Book Reviews

Big things come in small packagesThe Osler Medical Handbook, Second Edition edited by Kent R. NilssonJr and Jonathan P. Piccini. Saunders Elsevier, 2006. US$49.95

(xxviii + 1039 pages) ISBN 0 323 03748 8

James Kleshinski

Department of Medicine, Medical University of Ohio, Toledo, OH 43614, USA

Update TRENDS in Endocrinology and Metabolism Vol.17 No.7

The second edition of The Osler MedicalHandbook is an excellent resource formedical students, residents, practicingphysicians and other health care provi-ders wanting a general overview of com-mon problems in medicine. The handbookcontains a tremendous amount of clini-cally practical information for its portablesize and is more robust than the firstedition, with nearly 40 new chapters.

Through a special pin number provided in each copy ofthe handbook, one bonus of the second edition is the abilityto download the entire content of the book (as well as othersupplemental book chapters not included in the paperbackversion) to a PDA. This very practical feature provides the‘wireless physician’ with a swift reference of informationin the clinic or hospital setting.

The second edition is extremely well written andsystematic in presentation. Each chapter begins with ‘fastfacts’ about a particular topic and then describes, when app-licable, the associated epidemiology, clinical presentation,diagnosis and management strategy. Each chapter con-cludes with summary bullet points of ‘pearls and pitfalls’,followed by an extensive and complete list of references.Noteworthy, each listed reference is given a ‘strength ofevidence’ category (lettered A through D) that describes thesource of the reference (e.g. randomized, double-blinded orplacebo-controlled trial, prospective or retrospective trial,case report, review paper, expert opinion or other source).

The first part of the book covers the essentials of acutepatient care, including concepts of advanced cardiac lifesupport, as well as typical procedures performed in theclinical setting, such as arthrocentesis, lumbar puncture,paracentesis, thoracentesis, and placement of arterial and

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Corresponding author: Kleshinski, J. (jkleshinski@meduohio.edu)Available online 21 July 2006.

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venous catheter. Each procedure is described with respectto indications, contraindications, complications and theappropriate technique used to successfully perform theprocedure. A section on nutritional support and radiologicimaging is also included, which is a plus, as these topics areoften not covered in other handbooks of this nature.

The heart of the handbook is the second part, whichdetails diagnostic and therapeutic information by specialtycovering the whole spectrum from cardiology, pulmonologyand critical caremedicine, gastroenterology, neurology andpsychiatry, nephrology, infectious diseases, rheumatology,hematology and oncology, to endocrinology and dermato-logy. A notable feature in this section is the inclusion ofcolor plates of dermatologic disorders which are of excep-tional quality. Throughout the book, multiple well-laid-outtables, figures and flow diagrams are incorporated.

The third part of the manual covers comparativepharmacology and includes dosing tables for narcotics,corticosteroids, proton pump inhibitors, anticoagulants,cardiovascular therapies, and oral and injectable diabeticmedications. It contains a great deal of valuable informa-tion which will be quite useful to the reader. The last partof the book includes a helpful list of common equations thata practicing physician might use on a frequent basis.

Overall, although it might be too superficial for thepracticing endocrinologist because of its broad scope,The Osler Medical Handbook is an outstanding pocket orshelf resource. The book will be especially useful for thoseneeding timely, clinically relevant information on broadmedical issues encountered in daily practice and at thebedside.

1043-2760/$ – see front matter � 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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