoroughly updated each of the book's eight units to reflect the existing progress in our understanding of life at its many levels, from molecules to ecosystems. Examples of updated content include the Human Genome Project, the revolution in systematics, HIV as a research model in evolutionary biology, the role of cell-signaling pathways in plant responses, new frontiers in neurobiology, and experimental approaches that are advancing ecology. To assure accurate representation of each field of biology, a team of stellar specialists has worked with the authors in updating every unit.

An innovative design breakthrough ensures that the art is as current as the content. Guided Tour diagrams explicitly guide readers through the more challenging figures, succinctly explaining key structures, functions, and steps of processes within the figure, reducing the need to look back and forth between legend and art. It's as if an instructor were looking over the reader's shoulder and clarifying each part of a figure! Guided Tour commentary is set in blue, making it easy to differentiate these explanations from ordinary labels and keeping the figure itself clear and uncluttered. For college instructors and students. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details:

Hardcover: 1175 pages
Publisher: Benjamin-Cummings Pub Co; 5th edition (February 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805330445
ISBN-13: 978-0805330441
Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 1.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Impressive depth of explanation, August 1, 2005 By Alan Meyer
I'm working through an earlier edition of this book (because it was used and cheap) and am very impressed by it. There are a lot of excellent introductory science textbooks, but what distinguishes this one in my mind is the author's relentless effort to deepen his explanations. You don't just learn that some reaction occurs in the cell. You learn why it occurs, what its antecedents are, what their antecedents are, how feedback reactions in the cell stimulate or inhibit the reaction, and what the mechanisms of action are. At each point where the reader may be thinking, "That's interesting, but why does that happen?", all he need do is read on and very likely find that Campbell will ask, and answer, his question.

Explanation must always come to a stop. But Campbell pushes his explanations out to the frontiers of our knowledge. His explanations stop not where he thinks the student is too unsophisticated to continue, but where either there is no more known, or where it would be impossible to say more and still cover the whole subject of biology in one book.

This approach shows great respect for the student. It treats the student as an intelligent person who is interested, motivated, and able to learn. It is the standard approach for more advanced texts, but it's not always found in introductory books. It's a considerable achievement to be able to write about a highly technical subject this deeply and this thoroughly, and still put it in terms that the beginning student can understand.

The book is also very well produced. There are excellent illustrations, a useful glossary, an index, and many photo-micrographs. Even in the illustrations, Campbell treats the reader as a serious student - providing thorough explanations and labeling each microscope photo to indicate how it was made (light, scanning electrons, transmissive electrons). I can't say what's on the CD ROM because I haven't seen it. But if it's as good as the rest of the visual material, it will be very good indeed.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn the science of Biology.

The standard by which biology majors' texts are gauged, March 21, 2006 By Alan Holyoak
Campbell's Biology has been the standard biology text for majors for many years. Though there are many good competitors, this is the one that consistently seems to rise to the top.

The breadth of coverage is good overall, with particular strengths in cell, molecular, and physiology sections of the text. It's the one we chose to use in our year-long intro to biology majors course.

Not everything is roses, however. For one thing, compared to other sections of the text the section on animal diversity is brief (perhaps unavoidably so)...after all, no book can be all things to all people. The section on ecology is also a bit light compared to other sections of the text. That's not surprising, since many intro courses these days don't touch much on ecology...more's the pitty.

The two biggest challenges associated with this book are it's mass, and massive price tag (not unique among textbooks today). I have a difficult time sitting in a reading chair and getting into a comfortable position with this block of paper on my lap or in my hands. It is, as mentioned in at least one other review, just too heavy. The other challenge is the cost. That's an issue with many textbooks today. They are just so expensive that you almost need to take out a loan just to get your books.

Is there a way to get this book in an e-version, so I could load it onto a notebook computer? At least that way the book would be in a computer that would probably weigh less...

There are pros and cons. The pros seem to outweigh the cons for the moment.

One concern I have for the future of this text is that Campbell, the senior author, passed away recently. We'll have to wait and see if subsequent editions are able to maintain the scope and quality of coverage that this and previous editions were able to manage.

5 stars for quality, minus one for weight and cost. 4 stars.

Alan Holyoak (Biol Prof)

Now this, is a textbook, January 7, 2004 By K. Anderson
I loved this textbook. Imagine that, the words "love" and "textbook" in the same sentence. This is my first college Biology text so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I feel I did very well in my class not only because I love biology, but because this textbook explained everything in such an interesting and lucid way. The pictures and diagrams are wonderful and incredibly helpful. To give a random example, the chapters on cell mitosis and meiosis. This can be a potentially difficult subject if you're expected to memorize the various stages, and what the chromosomes are doing and when, but this book gives very helpful and colorful diagrams and light micrographs of each stage. The authors really understand the importance of visual learning in conjunction with reading.

Speaking of the authors, I was pleasantly surprised that the writing had a hint of personality, and didn't have the dreaded "textbook dry" monotone. It didn't feel as if robots wrote the book, as in some textbooks. I noticed they reinforced important core concepts throughout to drum it into the students head, like the the connection between "form and function", or how the size and shape of, for example an enzyme, is really it's most important characteristic.

I bought this book new and it came with a cd-rom, that for me, put my grades over the top. I'm not sure I would have done as well without this cd. In it are all sorts of quizzes and tests, a complete on-line version of the book, various links to helpful internet sites, and which I used the most, animations and voice commentary of each chapter. Many people are visual learners, and sometimes they get a much deeper understand of something when they see it in action.

I will not be selling this textbook back to the college after I'm done with it, this is a keeper. I have no complaints about it.

Surgical Recall Fifth North American

2010-10-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Surgical Recall, Fifth North American Edition (Recall Series)

Thoroughly updated for its Fifth Edition, this reference for third and fourth year medical students on surgical clerkships enables quick study in a rapid-fire Q&A format. A perfect fit for a lab coat pocket, this book is commonly used as a quick review prior to surgical rounds as well as for board review.

Purchasers of this edition will get both the print book and access to MP3 audio files of the entire text. All Q&A material will also be posted online in the form of electronic flashcards for self-quizzing.

Product Details:

Paperback: 800 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Fifth, North American Edition edition (April 21, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781770769
ISBN-13: 978-0781770767
Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Pimpin' ain't easy..., July 28, 2006 By 46&2 "Burninator"
But Surgical Recall makes it easier. Basically, people get Recall for two reasons: 1) they're not interested in surgery but have to rotate and do well in it or 2) they're genuinely interested in surgery.

For med students just needing to get by, this partly meets your needs. This is not a text. The short Q&A format does not lend itself to thorough reading, it does not necessarliy flow, and it's not always easy to correlate concepts. It's good for reading before an operation for when the surgeon asks you questions ('pimping'). It's effective for a cram session before an exam/quiz as it addresses common issues. Reading Recall straight through, however, is not easy due to the format and length (800 pages). If you like flash-card style presentations, then Recall is great. If you don't, consider First Aid for Surgery, Surgery Secrets, or Lawrence's Essentials (I personally can't stand Lawrence).

For those looking into surgery, this book represents the fundamentals you NEED to know cold. The Q&A format basically simulates an attending or chief quizzing you during rounds or conference. The max amount of potassium you can give through a central line? It's not a thrilling concept, but it's something you'll ask yourself as an intern, and if you don't, a higher level will do it for you. This book has saved my butt a number of times on a surgery rotation. Aside from the essentials of preop and postop care, Recall also has specific questions you might have during an operation. Once again, these are high yield. The keys to performing a cholecystectomy are dead on (*be warned, their definition of the cystic triangle is a little goofy- personally was burned on that). There's also a few pictures going over basic anatomy. This is also one of the few books aimed at students which goes over surgical instruments and technique.

Overall, a great buy if you're into surgery, but a questionable purchase if you don't like the format and aren't interested in surgery.

Don't start your surgery rotation without it!, March 28, 2001 By Umber76
This is *the* book to have during your surgery rotation. It is surprisingly thorough for its size. It covers all the questions you will get on rounds, in the OR, and in your exams. It even has some pictures and diagrams.

The best single source of info you'll find on any clerkship, August 25, 2002 By A Customer
They'll tell you that you need to read a surgery textbook in addition to Recall, but I (who am generally a reader) found that to be flat out untrue. I was skeptical of Recall, but I am a convert. I checked out Lawrence, Sabiston, and NMS, and found them all to be too 'wordy'. When you only have a few minutes to spare here and there, you don't want to waste precious reading time on pretty prose, you need the facts, unadorned. That's what Recall will give you. I really meant to be good and read an actual text, but ran out of time. So I can tell you from experience that if you know Surgical Recall well, it will be enough (with a little sleep the night before) to kick butt on the NBME shelf exam, or whatever exam y'all use. Reduce the pain (and expense) of your surgery rotation -- buy this book. It's all you really need.

Pathology Board Review

2010-10-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Pathology: Board Review Series

This top-selling title is now in its Second Edition. An excellent preparatory review for course exams or the USMLE Step 1, the chapters parallel most standard pathology texts plus provide a review test at the end of each chapter. Topics covered include general and basic pathology, major concepts of disease processes, and systemic pathology surveying principal disorders of each organ system. A comprehensive examination at the end of the book contains 500 questions in USMLE format. New features include key associations throughout the text that emphasize "high-yield" information for the USMLE review and a new chapter entitled Interpretation of Diagnosis Tests (laboratory statistics).

Product Details:

Paperback: 470 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Second edition (December 15, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0683302655
ISBN-13: 978-0683302653
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Vital - get it!, June 1, 2005 By Jennifer Aron "med student"
For 99% of medical students, this book is essential. BRS Pathology provides a framework that will help you better understand course lectures and materials. It helps provide the "big picture" as a great deal of path is condensed into a few pages a section, with the most important (and board relevant) details. You can do well with simply BRS Path, your course materials, and Google to fill in the gaps. An efficient method I discovered late in the year is to write additional facts straight into the book, and review from that.

