This review is made from a single volume (volume 2 C‐F) supplied. Being of a somewhat squeamish nature I have chosen not to delve into too great detail in this title. Even the very informative entry on the common cold (“it is estimated that the average person has more than 50 colds during a lifetime”: the author of that should try living here where 50 a year seems nearer the mark) I thought would be safe goes into some rather messy detail of what exactly is happening to us with the condition. That is really the problem (or, of course, virtue) of a very clearly and plainly written work such as this: we are told very graphically exactly what is happening to or in (or on) our bodies and why. Technical terminology is used, as it has to be, although generally accepted and common terms are used as far as possible; key terms for each entry are defined in boxes while many terms have their own entries anyway, with cross‐references to them indicated by their appearing in bold in the text.
So we have a pretty detailed five‐volume work which is, to judge by the way it is written, aimed primarily at the general user rather than the expert. That does make me wonder whether a large reference work of this nature dealing with potentially fatal subjects is really best suited to a general audience. Surely, when an illness goes beyond our common experience or the simpler medical reference books, the next step is a trip to the doctor, not to a more detailed reference book. But the publishers have thought of that objection and preface each volume with a warning which is also a statement of what they think the book is for:
The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine is a medical reference product designed to inform and educate readers about a wide variety of disorders, conditions, treatments, and diagnostic tests. Gale Research believes the product to be comprehensive, but not necessarily definitive. It is intended to supplement, not replace, consultation with a physician or other health care practitioner …. They are also advised to seek professional diagnosis and treatment for any medical condition, and to discuss information obtained from this book with their health care provider.
In fact it is not difficult to think of instances where the kind of information given here would be of value, in specific or controlled circumstances.
This is a large work aiming to fill a gap between the family medical guide and the technical and professional literature. It covers more than 1,600 topics, including 893 diseases and disorders, 249 tests and 360 treatments. I would feel a lot happier if there were at least 893 treatments: must I really suppose that 533 of the diseases or disorders are untreatable? In fact, of course, I can be reassured by the standard “treatment” sub‐heading under each entry for a disease or disorder. The contents are the result of thorough consultation with the book’s medical advisers. Certainly, judging by the volume provided, the coverage seems both thorough and wide‐ranging. The index volume has not been supplied for review, so I shall take on trust its ability to start with the terminology of the sufferer or user and guide them to the relevant article. Direct access is initially made through the alphabetical arrangement of entries. And apparently I have my own terminology wrong here: what I have referred to as cross‐references in bold type in the text are in fact “print hyperlinks”, while cross‐references are terms in the alphabetical sequence not having their own entry but referring to others (such as Congenital defects see Birth defects; Cretinism see Hypothyroidism). The key terms defined within entries have been mentioned above.
The entries themselves are, as already indicated, very full and comprehensive. They do manage to explain everything in terms suitable for the adult layperson. Layouts are standardised, so that each entry for a disease, for example, is structured into definition, description, causes and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention. “Resources” complete each entry with references to non‐technical medical books and to the major journal literature (so that, for example, Creutzfeld‐Jakob disease has two books and three papers, from the New England Journal of Medicine, Science and Scientific American). Finally, the “Resources” section has a directory of relevant organisations (for the same entry there are two: the Creutzfeld‐Jakob Disease Foundation and the UK Creutzfeld‐Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit). Normally at this point I would be dismissing these as American‐biased and of limited value here, but disease is international and in fact UK and other bodies are listed, and the provision of Website addresses wherever available makes this a useful resource anywhere.
So, the result would seem to be another major reference work. Certainly it is one that is easy to consult and is both constructed and written in practical, factual, accessible terms. That, coupled with its encyclopaedic coverage authenticated by medical advisers, suggests a work likely to be of great value and probably constantly referred to in major public reference collections.
