The Textbook of Internal Medicine. Volumes 1 and 2

The rate at which the field of internal medicine is advancing certainly necessitates a text that is both complete and up to date. While there are many such texts on the market, The Textbook of Internal Medicine seems to be a refreshing new addition to the ones available. Its depth of coverage and novel style will most certainly allow it to find a niche in an environment heavily populated by internal medicine texts. Hundreds of physicians and scientist-authors, each an expert in the field, have contributed to this 529-chapter comprehensive volume. Since the book is divided by subspecialty, it has a systems-oriented approach, rather than the disease-oriented approach used by other texts. All subspecialties in internal medicine are covered, including cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, allergy, rheumatology, dermatology, oncology, hematology, infectious disease, pulmonary medicine and critical care, endocrinology, metabolism, genetics, neurology, and geriatrics. Each specialty is divided into three subsections. The first reviews the pathophysiology and the scientific basis of the subspecialty. In the second, the various diseases are described in detail. The third subsection covers approaches to the diagnosis and management of the patient. Assessment of the technical areas related to the subspecialty as well as recent advances are also included. The new text is comparable to Harrison's Textbook ofIntemal Medicine in depth of coverage and in detail. The articles possess good reference lists but, as in all texts, the most recent citations are a few years old. Some topics that receive extra emphasis in Kelley's are geriatrics, oncology, and hematology. The Textbook ofIntemal Medicine is well organized and highly readable, making it useful to practicing physicians and medical students alike. The book is available as a rather large single text or as a two-volume set. Since Kelley's as well as Harrison's texts are written by recognized experts, they are probably equivalent. The new volume should serve as an excellent reference.