What about Robbins? Yes, Robbins has it all, and I gave it a glowing review, but it's good to be honest with yourself if you have the time. I bought it, but didn't use it as much as I liked due to time pressures. (So buy Robbins in addition to BRS Path if you have the money or if you study incessantly and want to work straight from it.)

Questions: there are questions at the end of each section. They seem easy after you've just reviewed the material, yet they're still good for solidifying info/ immediate feedback, or for going to later to assess your retention. There is also a "comprehensive exam" at the end.

Old editions: Newer editions have not changed much content-wise, I think the layout of the newer edition is nicer, but you can get away with an older (cheaper!) copy for sure - I used the original, from 1993!

A comprehensive review, readable, good tables, January 13, 1999 By leutenizer@aol.com
This book is written for Step 1 of the National Boards. This is a comprehensive review of pathology. The information is clearly written with the most improtant points in bold letters. This makes the matterial easy to absorb. In addition, the information is strictly categorized, and there is little irrelevant and wasteful writing. You will find this quick reading (for a comprehensive review) simply because of the way it is written. Furthermore, each chapter is followed with a short but thorough Q&A review section. Another additional feature is the frequent use of very useful tables, which often give a good understanding of a whole chapter. Although the book is thorough, I have never regretted having read it. I have found it useful even though I did not specialize in Pathology. It is enlightening in just about any general specialty one may be interested in. The book's only short coming is its number of pictorials which are few and far in between.

Better than Golgan, February 18, 2007 By Sam
This book presents concise information yet it's written in sentence form so it explains items at the same time. It's not just a book of bullet points crammed into an outline form like the Golgan Rapid Review. Sure, it purposefully skips certain details but I feel if you read this book multiple times, you will understand Pathology better than most students. It's so well written that it's easy to read and you will get through chapters quickly. I highly recommend this book especially if you are someone who likes to understand what they read.

Pocket Medicine Massachusetts Hospital Handbook

2010-10-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

Pocket Medicine: The Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine (Pocket Medicine Series)

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Pocket manual provides key clinical data for students and residents. Includes areas of internal medicine, cardiology, pulmonary, gastroenterology, nephrology, hematology-oncology, infectious diseases, endocrinology, and rheumatology.

Product Details:

Ring-bound: 256 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 4 Lslf edition (September 13, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1608319059
ISBN-13: 978-1608319053
Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.8 x 0.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Standard of Care, June 12, 2001 By Mitch
Unfortunately, the previous reviews have failed to adequately address the role and purpose of this publication. Pocket Medicine, at least as I have used it, is the most concise and accurate reference for the practice of Internal Medicine in the United States as conducted at most teaching institutions today. It essentially covers all the major organ systems and disease processes as the most recent literature and textbooks recommend. Possession of this book will allow students, residents and staff to give patients the best care possible from evidence based medicine. You will shine on the wards and at morning report with this material. In fact, you could easily pass the Internal Medicine board certification exam if you knew everything in this book. For those practicing internal medicine from med students on up, it renders Scut Monkey, Ferre, Wash Manual, tarascon ICU books etc, all obsolete. Just look at the section about Swan Ganz monitoring -it's all there. Look at microscopic polyangiitis- it's all there. These are all real patients I've treated and this book works. More than half of the residents, students and staff in my hospital use it. Even surgeons own it. As medicine becomes more complex and scientifically based, publications such as this will be the only way to keep up. In fact, it's very inexpensive for what you get. One caution is that it may be too advanced for 3rd year med students with a poor knowledge base. A wash manual may be a simpler way to start. Unfortunately, those people who gave it a poor review have simply demonstrated their complete ignorance of the modern scientific practice of medicine. I simply hope they never treat any of my relatives!

a "balanced" view from a former MGH housestaff..., January 6, 2003 By A Customer
As a former Mass General resident, I got a kick out of seeing our humble housestaff manual transformed into a glamorous pocket notebook. And apparently a somewhat controversial transformation, given some of the extremely negative reviews that have been posted. Ignoring the commercial aspects of this debate for a moment, I think the manual contains solid and comprehensive information that should serve any housestaff well (it certainly did for me for 3 years!). It probably does not contain enough explanation for most 3rd and 4th year medical students and, as such, should be used to supplement another manual (such as Washington or Ferri).

IM Residency Must Have, January 8, 2006 By Anthony Martinez "MexMD"
I've used this book for three years and it is by far the best handbook. It provides a quick prep for attending rounds and morning report. I also have used it in preparation for the in service exam given each year. While obviously not an all encompassing text (and not intended to be) it is surprisingly complete. A good deal of information covered on the ABIM exam is actually in this book. My only gripe is the text - too small. Every IM intern and resident should carry this book and learn it in and out. Worth the 37 bucks.

Biomedical Informatics Computer Applications Biomedicine

2010-10-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine (Health Informatics)

The practice of modern medicine requires sophisticated information technologies with which to manage patient information, plan diagnostic procedures, interpret laboratory results, and conduct research. This book, inspired by a Stanford University training program developed to introduce health professionals to computer applications in modern medical care, fills the need for a high quality text in computers and medicine, and meets the growing demand by practitioners, researchers, and students for a comprehensive introduction to key topics in the field. The work is designed for a broad audience interested in the intersection of computer science and medicine.

Completely revised and expanded, the Third Edition (previously titled "Medical Informatics") includes several new chapters filled with brand new material. This book will provide both a conceptual framework and a practical approach for the implementation and management of IT used to improve the delivery of health care. Designed for use by professors and students of medical informatics and for practicing professionals, this book will focus on the role of computers in the provision of medical services. Biomedial Informatics, Third Edition, provides the conceptual base needed to comprehend and utilize medical informatics through easy to understand examples that demonstrate how computers assist in the delivery of health care. This text also includes pointers to additional literature, chapter summaries, and concise definition of recurring terms for self-study or classroom use.

Editorial Reviews:
From the reviews of the third edition:

"The third edition, renamed Biomedical Informatics in recognition of the converging course of clinical systems with systems that support molecular biology and genetics … shows substantial growth in both pages and breadth of coverage relative to earlier editions. … overall the book is commendably readable … . In addition to its primary audience of students … the text’s accumulated wisdom and lessons learned can help educate any health professional responsible for selecting information systems to be acquired and used in office and institutional settings." (Daniel Masys, JAMA, Vol. 296 (21), December, 2006)

"An introduction to an important area in biomedical informatics with suggested additional reading and highlighted concepts. The book is intended to be used in formal courses by health professions students and by biomedical computing students. In addition, it is designed to serve as a reference for established practitioners, conveying concepts in biomedical informatics while providing illustrative examples. … is an essential contribution to enhancing education in biomedical informatics. The update is timely and relevant and it compares especially favorably in breadth as an introductory text." (David M. Liebovitz, Doody’s Review Service, July, 2008)

Product Details:

Hardcover: 1037 pages
Publisher: Springer; 3rd edition (May 25, 2006)
Language: English
SBN-10: 0387289860
ISBN-13: 978-0387289861
Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 2 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.3 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Strong on subject matter, October 17, 2007 By reader "who_is_this"
I didn't think I'd like this book very much when I found I had to order it for a class I'm taking (Introduction to Medical Informatics). It's fairly dense, but I found that it is dense in a good kind of way. Each chapter reads like a good overview of the subject. As I've progressed through the book I find very little lacking. It offers nearly complete information on every aspect of the subject matter. Someone who didn't know something ever existed before reading this book could come away with a good grasp of the subject and have references to follow up for a more complete view. It doesn't read like literature, but thankfully it is broken up into small easily digestible sections.

There are probably other texts that are easier to read because of style. This one is very strong on content and won't leave gaps. It might have you asking the right kind of question when finished, but that is the whole point, isn't it?

Very Comprehensive Overview of Biomedical Informatics, October 27, 2009 By William Holt "wmholt"
I am using this book in a graduate level course and find it to be very complete in its discussion of this broad topic. The author, Shortliffe, is now President of the American Medical Informatics Association. If you purchase this book, you will be doing best to get just the textbook, and not the digital version, the so-called "Upgrade" to read online.

The annotations features for highlighting and leaving bookmarks are almost always "temporarily unavailable". I was surprised to find out today that I had reached the "usage limit" on reading my book online, and was denied further access. That was a pretty big shock to me, as I had paid to be able to access the book when i did not want to carry around the rather heavy textbook.

When you are locked out of the book, you are not given any method for rectifying this except to send an email to customer service.

I won't be purchasing the digital media "Upgrades" to any more Amazon books.

Despite that experience, you will be very happy you bought this if you have any interest in biomedical informatics. Note that this does focus on the "medical" side of biomedical informatics, and is not a bioinformatics primer.

Biomedical Informatics (Shortliffe et al), May 4, 2009 By T. Atolagbe "Tosin"
A very comprehensive book that touches on the various hallmarks on how IT, Computer Science, and Healthcare services mingle with each other to formulate different scenarios and postulations of what is and what could be in how an industry is adapting to the ever growing field of medical informatics.

Anatomy Coloring Book Wynn Kapit

2010-10-08T08:22:00.000-07:00

Anatomy Coloring Book, The (3rd Edition)

Often imitated, never duplicated.

* New! Lay-flat binding makes coloring easier.
* New! 8 plates have been added: Accessory Structures of the Skin, Temporomandibular Joint, Upper Limb: Shoulder (Glenohumeral) Joint, Upper Limb: Elbow Joints, Lower Limb: Male and female Pelves, Lower Limb: Sacroiliac and Hip Joints, Lower Limb: Knee Joints, Somatic Visceral Receptors.
* New! 7 additional sections: Skeletal and Articular Systems, Skeletal Muscular System, Central Nervous System, Central Nervous System: Cavities and Coverings, Peripheral Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System, Human Development.

