The Dictionary of Modern Medicine

The Dictionary ofModem Medicine is a well-presented reference book. It is easily readable and clearly illustrated. This volume, however, may be more accurately described as a small encyclopedia of modern issues in medicine. While it sets forth many interesting stories behind terms used to describe medicine's role in society, it is less successful in serving as a traditional dictionary of technical terms. This book contains a diverse collection of medical syndrome descriptions probably found in no other compendium. It defines everything from Club Med dernatitis ("A photodermatitis ... in a subject who played a 'drinking game' in which participants rolled limes up and down their thighs: furocoumarin elicits erythema and vesicula-tion if the exposed skin is subsequently exposed to light") and Chinese restaurant syndrome ("[A]n autosomal recessive trait caused by sensitivity to monosodium glutamate") to Piblokto ("A transient hysterical reaction in Eskimo women, in which the subjects rip off their clothes in sub-zero weather, emitting animal and bird sounds .. , a reaction that is postulated to stem from long-standing repression of the personality of the Eskimo female, whose status is that of property"). Similarly, the dictionary is well versed in the social issues of medicine. It describes Dr. X ("A surgeon suspected of causing the untimely demise of 30-40 patients ... in New Jersey ... allegedly administering curare as part of his modus operandi"), Guam ("An island ... the native inhabitants ... of which have had their brains poked and prodded by Japanese and American neuropathologists, who wonder why this population is so susceptible to the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-Parkinson's-Alzheimer's dementia complex"), and Skimping ("Delaying or denial of services to members of a prepaid or 'capped' health plan as a means of controlling costs"). Current issues in medicine are surprisingly up to date. Topics in today's headlines can be found in this dictionary. ddI (an anti-AIDS drug), RU486 (a controversial abortifacient), and the Gag rule (a rule preventing physicians funded by Title X from providing abortion counselling, upheld in Rust v. Sullivan, decided in May 1991) are examples. Although general issues of medicine and topics of current interest are well covered, the bulk of the dictionary involves more standard medical terms. These are described without resort to excessive jargon, and many newer terms are referenced to the literature. This dictionary is not, however, a book to be sought out as an answer to questions regarding technical terms. While the more …