For over 23 years, The Anatomy Coloring Book has been the leading human anatomy coloring book, offering concisely written text and precise, extraordinary hand-drawn figures. Organized according to body systems, each of the 170 plates featured in this book includes an ingenious color-key system anatomical terminology is linked to detail illustration of the structures of the body.

Wynn Kapit is the designer of the The Anatomy Coloring Book, The Physiology Coloring Book, and The Geography Coloring Book. Mr. Kapit received a B.B.A. and an L.L.B. from the University of Miami and an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lawrence M. Elson, Ph.D. is a clinical and forensic human anatomist who taught at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the University of California Medical School at San Francisco, and the City College of San Francisco. Dr. Elson is the founder and president of Coloring Concepts, Inc., and the director of graphic and textual content of its several publications.

Product Details:

Paperback: 170 pages
Publisher: Benjamin Cummings; 3 edition (July 5, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805350861
ISBN-13: 978-0805350869
Product Dimensions: 0.4 x 0.4 x 0.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 2 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
A Great Anatomy Aid -- A must for med students, June 29, 2000 By tbradley99
This book is the best reference on the human body I've found! It focuses individually on each system, with large ready-to-color pages. This book list all bones and muscles in the human body (in the drawings, too) and reveals their locations. It goes into extreme detail about everything, and shows a fetal circulation diagram, which I have had trouble finding in other books. This book lists the view names (anterior, posterior, superior, ventral, etc.) and gives a diagram. It even spends some time talking about cells and tissues, with a colorable diagram of a cell. This book is a MUST for med students, and would make a great reference book for physicians. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human anatomy, for I sure am enjoying it. Also check out "The Physiology Coloring Book, 2nd Edition". Note:For this book you should have a good supply of quality colored pencils, probably about 30, including gray and black.

Great supplement for any anatomy course, June 21, 2003 By GamerGirl
I am using this book as a study tool for my Gross Anatomy course. Anyone who has taken an anatomy class can tell you that color-coding structures is one of the most helpful ways to remember them. There are drawings of bones, muscles, joints, organ systems and explanations of virtually everything that could possibly be covered in an anatomy class. The drawings are excellent and most of the features of the bones are labelled as well. This was very helpful to me since I had to memorize virtually every tubercle, ridge, groove, or other protuberance on every bone of the body. When I had trouble with the skull because the drawings in my class notes were horrible, the drawings in this book were much clearer and helped out a lot. If you are taking an anatomy class, this is a smart and relatively inexpensive investment that will help you remember everything better.

The most learning enriched coloringbook you'll ever find!, October 13, 1999 By A Customer
I'm an 11th grader attending Norwich Free Academy currently taking AP anatomy & pysiology. This is one of those books, not required, but extrememely useful for surviving anatomy. With all the memorization, the coloring and written out labels w/ definitions, helps your out class grade so much. The visuals are so graphic and precise I find it has helped maintain a high gpa in the course. I would recommend this book for highschool & college anatomy students as well as for anatomy teachers. When the teachers print out the different coloring pages to assign for hw, as silly as it sounds, it infact helps w/ the whole physical concept. It is also a great break in between attempting Uconn Chemistry problems and reading about a bunch of dead guys in AP history. =P

Complications Surgeon's Notes Imperfect Science

2010-10-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science

Gently dismantling the myth of medical infallibility, Dr. Atul Gawande's Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science is essential reading for anyone involved in medicine--on either end of the stethoscope. Medical professionals make mistakes, learn on the job, and improvise much of their technique and self-confidence. Gawande's tales are humane and passionate reminders that doctors are people, too. His prose is thoughtful and deeply engaging, shifting from sometimes painful stories of suffering patients (including his own child) to intriguing suggestions for improving medicine with the same care he expresses in the surgical theater. Some of his ideas will make health care providers nervous or even angry, but his disarming style, confessional tone, and thoughtful arguments should win over most readers. Complications is a book with heart and an excellent bedside manner, celebrating rather than berating doctors for being merely human. --Rob Lightner --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
Medicine reveals itself as a fascinatingly complex and "fundamentally human endeavor" in this distinguished debut essay collection by a surgical resident and staff writer for the New Yorker. Gawande, a former Rhodes scholar and Harvard Medical School graduate, illuminates "the moments in which medicine actually happens," and describes his profession as an "enterprise of constantly changing knowledge, uncertain information, fallible individuals, and at the same time lives on the line." Gawande's background in philosophy and ethics is evident throughout these pieces, which range from edgy accounts of medical traumas to sobering analyses of doctors' anxieties and burnout. With humor, sensitivity and critical intelligence, he explores the pros and cons of new technologies, including a controversial factory model for routine surgeries that delivers superior success rates while dramatically cutting costs. He also describes treatment of such challenging conditions as morbid obesity, chronic pain and necrotizing fasciitis the often-fatal condition caused by dreaded "flesh-eating bacteria" and probes the agonizing process by which physicians balance knowledge and intuition to make seemingly impossible decisions. What draws practitioners to this challenging profession, he concludes, is the promise of "the alterable moment the fragile but crystalline opportunity for one's know-how, ability or just gut instinct to change the course of another's life for the better." These exquisitely crafted essays, in which medical subjects segue into explorations of much larger themes, place Gawande among the best in the field. National author tour.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details:

Paperback: 269 pages
Publisher: Picador; Paperback Reprint edition (April 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312421702
ISBN-13: 978-0312421700
Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Too Talented for the OR, November 17, 2005 By My Uncle Stu
Dr. Gawande's essays are thoughtful and very well written, and it blows my mind that he was able to be such a prolific writer while doing a residency (let alone a surgical residency). I read these essays one at a time originally when they appeared in the New Yorker during my pre-med and med school days, and I enjoyed rereading them recently, now that I'm a resident myself. It is always refreshing to see honesty when it comes to the imperfections of the medical profession. His stories about dealing with his own children's medical problems are very compelling, struggling with when to relinquish control to other doctors and when to step in and advocate. I also currently find myself much more interested in the cognitive science of decision making, having to make potentially life-altering decisions in a split second, balancing multiple confounding variables along with personal styles, experiences and instincts. Another topic given well deserved scrutiny is the phenomenon of physician burnout and how the profession deals with, and often fails to deal with, "good doctors gone bad."

Dr. Gawande comes across as the type of person I wouldn't expect to enjoy working with the typical surgeon colleagues. In fact, I would love to see him address this topic in his future writings. It would take a writer of his skill to explore the stereotypical personalities and cultures of the different specialties. No one wants to over-generalize, but medical students from various schools will have very similar descriptions of the types of O.B. residents versus psychiatrists versus pediatricians versus orthopedists that they worked with. The broad, simplified version of this is along the lines seen on the TV show Scrubs, with surgeons being the jocks and internists being the geeks. That is too generalized but not entirely untrue. It's an interesting question, what perpetuates these sub-cultures, whether it is the type of person drawn to a specialty or whether people pick their careers based on who they want their colleagues to be.

In the end, even with all the discussions of mistakes, burnout, and imperfections, I found this book to be affirming about the medical profession. Affirming both as a physician and as a sometimes patient or family member of a patient. Medicine doesn't always work like it should, and doctors should not be placed on pedestals. There are real problems in the system, but there are also plenty of very dedicated, hard-working, medical professionals doing their best to overcome those problems, working to provide the best care possible to their patients, to make the best decisions possible given the limitations of our knowledge. In times of crisis, you just have to take a deep breath and then put your faith in the system.

Confident With Him As My Surgeon, May 8, 2002 By taking a rest
"Complications", by Dr. Atul Gawande is a very gutsy and honest discussion about medicine in general, and surgeons in particular. The book is also unique, for unlike others of its type it is written by a surgeon that is starting his career, and not looking back upon it. I would imagine that the book caused some consternation amongst his peers. The book does nothing to minimize the skills and accomplishments of the men and women who can reach in to the body and do some pretty spectacular work. The book does portray them as human beings that come with all the normal traits that any of us do. The pressure they must deal with is that when they make a mistake, it can irreparably harm or cause the death of the patient they are trying to help.

The vast majority of careers that people practice does not involve decisions that can cause the outcomes I mention above. And few occupations require of their practitioners near perfection, that if not delivered has a major legal industry prepared to hammer them with lawsuits. Incompetent or negligent doctors should be punished and removed from practice, but what about a human error, or a doctor that makes every single decision that is correct and appropriate for the patient he or she sees, and misses the 1 in 250,000 cases where doing everything correctly can cause a patient to die. The final chapter of this book deals with exactly those type of odds. Whether those odds are beaten often depends on the instincts of the physician. And these intuitive feelings they may or may not act upon are certainly helped by experience, but younger doctors without the years that familiarity brings can often make a decision largely because they are so new. Dr. Gawande makes clear that all the sophisticated technology available does not replace the one on one interaction with the patient.

If we ever need a surgeon we want a person we perceive as experienced, a person we are literally willing to risk our health and our lives with. The problem is that virtually no one wants to be part of a new surgeon learning his craft even with very experienced surgeons standing right at the table, watching and even directing the path the surgery takes. Dr. Gawande also shares his feelings when his children are ill and the contradictions he deals with as a parent, even as he is often on the other side with people judging him and his youth.

The statistics say that a surgeon will make a given mistake once every 200 times he or she performs a surgery that is described in the book, and that is also fairly common. If the mistake is made the results range from terrible to potentially terminal. The author does a great job of sharing what it feels like to be told that you will make the mistake, that doing the task 99.5% of the time without error can still cost a life.

A person who decides to become a general surgeon will study and practice until their mid 30's before they are able to operate on their own. That type of commitment is rare, and recent articles have said that less men and women are willing to devote that much of their lives before beginning their chosen career.

We want these people to be perfect when it is either we, or someone we care about that is to be operated on. They are not perfect, although those that are excellent can statistically come very near perfection. I would trust Dr. Gawande for he is a man that is clearly skilled, but is also acutely aware of how fine a line he walks every moment of his day.

Essay Collection from Surgeon, New Yorker author, April 3, 2002 By Kathleen Bennett
This book is basically a collection of essays Gawande has published in the New Yorker, where he is a staff writer, along with a few from Slate. His writing style is similar to that of Malcolm Gladwell, Jerome Groopman, and other New Yorker authors of the David Remnick era - intelligent and clear.

Gawande is a surgical resident, so he is experienced enough to have insight into the medical profession and practices of surgeons, but still new enough in the field to bring a keen critical mind and the clarity of a relative outsider's perspective. Also, his compassion is one of his distinct qualities and shines through in the writing.

If you are a regular New Yorker reader, you probably have already read all of these essays. The brilliant essay about why doctors make mistakes is included, as well as memorable essays about when good doctors go bad, and how the practice of autopsy goes in and out of fashion. The only one that was new to me was the one about a surgeons' convention, which was entertaining but not crucial reading. It is nice to have them all in once place, but unless you are a completist or a rabid Gawande fan, I'd recommend getting it from the library or waiting for the paperback.

Checklist Manifesto How Things Right

2010-10-06T01:06:00.000-07:00

The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

Amazon Best Books of the Month, December 2009: With a title like The Checklist Manifesto, it would be natural to expect that Atul Gawande is bent on revolutionizing that most loved-hated activity of workers the world over: the to-do list. But it's not the list itself he wants to change; there are no programmatic steps or tables here to help you reshuffle daily tasks. What you'll find instead is a remarkably liberating and persuasive inquiry into what it takes to work successfully and with a personal sense of satisfaction.

The first thing you'll realize is that it takes more than just one person to do a job well. This is a toppling revelation made all the more powerful by Gawande's skillful blend of anecdote and practical wisdom as he profiles his own experience as a surgeon and seeks out a wide range of other professions to show that a team is only as strong as its checklist--by his definition, a way of organizing that empowers people at all levels to put their best knowledge to use, communicate at crucial points, and get things done. Like no other book before it, The Checklist Manifesto is at once a restorative call to action and a welcome voice of reason. --Anne Bartholomew

Publishers Weekly Review:
That humblest of quality-control devices, the checklist, is the key to taming a high-tech economy, argues this stimulating manifesto. Harvard Medical School prof and New Yorker scribe Gawande (Complications) notes that the high-pressure complexities of modern professional occupations overwhelm even their best-trained practitioners; he argues that a disciplined adherence to essential procedures—by ticking them off a list—can prevent potentially fatal mistakes and corner cutting. He examines checklists in aviation, construction, and investing, but focuses on medicine, where checklists mandating simple measures like hand washing have dramatically reduced hospital-caused infections and other complications. Gawande gets slightly intoxicated over checklists, celebrating their most banal manifestations as promethean breakthroughs (First there was the recipe, the most basic checklist of all, he intones in a restaurant kitchen). He's at his best delivering his usual rich, insightful reportage on medical practice, where checklists have the subversive effect of puncturing the cult of physician infallibility and fostering communication and teamwork. (After writing a checklist for his specialty, surgery, he is chagrined when it catches his own disastrous lapses.) Gawande gives a vivid, punchy exposition of an intriguing idea: that by-the-book routine trumps individual prowess. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details:

Hardcover: 224 pages
Publisher: Metropolitan Books; First Edition edition (December 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805091742
ISBN-13: 978-0805091748
Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Game Changing..., December 23, 2009 By D. Kanigan
Amazon's December Book of the Month summary describes the author's mission of revolutionizing the "to-do list...without programmatic steps or tables to help reshuffle daily tasks." One may infer from this recap that this is a how-to-self-improvement book for making one more productive, more efficient and less stressed - this couldn't be farther from the core message of this book.

The author's key message is that the volume and complexity of knowledge today has exceeded any single individual's ability to manage it consistently without error despite material advances in technology, boatloads of more training and super-specialization of functions and responsibilities. Yet, despite demonstrating that checklists produce results, there is resistance to their use because of the (1) Master of Universe mentality (Rock Star; Fighter Pilot; Hero), (2) our jobs are too complex to reduce to a checklist, (3) checklists are too rigid and don't force us to look up and see and think ahead of what's in front of us. Yet, in a complex environment, he states that experts are up against 2 difficulties - the fallibility of human memory when it comes to mundane, routine matters that are easily overlooked under the strain of more pressing events and secondly, people can lull themselves into skipping steps even when they remember them - after all certain steps don't always matter...until one day they do. Gawande makes a persuasive case in his book as to why you should develop and implement a process checklist for critical processes/decisions.

* Whether you are from the medical field or not, you will benefit from the inspiring thinking and insights.

* This book is game changing - a call-to-action for generating better results despite the pull to run with intuition or gut instinct. If you are implementing via intuition rather than a systematic process, this book's message will force you to pause in your tracks to seek a more disciplined approach.

* The author uses a wide range of industries to make his case using an engaging blend of anecdotes, storytelling and research - from healthcare to aviation (US Airways 1549 landing in Hudson River) - - to high-end award winning restaurants - - to building massive office skyscrapers and shopping centers - -to setting up a Van Halen rock concert - - to FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans - - to money managers making investment selections.

* Can be read in 1-2 sittings. Page Turner. Fully engaging and riveting until the last page is turned.

* Author's determination, authenticity, inspired thinking, modesty and willingness to disclose personal mistakes makes this an inspirational book. Both brilliantly written and a pleasure to read.

My favorite excerpts:

"Despite showing (hospital) staff members of the benefits of using the checklist, 20% resisted stating that it was not easy to use, it took too long and felt it had not improved the safety of care. Yet, when asked an additional question - would you want the checklist to be used if you were having an operation - a full 93% said yes."

"In a world in which success now requires large enterprises, teams of clinicians, high-risk technologies, and knowledge that outstrips any one person's abilities, individual autonomy hardly seems the ideal we should aim for. ..what is needed, however is discipline...discipline is hard - harder than trustworthiness and skill and perhaps even than selflessness. We are by nature flawed and inconstant creatures. We can't even keep from snacking between meals. We are built for novelty and excitement, not for careful attention to detail. Discipline is something we have to work at."

"We don't study routine failures...when we look closely, we recognize the same balls being dropped over and over, even by those of great ability and determination. We know the patterns. We see the costs. It's time to try something else. Try a checklist."

"We're obsessed in medicine with having great components, the best drugs, the best devices, the best specialists - but pay little attention to how to make them fit together well""

"It somehow feels beneath us to use a checklist, an embarrassment. It runs counter to deeply held beliefs about how the truly great among us - those we aspire to be - handle situations of high stakes and complexity. The truly great are daring. They improvise. They do not have protocols and checklists. Maybe our idea of heroism needs updating."

Why read the book when the article will do?!, February 6, 2010 By avdrdr
Dr. Gawande acknowledges that this book grew out of his December 10, 2007 New Yorker article, "The Checklist". I suspect that, for many readers, it would be a better use of their time and money to read the article (which is available online) rather than the book. Although the book, like Dr. Gawande's previous books, is well-written, the author's essential conclusions could easily be summarized in one page (and have been in several reviews).

OK, but no methods, January 18, 2010 By E. Mills "weekend baker"
The Checklist Manifesto is a good book if you require convincing that checklists are a good thing. Or if you like to read a quasi-novel on how checklists can be useful. If you already believe in checklists then you may be bored with 193 pages espousing their virtue. You will not find anything at all on how to construct a checklist, or methods to keep them current amid ever-changing procedures and technological advances. Well written, but not particularly practical.

Washington Manual Medical Therapeutics 33rd

2010-10-05T15:52:00.000-07:00

The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics, 33rd Edition

Established for over 40 years, as the "bible" of the medical ward, The Washington Manual® of Medical Therapeutics is now in its Thirty-Third Edition and builds upon that proud tradition—with even more of the current information you need, delivered in a timesaving, quick-reference style. Its portability, comprehensiveness, and ease of access makes it a favorite on-call resource for housestaff and faculty around the world. In this edition, color has been added for better navigation, new decision support algorithms have been added, and an improved templated and bulleted format facilitates a quicker answer.

With this edition you now have the capability to upload this content to your handheld device and receive updates to the information throughout the activation period. Plus, you have access to eight medical calculators that include:

1. GFR - Cockcroft-Gault Method (Adult)
2. Urea Reduction % (Hemodialysis)
3. Transtubular Potassium Gradient
4. Osmolal Gap
5. Anion Gap
6. Serum Osmolality
7. Reticulocyte Index
8. Body Mass Index (BMI)

The Washington Manual® is a registered mark belonging to Washington University in St. Louis to which international legal protection applies. The mark is used in this publication by LWW under license from Washington University.

Product Details:

Paperback: 1064 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Thirty-Third edition (April 8, 2010)
anguage: English
ISBN-10: 1608310035
ISBN-13: 978-1608310036
Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 1.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Very useful book, July 29, 2007 By Rodis Paparodis "Medicine"
This book is really useful and contains a great deal of information regarding everything an IM student/resident would like to know. It's very well written, clear and concise. It has a big drawback though: it is big and heavy enough for not being comfortably put in your pocket, since it is considered a pocket book. If this is not a disadvantage for you it is a perfect companion for quick refence in theoretical and some practical stuff

Great Reference, July 30, 2008 By H. Tran
The Washington Manual is like a mini-DiPiro's. It is especially great because it is small enough to be carried in a backpack without the extra weight. The material inside is not too general yet not too overwhelming. Being a pharmacist that have been out of school for a few years, it is a great review of disease states. The book covers the pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy for each disease state.

Excellent book, July 22, 2008 By Andy "ACM"
I've had the PDA version of this book's 31st edition and I liked so much that when the 32nd edition came out I could not resist to buy the actual book. It is a great book for a quick review of many topics. I personally complement some of the topics with UptoDate and works great.

Mosby's Manual Diagnostic Laboratory Tests

2010-10-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

Mosby's Manual of Diagnostic and Laboratory Tests

".a comprehensive reference that is easy to read and full of relevant information.this book offers a broader perspective, nicely packaged, with several unique features that make it an excellent choice for both students and healthcare providers. Weighted Numerical Score: 95 - 4 Stars!" - Maribeth Moran, RN, MSN, CPN, CNE (University of Oklahoma College of Nursing), © Doody's Review Service
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

This comprehensive lab & diagnostic manual provides outstanding explanations and illustrations

Product Details:

Paperback: 1280 pages
Publisher: Mosby; 3 edition (November 11, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0323039030
ISBN-13: 978-0323039031
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Extremely helpful for med students!, February 14, 2007 By Dr. D
This book really explains what lab values mean, exactly what causes elevations and depressions, gives a differential diagnosis for each, and lists pathologic, physiologic, and pharmacologic factors that might influence each lab value. It even includes how to perform the tests (eg what kind of blood tube), what to tell the patient before the test, other tests that are associated, and what other tests one might need to order. My only complaint is that it isn't completely exhaustive as far as the tests included. It's definitely geared towards learners, and not really a complete reference for experienced providers. If you are a medical, nursing, PA, or other such student, this book will be tremendously valuable with interpreting lab values.

Excellent for the Nursing Student, June 13, 2001 By "mcushard"
An excellent book for the nursing student... with ample info regarding diagnostic and lab test. It gives info for normal, increased and decreased values, with reasons why they might be that way, which makes it easy to apply to your patient, especially in a care plan. I found it a very valuable to help me finish my care plans. I use it for all my clinical situations and know that it will be a great companion when I am at my clinical sites.

2nd year med students dream, August 31, 2005 By Chad A. Ruechel
As a 2nd year PBL (problems based learning) med student I have found this book to be excellent. It provides in depth information on many standard tests. It does a good job of integrating physiology and even explains false highs and lows.

Publication Manual American Psychological Association

2010-10-05T02:24:00.000-07:00

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

Style manual for writers, editors, students, educators, and professionals across all fields. Provides clear guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and APA style. Includes examples, new guidelines and advice, and more. Previous edition: c1994. Softcover, wire-spiral edition is also available. Hardcover edition due later.

Product Details:

Paperback: 439 pages
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 5th edition (July 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1557987912
ISBN-13: 978-1557987914
Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
BEWARE! Many pages of corrections have been issued!, October 7, 2009 By Josie Wags
just received my copy. As a psychology professor, this text is required for my bookshelf--the same is true for students in this field. However, I was upset to learn that APA has already issued 7 typewritten pages of corrections to this manual, and they will not exchange the first printing for a newer print. This is a resource that you will use for years! Wait to purchase until the kinks have been ironed out and they are on a second or third printing of the manual! I am also disappointed that they do not clearly delineate the changes from the 5th edition. It looks to me that there are few important changes (2 spaces between sentences, etc.). Save your money for at least a few more months!

Greatly Disappointed, October 14, 2009 By C. Davis
I was very irritated to find that many errors existed in the 6th edition. I also contacted APA regarding the errors. They are not going to exchange the book for a corrected edition. They made several lame excuses for the errors and for not replacing it. My second email to APA pointedly expressed my displeasure with their stance - copied below...

To have grammar and writing errors in a book about grammar and writing is shameful. How much does your organization really care about the reputation it is presenting? Do you have editors reviewing your works before publication? Are your editors paying attention to their work? If you cannot hold yourself to the standards you have set out in your own publication, then your publications should not exist!

If you need this book, demand a corrected reprinting! If you are a university, you also demand a corrected reprint. This organization should not set standards they are not going to comply with. I give them an "F"

Do Not Buy, Join the Boycott!, October 20, 2009 By John D. Foubert
Do not buy the first printing of the APA manual, 6th edition under any circumstances. There are errors on eighty (80) of its pages. How outrageous for a manual on writing style! As of 10/20/09, APA refuses to exchange their error full copies with corrected second printings. Despite the fact that the list of errors goes on for 7 pages, the Editorial Director of APA books stated "there are no errors that impede using the manual with full confidence." Many of the errors are in the sample papers -- a part of the manual so many of us use as an important reference. The abuse of power that APA is wielding over students required to purchase this book for classes, along with graduate students and professors who must write in this style for journals is alarming. APA goes on to state that with its 80 pages of errors in this edition that "it is within my control, as a true expert who has been intimately involved with each stage of this project, to verify for you without hesitation that the first printing is correct, accurate, and fully functional." As a Professor, when I grade papers, I say to my students that 3 APA errors will get them docked 1/2 a letter grade. If I were to grade this APA manual, it would not only get an F, there aren't enough letters in the alphabet to go low enough for the number of errors it contains. Meanwhile, APA is happy to take everyone's money for the book they know we all have to purchase in so many fields of study.

A formal boycott of this edition is underway on Facebook until APA agrees to replace the copies of the first edition that people are now stuck with. Please join us [...]

Laboratory Manual Anatomy Physiology 2nd

2010-10-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

Laboratory Manual for Anatomy & Physiology (2nd Edition)

This full-color laboratory manual is designed for instructors who teach a two-semester introductory anatomy and physiology course, but do not require the detail or full range of laboratory exercises found in Marieb's best-selling Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manuals (Cat, Fetal Pig, and Main versions). While this lab manual can be used with any two-semester text, it will be most effectively used with Marieb's Anatomy & Physiology . Instructors will find 27 concise, activity-based lab exercises that explore basic concepts in anatomy and physiology. For instructors who wish their students to have experience using a microscope, a complete exercise on its use and care can be found in Appendix A. Each lab exercise is presented with learning objectives, cogent summaries of key concepts, and meaningful activities that build students' observational and laboratory skills.

Review from the Back Cover:
This full-color laboratory manual is designed for two-semeseter introductory anatomy and physiology courses that do not require the full range of laboratory exercises found in Marieb's best-selling Human Anatomy and Physiology Lab Manuals (Cat, Fetal, Pig, and Main). While this lab manual can be used with any two-semester book, it will be most effectively used with Marieb's Anatomy & Physiology. You will find 27 concise, activity-based lab exercises that explore basic concepts in anatomy and physiology. A complete exercise on the use and care of a microscope can be found in Appendix A. Each lab exercise is presented with learning objectives, cogent summaries of key concepts, and meaningful activities that build readers' observational and laboratory skills. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Details:

Spiral-bound: 400 pages
Publisher: Benjamin Cummings; 2 edition (May 3, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805359141
ISBN-13: 978-0805359145
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Anatomy & Physiology Text, August 30, 2010 By Kathleen Hartley
This is a good book for understanding the anatomy of the human body. It has great photos for reference and notation. It will help you get this difficult course subject like it needs to be understood. The reference disk the comes with the book is great also. The combination of book and disk add to assisting students.

I received my moneys' worth, March 19, 2010 By G. Ervin "Gervin"
I received my lab manual on time. There were no rips, smudges or anything wrong with the product. It was brand new just like I asked for.

Great timing., September 25, 2010 By Laura
I received this book just in the nick of time for my class, which I was very happy about. It was in great condition. Overall I am very satisfied.

Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia Classic Shirt-Pocket

2010-09-30T08:53:00.000-07:00

Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2010 Classic Shirt-Pocket Edition (Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia: Classic Shirt-Pocket Edition)

Tarascon Pocket PharmacopoeiaÂ® 2010 Classic Shirt-Pocket Edition continues its tradition as the leading portable drug reference packed with vital drug information to help clinicians make better decisions at the point of care. Each edition is meticulously peer-reviewed by experts and is now available in multiple formats. It details typical drug dosing (both FDA approved and off-label uses), available trade and generic formulations, metabolism, safety in pregnancy and lactation, relative drug pricing information, Canadian trade names, and an herbal & alternative therapies section. Multiple tables supplement the drug content, including opioid equivalency, emergency drug infusions, cardiac dysrhythmia protocols, pediatric drug dosing, and much more! Save time and improve patient care with the 2010 Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia.

New to the 2010 Edition: New HIV and H1N1 (Swine Flu) drug coverage and dosing requirements. New H1N1 table with CDC recommendations on the H1N1 vaccine and influenza antiviral drugs. Fully updated to include hundreds of newly approved drugs, drug indications, forms, pricing, black box warnings and more. Essential diseases underlined for easier navigation. More concise organization for faster lookup. Original Pharmacopoeia formatted tables based on customer feedback. Includes FREE 6 month subscription to the Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia Web Edition.

Product Details:

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc.; 24 edition (January 1, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763774391
ISBN-13: 978-0763774394
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 3.2 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Don't show up for your shift without it., December 25, 2009 By G. Bass
10+ years out of training and still use it many times per shift.
Lean mean classic.
Faster info access than all the gimmicky PDA toys. And drop-proof.
In case of disgruntled patient, will stop a [small] bullet.

Almost Perfect, January 9, 2010 By A. Middleton
I never leave home without this book. I would have given it 5 stars but I noticed this edition lacks the plastic cover which I was accustomed to with my '08 edition. I feel the cover is essential to keeping the book protected all year long.

Best pocket reference available, PDAs are great but they can be slower when looking for an immediate answer. I highly recommend this product to everyone.

Still Good after all these years, May 12, 2010 By An Amazon Customer
I used this from 1993 until 1999. Then got out of the habit of using it for 11 years til now (2010).
It has gotten twice as thick as before, lol! But still very useful & small, lean & mean as another reviewer said.

I use a iTouch with Lexidrugs on it, if I need more detail (adverse reactions & percentages, etc. for more unusual drugs like infliximab, & such).

CONS:
1. needs a plastic cover, gets destroyed too easily. I would pay an extra buck for this. I had to make one of my own (cut a spare larger plastic cover down & heat sealed the edges).

2. the pages need just a bit bigger margins to write in (my old Tarascons, I wrote notes in tiny handwriting on the margin of the page, but now that margin is gone. Give me another 3-4 mm of margin to write a note in).

Stiff Curious Lives Human Cadavers

2010-09-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers

Adult/High School-Those curious or brave enough to find out what really happens to a body that is donated to the scientific community can do so with this book. Dissection in medical anatomy classes is about the least bizarre of the purposes that science has devised. Mostly dealing with such contemporary uses such as stand-ins for crash-test dummies, Roach also pulls together considerable historical and background information. Bodies are divided into types, including "beating-heart" cadavers for organ transplants, and individual parts-leg and foot segments, for example, are used to test footwear for the effects of exploding land mines. Just as the nonemotional, fact-by-fact descriptions may be getting to be a bit too much, Roach swings into macabre humor. In some cases, it is needed to restore perspective or aid in understanding both what the procedures are accomplishing and what it is hoped will be learned. In all cases, the comic relief welcomes readers back to the world of the living. For those who are interested in the fields of medicine or forensics and are aware of some of the procedures, this book makes excellent reading.
Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Publisher Weekly Review:
"Uproariously funny" doesn't seem a likely description for a book on cadavers. However, Roach, a Salon and Reader's Digest columnist, has done the nearly impossible and written a book as informative and respectful as it is irreverent and witty. From her opening lines ("The way I see it, being dead is not terribly far off from being on a cruise ship. Most of your time is spent lying on your back"), it is clear that she's taking a unique approach to issues surrounding death. Roach delves into the many productive uses to which cadavers have been put, from medical experimentation to applications in transportation safety research (in a chapter archly called "Dead Man Driving") to work by forensic scientists quantifying rates of decay under a wide array of bizarre circumstances. There are also chapters on cannibalism, including an aside on dumplings allegedly filled with human remains from a Chinese crematorium, methods of disposal (burial, cremation, composting) and "beating-heart" cadavers used in organ transplants. Roach has a fabulous eye and a wonderful voice as she describes such macabre situations as a plastic surgery seminar with doctors practicing face-lifts on decapitated human heads and her trip to China in search of the cannibalistic dumpling makers. Even Roach's digressions and footnotes are captivating, helping to make the book impossible to put down.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details:

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (May 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0393324826
ISBN-13: 978-0393324822
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 1 inches
Shipping Weight: 12 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Death is not the end, May 20, 2003 By Jeff Topham "jtopham"
This is a book about dead bodies. As Mary Roach demonstrates in her new book, some bodies go on to do remarkable things, such as helping FAA investigators understand why a plane crashed or helping auto-makers design safety features that save thousands of lives. Others are asked to do nothing more than rot away quietly at a research lab where forensic scientists study decomposition in order to improve crime scene investigation techniques. Some are put to slightly more questionable uses, such as the severed heads used by plastic surgeons to practice their facelift technique (surely not what people had in mind when they donated their bodies to science). Others have had even more bizarre adventures. Cadavers have been nailed to a cross in order to prove the authenticity of the shroud of Turin. Severed heads have been poked, prodded, and given transfusions in an attempt to revive them long after they and their bodies have parted ways.

The anonymous cadavers that are the subjects of STIFF could hardly have asked for a livelier or more sympathetic chronicler than Mary Roach, who has managed to write a book that balances sensitivity and respect with a wonderfully sharp wit. In fact, STIFF is unexpectedly and quite blessedly hilarious, although the humor never comes at the expense at the dead bodies that populate its pages. Instead, Roach uses humor as a kind of psychic safety valve, a vital and much-appreciated tension release from what is, at times, some very intense subject matter.

The real highlights of this book are the sections that delve into some of the more disreputable uses of cadavers. There is a droll and utterly hilarious history of body snatching and a short overview of medicinal cannibalism (human mummy confection, anyone?). ThereÕs a fascinating catalog of the methods historically used to make sure that a dead body was in fact dead. This chapter culminates in what is surely the most spectacularly strange section of the book, in which Roach relates the story of Dr. Robert White, a neurosurgeon who in the mid-1960s performed a series of surgeries constituting what could be considered the first head transplant (or full body transplant, depending on your point of view). A wonderfully engrossing book on a subject most of us are reluctant to talk about.

Good Book with Some New Perspectives on Death, April 27, 2003 By J. Hoopes
First, Mary Roach has a terrific sense of humor. She takes a challenging subject and finds ways to make you laugh just when you need it. Her humor is irreverent, but never disrespectful. She can laugh at some of the absurdity, yet still appreciate the pain dying can bring.

This is well written, well researched, and thorough. My one, very minor complaint is with the organization of the book. I feel as though it starts much more strongly than it finishes. So, for example, she might have considered organizing the chapters differently.

I don't think you need a particularly strong stomach to read this book. Only one item actually turned my stomach. But when it did, it *really* did.

The book succeeded in making me think about my own death. It also made me think about my mother's death and made it easier to accept certain events. ...

I hope this book will make you laugh and then think too.

And you thought death was depressing---, July 24, 2003 By Melissa Petty "Addicted to books"
Mary Roach did her homework, and it shows. She has written and information packed, insightful, educational, respectful, and, yes, funny book on what happens to these bodies of ours when we get tired of hanging out in them. I have a newfound respect for all who have donated their bodies in the name of science. Not that I give it a lot of thought, but I figured cremation would be the most logical choice. After reading this book, heck, they can do whatever they want with me. I've always felt an obligation to help others, and if I can continue to do so after I have left this world, then HOORAY.
Meanwhile, expect some odd looks when you are sitting there reading a book obviously about the dearly departed, and you started sputtering, and can't help but laugh out loud! Quirky humour, but that's my favorite kind. Thank you, Mary Roach.
I recommend this book to anyone in healthcare, or the clergy, or anyone even dealing with people who experience loss. It gives you a new perspective.
On the other hand, I will have a hard time ever eating gelatin again...

How When Your Own Doctor

2010-09-29T01:46:00.000-07:00

How and When to Be Your Own Doctor

The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Hygiene; Diet; Therapeutics, Physiological; Medical / General; Health --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details:

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Echo Library (August 31, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1406805955
ISBN-13: 978-1406805956
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
A very sensible approach to total health, August 6, 2008 By Brandon Mintern
I just finished reading an online version of this book at http://www.enotalone.com/article/13231.html, and it has greatly changed my outlook on health. Using a common-sense, physiological approach to address the causes of disease, the author presents methods for overcoming various afflictions -- major arthritis, high blood pressure, and even cancers, just to name a few. More importantly, though, she addresses what she believes to be the root cause of disease, a fact that many people do not want to face: unhealthy living.

She argues that standard medical professionals fail to address the true causes of disease, instead opting for prescriptions or even disfiguring surgery to remove what amounts to symptoms of other underlying problems. By treating only the symptoms, the true disease (a toxic body) only gets worse and manifests its internal imbalances in increasingly more serious ways. Part of the cause of this "toxemia" is the declining nutrition in the food that we eat on an everyday basis.

She posits that the only thing capable of healing the body is the body itself, and the best approach for overcoming nearly all ailments is giving the body the opportunity to do that. By discovering minor food allergies, imposing a more healthy diet, fasting, and colon cleansing, she puts forward methods for allowing that process to occur. One gem of advice was that of fasting: food digestion burns 30-50% of the energy in the food we eat. By fasting for even short periods of time, this energy (and the toxin-filtering efforts of the liver) can instead be used for purifying and restoring our bodies. She then points out that when we are sick, we lose our appetites for just this reason: we would be much better off to not eat at all, drink plenty of water, and rest, allowing our body the energy to fight the disease, instead of overworking our bodies by eating, fueling the disease with additional food stores, and introducing poisonous antibiotics into our system. It is against-conventional-wisdom-but-highly-sensible (after all, sick animals don't eat) advice like this that make this book really stand out.

I must say that much of the evidence is not up to "scientific snuff", but that is almost to be expected with a work like this. When the main treatment advocated for serious detoxification (and tremendous benefits of various sorts) is a long-term water fast, there is not much profit to be made in promoting or researching it. She does cite various studies throughout, appeals to common sense and history, and presents a slew of anecdotal evidence from her decades of work running Great Oaks School of Health (an alternative healing clinic, for all intents and purposes) in Oregon. She herself even survived two bouts with breast cancer without ever having a mastectomy, chemotherapy, or radiation treatment.

Most importantly, she presents a balanced, realistic view of hygienic healing and healthy living. She does not "religiously" adhere to any one technique, instead presenting the positives and negatives of various methods. She is not overly-optimistic, but truthful instead, accepting and discussing various cases that she could not help. Her descriptions of food in particular, that organic foods are not necessarily any better (in nutrition) than industrial foods, are particularly enlightening. Even while discussing more healthy ways to eat, she accepts that we will sometimes depart from an otherwise healthy diet, and even relates an instance of doing that herself. It is her down-to-earth, pragmatic, truthful, realistic, case-study-driven approach that makes this book worthwhile, and I highly suggest it to anyone.

If you still aren't convinced, at least read Chapter 2: The Nature and Cause of Disease (http://www.enotalone.com/article/13241.html). It simply makes so much sense that it's really hard to ignore, and this is true of the book in general.

Complications Surgeon's Notes Imperfect Science

2010-09-29T01:05:00.000-07:00

Publishers Weekly Review:
Medicine reveals itself as a fascinatingly complex and "fundamentally human endeavor" in this distinguished debut essay collection by a surgical resident and staff writer for the New Yorker. Gawande, a former Rhodes scholar and Harvard Medical School graduate, illuminates "the moments in which medicine actually happens," and describes his profession as an "enterprise of constantly changing knowledge, uncertain information, fallible individuals, and at the same time lives on the line." Gawande's background in philosophy and ethics is evident throughout these pieces, which range from edgy accounts of medical traumas to sobering analyses of doctors' anxieties and burnout. With humor, sensitivity and critical intelligence, he explores the pros and cons of new technologies, including a controversial factory model for routine surgeries that delivers superior success rates while dramatically cutting costs. He also describes treatment of such challenging conditions as morbid obesity, chronic pain and necrotizing fasciitis the often-fatal condition caused by dreaded "flesh-eating bacteria" and probes the agonizing process by which physicians balance knowledge and intuition to make seemingly impossible decisions. What draws practitioners to this challenging profession, he concludes, is the promise of "the alterable moment the fragile but crystalline opportunity for one's know-how, ability or just gut instinct to change the course of another's life for the better." These exquisitely crafted essays, in which medical subjects segue into explorations of much larger themes, place Gawande among the best in the field. National author tour.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details:

Hardcover: 269 pages
Publisher: Metropolitan Books; 1st edition (April 4, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0805063196
ISBN-13: 978-0805063196
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces

Guidelines Exercise Prescription American Medicine

2010-09-26T07:51:00.000-07:00

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (American College of Sports Medicine)

Recommended title for 2005 ACSM Certification Examinations!

ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription began as a concise summary of recommendations for exercise testing and prescription primarily for cardiac patients; it has now become one of the single most internationally read and referenced texts of its kind. This reference is a virtual pharmacopoeia of exercise guidelines in a broad spectrum of patients. In this new edition there is heightened emphasis on preventing illness in apparently healthy persons and those "at risk", as well as treating patients with chronic disease. There are also two new chapters on methods for changing exercise behavior and legal issues.

Product Details:

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Sixth edition (January 28, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0781727359
ISBN-13: 978-0781727358
Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds

Diagnostic Statistical Disorders DSM-IV-TR Revision

2010-09-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR Fourth Edition (Text Revision)

Since the DSM-IV® was published in 1994, we’ve seen many advances in our knowledge of psychiatric illness. This Text Revision incorporates information culled from a comprehensive literature review of research about mental disorders published since DSM-IV® was completed in 1994. Updated information is included about the associated features, culture, age, and gender features, prevalence, course, and familial pattern of mental disorders.

The DSM-IV® brings this essential diagnostic tool up-to-date, to promote effective diagnosis, treatment, and quality of care. Now you can get all the essential diagnostic information you rely on from the DSM-IV® along with important updates not found in the 1994 edition.

Stay current with important updates to the DSM-IV®:

• Benefit from new research into Schizophrenia, Asperger’s Disorder, and other conditions

• Utilize additional information about the epidemiology and other facets of DSM conditions

• Update ICD-9-CM codes implemented since 1994 (including Conduct Disorder, Dementia, Somatoform Disorders)

DSM-IV-TR, the handheld version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision, is now available for both Palm OS and PocketPC handhelds. This Text Revision incorporates information culled from a comprehensive literature review of research about mental disorders and includes associated features, culture, age, and gender features, prevalence, course, and familial pattern of mental disorders. And with Skyscape's patented smARTlink™ technology, DSM-IV-TR can easily cross-index with other clinical and drug prescription products from Skyscape to provide a powerful and integrated source of clinical information that you can carry with you wherever you go!

Product Details:

Paperback: 943 pages
PPublisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 4th edition (June 2000)
PLanguage: English
PISBN-10: 0890420254
PISBN-13: 978-0890420256
PProduct Dimensions: 10.3 x 7 x 2.1 inches
PShipping Weight: 3.8 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Not much new..., June 2, 2003 By "mr_arch_stanton"
Like other reviewers, I agree that if you own DSM-IV (burgundy cover), there is absolutely no reason for you to purchase the DSM-IV-TR (silver cover). Might as well wait for DSM-V (won't that be a treat). If you are not a mental health professional or graduate student, I can't imagine why you would want to own this book. It is essentially a compilation of symptom and behavior checklists that help clinicians make reliable diagnoses of mental disorders.

I would recommend strongly (for both professionals, students, and the lay public), DSM-IV Made Easy by James Morrison. Morrison's book makes the DSM come alive. He illustrates technical points well, and provides interesting case examples that make you think of people when you read the diagnosis, not just symptoms.

Informative, but don't buy it if you have the original DSM-4, December 23, 2001 By Lee Markowitz
The text-revised version is virtually identical to the 1994 version of the DSM-IV and not worth buying if you have the 1994 version. Along with the DSM-IV, the DSM-IV Text Revised version is, however, an informative book that provides good introductory information, especially in the "Diagnostic Features" section, about a wide variety of mental disorders. A problem of the manual, in my opinion, is its use of a categorical classification system while ignoring the dimensional nature of psychological phenomena.

Lee J. Markowitz, Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada)

specific value only, February 27, 2003 By R. Metzger
The diagnostic sections remain largely unchanged. Only significant changes were to the text portion, hence the TR designation-- text revised. This is important if you are a student or in a research position. They produced this version in response to the fact that many graduate programs are using the DSM as a text book in their Pathology courses. In this regard, the new version is worthwhile and clearly justified. It also buys them a little more time in development of the DSM V. For clinical purposes, don't bother, it's not worth the money. If you are getting your first copy, or are looking for class, then you want this edition.

Biological Science Cell Genetics

2010-09-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

Biological Science: Cell/Genetics (Volume 1)

Infused with the spirit of inquiry, Freeman's Biological Science helps teach readers the fundamentals while introducing them to the excitement that drives the science. By presenting unifying concepts and methods of analysis, this book helps its readers learn to think like biologists and gives them the tools they need for success in understanding more advanced subjects. Volume I of a nine-part organization covers topics under the general headings of: the origin and early evolution of life, cell functions, gene structure and expression, developmental biology, evolutionary patterns and processes, the diversification of life, how plants work, how animals work, and ecology. For science enthusiasts who want to be inspired with a sense of wonder and excitement that makes learning about biology interesting and fun.

From the Back Cover
Infused with the spirit of inquiry, Freeman's Biological Science helps teach readers the fundamentals while introducing them to the excitement that drives the science. By presenting unifying concepts and methods of analysis, this book helps its readers learn to think like biologists and gives them the tools they need for success in understanding more advanced subjects. Volume I of a nine-part organization covers topics under the general headings of: the origin and early evolution of life, cell functions, gene structure and expression, developmental biology, evolutionary patterns and processes, the diversification of life, how plants work, how animals work, and ecology. For science enthusiasts who want to be inspired with a sense of wonder and excitement that makes learning about biology interesting and fun.

Product Details:

Paperback: 425 pages
Publisher: Prentice Hall (March 7, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0130932051
ISBN-13: 978-0130932051
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9 x 0.7 inches
Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
University Lvl Bio Student's Opinion, March 20, 2005 By DC
This is the worst bio book I have read. I've had at least 3 different biology courses with their respective books, but this one was so bad I felt obligated to warn others. I don't bother with these reviews but in this case the book "earned" it.

The pros: I am at length impressed at Freeman's attempt to draw an inquisitive experimental nature into a bio book. He talks about many interesting scientific experiments and really introduces you to the scientific method. His diagrams while usually not as detailed as other biology books are sufficient.

The cons: What Dr. Freeman attempts in his book forces him to leave out a lot of basic bio. A multitude of biology terms are just missing, as if they never existed. What's worse is that this terminology is actually required on bio tests. I had to refer extensively to my professor's notes and look up the missing terms through the web to make the grade.
Unfortunately Dr. Freeman is not a very clear writer either, at least in this volume. He talks about many important topics but with his writing style, I have actually mentally missed many important points. He just doesn't emphasize what you need to know in basic biology. There are many decent biology books that have the organization you need to sort through the unimportant and the important material but Freeman's somewhat conversational style muddles his book.
Furthermore, many of his multiple choice practice problems in the text have incorrect solutions in the back of the book. In fact for some odd reason the solutions in the back of the book cover all the volumes. I felt he should have instead devoted the answers to the correct solution and the reasoning behind the solution instead of putting up these additional answers to volumes I don't have and don't intend to purchase. The index and the glossary do the same thing; they pull material from all volumes. It would have benefitted his book if he used that extra space to put in more indexed topics that actually appear in this volume. The result was that the usage of these back pages was disgracefully subpar and inefficient. In addition, the included CD is outdated for macs with OS X. To be fair, I don't know about its functionability on the PC, since I predominately use OS X. From what I've heard the CD is actually one of the most useful parts of the book, so keep this in mind.

In summary if you are a student who is well versed in biology, this book will frustrate you to no end. I acquired the paperback version for $25 from another student of which I felt was not worth that price. The book only functions well as a supplement when you want to read more about the experiments done in biology. It should not be used as the main reading material. In this regard I have to be brutally honest. The book fails miserably. There are many other better bio books to invest your money in and you will know the difference if you've read a few of them.

too much focus on experiments that certain details are not explained as well., December 15, 2005 By Shann Yu "Go Rice Owls!!!"
After acing Introductory Bio the previous year with Campbell & Reece's Biology, I returned this year as an undergrad TA for the same class. The professor had switched to this book, which is by far just a piece of crap next to the Campbell & Reece book.

This textbook seems to put too much emphasis on experiments done in the past that all the material is lost beneath piles and piles of experimental 'abstracts'. I once misunderstood the textbook, specifically on the differences between genes important in developmental biology, and ended up giving wrong information on a Q&A session. I ended up having to spend a lot of time tracking down every single person who had come to the session in order to let them know about the error.

Now I say Campbell & Reece is better because it makes better use of its diagrams and figures in order to clarify points made in the text itself. Freeman does not do as good of a job in this way. I guess it does a mediocre job of enabling you to delve out relationships between experimental results and conclusions that have been deduced from those experiments. But for one who is studying introductory biology I, I do not personally see the purpose of looking at experimental data just yet. With all the definitions and concepts that need to be understood first, the emphasis should not be as much on experiments than on developing concepts and throwing in experiments every once in a while.

Great CD-ROM, Great Information, Interesting Research, December 13, 2005 By Emily K. Nelson "Fantasy geek"
I love biology and the book was a huge help in my lecture class this year. The layout flowed well from one section to the next, and from all the chapters we covered there was very little extraneous data. Everything we needed to know what contained in the chapters and detailed enough to understand the basic concepts. The study questions at the end of the chapter also helped with the basic understanding of the material.

The CD-ROM was extremely helpful with studying for tests or clarifying a chapter that was a bit confusing. For each concept there is a PDF worksheet, a pre-quiz, an animation with video and audio and text, and a post quiz. The CD-Rom was the biggest help in studying for my final, I'm more confident that I will pass because of this CD-ROM.

And on the web tutorial browser used, I had ZERO problems with the program working within my Mozilla Firefox browser. No Netscape needed.

The book isn't perfect for everyone. If your teacher strays from the book in lectures, you may need other sources to help clarify some concepts. My teachers never strayed farther than their own experiences in the field that were very closely related to the topics we were studying at the time. Most cases, the book will be all you need for raw information and the CD-ROM can help clarify a topic even more and help you study for your tests. Don't be afraid of the book, it's large but very much worth the money.

Atlas Human Anatomy Student Consult

2010-09-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

Atlas of Human Anatomy: with Student Consult Access (Netter Basic Science)

This is the first one-volume anatomy atlas by Netter, who has illustrated eight volumes on various parts of the body for the medical and health professions. These volumes are considered classics and are owned by all medical libraries. This new one-volume atlas is a beautifully illustrated book which would be of value to public libraries because of the coverage. The 36-page index makes for easy access to the illustrations. Reference librarians will cheer to have this handy one-volume book. Recommended highly for public libraries, the book clearly outlines the human body and does a better job than any existing atlas.
- Barbara Kormelink, Bay Medical Ctr. Lib., Bay City, Mich.

Product Details:

Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Saunders; 5 edition (May 3, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416059512
ISBN-13: 978-1416059516
Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 1.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.6 pounds

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
The Gold Standard., December 2, 2003 By Sithu Win "Sithu Win, MD"
This is a rather long review of the 3rd Edition.

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy has been considered the standard against which other atlases are compared. It really needs no introduction, so i'll just speak of the pros and cons of this edition compared to other atlases as well as to previous editions.

---Pros compared to other Atlases---

1. Drawings are in vivid "unrealistic" colors. This is in contrast to Grant's atlas, which takes a more "life-like" color scheme. I call this a pro for Netter because it improves contrast and greatly helps in finding and remembering the location of structures. McMinn's is a photographic atlas of dissections, which is great for the lab, but does not nearly cover the content that Netter does. I also find photographs harder to study from.

2. This is first and foremost, an Atlas. There are about 600 pages crammed with drawings. There is virtually no text apart from the labels. The illustrations are generally better, clearer, larger, higher quality, and more plentiful (showing many sections of the same area) than other atlases.

3. Labels galore. Initially some pages may seem intimidating because of the enourmous amount of labelling, but once you get used to it- it's really much better than not enough labels (ie. Grant's). Example: Much easier to find "Pharyngeal Recess" in Netter than Grant's.

---Cons as compared to other Atlases---

1. Expensive. Well, you get what you pay for. It's also gotten more expensive lately for this 3rd edition, very unfortunate. ICON publishing may have raised the price after they took over from Novartis.

2. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to carry two anatomy books: one for text and one for pictures. Grant's is better in this regard as it has "just enough" text to explain the drawings. As I said above, Netter doesn't

---Compared to Previous Editions---

A couple things are new in this edition. And only a couple.

1. About 8 surface anatomy plates at the start of every section done by a different artist. They're okay. Clearly can't replace a dedicated surface anatomy book.

2. New Xray, CT, MRI, etc. plates showing normal radiographic appearance. They're okay I guess, but really useless if you have a dedicated radiology text/atlas, or even if you use some websites.

3. Some labels and drawings were corrected to reflect current knowledge. The index has been significantly improved and expanded.

4. New version 3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy CDROM. Thank god. Finally they've left the medieval times and adopted 1024x768 res and higher quality pictures. Version 2.0 CD had an absurd and useless 640x480. This CDROM is now natively MAC/PC compatible, finally! (btw. Macs rock)

---Three Options---

It comes in 3 formats:

1. Soft-cover only. ISBN 1929007116 ($68.95)

2. Student Combo ISBN 1929007159 ($99.95): Soft-cover + _STUDENT_ edition of v3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy. There is a mistake on Amazon.com in this listing: The student-combo is NOT hardcover. I confirmed this with ICON Publishing and have reported it to Amazon.

3. Hard-cover + v3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy ISBN 1929007213 ($129.95) I thought the Student CD-ROM would be a cut-down version of the full thing. It is NOT. The Student version is the full v3.0 PLUS 250 case-based USMLE style questions and Clinical Correlates. The CD-ROM is clearly improved over the previous versions, but owners of the book may not find any additional benefit as it is almost a straight rip from the book.

Please note. The hardcover and the CD-ROM are not available for individual purchase. They are only available in the 3 options listed above.

---Conclusion---

Owners of the 2nd edition won't find much new in this version. The hefty price is definately not worth an upgrade. However, for first time atlas buyers - this is clearly still the gold standard. I recommend buying the $99 Student Combo version w/ v3.0 Student CD-Rom if you can afford it (since you can't buy the CD-ROM separately later), otherwise go with the Atlas alone. The hard-cover is way too pricey for most students, and the exclusion of the USMLE questions further indicates that it's being marketed as a "Collectors Item" for graduates.

Cheers.

A MUST FOR FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS!!!, August 24, 1996 By A Customer
I am the mother of a first year medical student. My daughter was at a loss in her first month at school - struggling with her Gross Anatomy Course. Our family doctor (he is actually a Neuro-Surgeon) suggested that I purchase Netter's "Atlas of Human Anatomy" swearing that he could never have gone through Anatomy it. I live in Malaysia and my daughter is studying in the Philippines. In both countries, we could not find this book! I found it right here at Amazon! The book was shipped by DHL and it has since been my daughter's bedside companion. She is still struggling with her Anatomy Course...but definitely this book of Netter has helped her SO MUCH. I have read through it myself and realized how difficult it is really to be a doctor. Atlas of Human Anatomy is a genius's work of art. Netter clearly defines the anatomical parts of the human body. Other reference/text books that are of great help to Anatomy students are: Grant's Atlas of Human Anatomy (which also has a Dissector) and Rohen & Yokochi's "Color Atlas of Anatomy" which is a photographic atlas of cadavers - a very good guide for practicals. Both books (Grant's and Rohen's) are found right here at AMAZON

Overrated, April 11, 2005 By Henry Lenzi
Netter's genius shines in the CIBA books, not on this atlas. It lacks fundamental correlations with what today's student must acquaint themselves with: MRI, CT, x-rays, and not to forget physical examination.
I guess the rave is all about only knowing this atlas, and also because older professors only know this atlas. I am not saying this is a bad atlas at all. All I am saying is that there are other choices that integrate information in a more meaningful way for today's medical student.
Our anatomy dissection group had Netter, Sobbotta, Grant's, Yokoshi's, and McMinn's atlases. We found Netter and Sobbotta to have "pretty pictures". Yokoshi had cadaver sections only, but they were executed by anatomy experts. If you followed it, you would get in trouble and section something you shouldn't (we become so appreciative of the human body's simmetry because of that). Same with McMinn's (and we also found some dissections not very inteligible, I might add). Students that displayed avoidance behavior towards dissection, and were more of the "exam cram" types favored Netter (that might also have been because of a lack of curiosity regarding other atlases). But we were not so, we stayed until late in the dissection room, only leaving when the night shift guard *made* us leave.
The atlas that truly delivered a nice view of anatomical *relations* between parts, and had dissections we could follow on the table, and that contained clear correlations with clinical and imaging information (part of our anatomy exam involved not only cadaver but x-rays, CT, and clinical topography) was Grant's Atlas of Anatomy. That was what we discovered trough trial and error. It costs a lot less than some other atlases, and it is underrated, but it delivers much more. But YMMV.

Sanford Guide Antimicrobial Therapy 2010

2010-09-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy, 2010 (Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy (Sanford))

This book is a valuable tool for choosing and prescribing antibiotic therapies. A superb stellar book. A must have book for all Nurse practitioners.

Product Details:

Paperback: 220 pages
Publisher: Antimicrobial Therapy; 40 edition (April 21, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1930808593
ISBN-13: 978-1930808591
Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.5 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces

Most Helpful Customer Reviews:
Getting expensive, May 30, 2010 By jbat "jbat"
Sanford guides had been given out for free in the past. The charge for the "book" in 2000 was about half of the 2010 price. The Sanford website charges 36% of the book's purchase price for postage - outrageous! Amazon had free postage. The pamphlet book is slightly larger than previous editions. I would like the book to be slighly larger for better reading but still pocket size.

The book's style has not really changed over the years and presents up to date info on the current antibiotics needed for infectious diseases.

The abbreviations used for antibiotics to save space should be eliminated and should be spelled out. With a slighly larger book size and better type set this would be possible.

Must Have, June 22, 2010 By PAS
I'm a PA student in my clinical year. This book is a must-have for clinical year and when you begin to practice. It is absolutely necessary to be up to date on the latest antimicrobial treatment. I will buy the latest edition every year I practice in health care.

One of the best antibiotic guides available..., June 15, 2010 By Christian A. Beebe "Dr. Christian Beebe, M.D."
Grab your reading glasses and try the best little antibiotic guide out there. Well cited and using EBM extensively, this little pocket antibiotic guide is a practicing physician's best friend. Allergic to Augmentin or Septra? This guide usually lists recommended alternative antibiotic regimens for a given condition. It also gives suggested starting HAART regimens for HIV. Admiral Sanford started a very good thing, and I use the guide extensively in daily practice (inpt/outpt and ER).