Johns Hopkins Family Health Book: The Essential Home Medical Reference to Help You and Your Family Promote Good Health and Manage Illnessl [Hardcover]

While many of the 500 illustrations are not for the squeamish, this reference is incredibly useful, especially for the elderly or couples who are expecting or have small children. For each disorder and illness, the editors have included information on typical and rare symptoms, tests a doctor may request for diagnosis, what you can do for home treatment, when to call the doctor, and prognoses. The "Preparing for Surgery" section should calm the worries of anyone about to go under anesthesia. The only gripe? A pronunciation guide would have been nice (leishmaniasis and paronychia don't exactly roll off the tongue), especially given that one of the best chapters is called "Becoming a Partner in Your Health Care" and focuses on doctor-patient communication.

Organized into five major areas, the guide begins by covering the basic components of good health--diet, exercise, safety, and disease prevention. This is followed by an examination of health issues specific to each life stage from conception to death. Another section covers body systems and disorders. The function of each system, as well as associated disorders, their causes, symptoms, treatment, and prevention, is described. This section is enhanced by a "Color Atlas" illustrating various body systems, conditions, and poisonous plants. Part 3, "First Aid and Emergency Care," provides clear instructions, accompanied by illustrations, from handling simple cuts and bruises to more life-threatening emergencies. Guidance on choosing a health-care provider, a discussion of health-insurance options, issues surrounding death and dying, treatment options, and patients' rights are covered in a section called "Taking Charge of Your Health Care." Each section includes information about related professional and support organizations.

The appendixes contain a medication directory of the 80 most commonly prescribed drugs. Each drug's generic name, purpose, and side effects are provided. There are a glossary of commonly used medical terms, growth charts, a list of laboratory tests and their normal values, and sample forms for living wills and advance medical directives. The alphabetical index highlights symptoms in red and main entries in boldface.

The clearly written text is supplemented throughout by more than 300 two-and four-color illustrations, photographs, sidebars, diagrams, charts, and graphs. Cross-references guide the user to all related information.

This outstanding work truly reflects the reputation of its institution of origin. It includes information on the latest advances in treatment for erectile dysfunction, HIV, specific cancers, and other diseases and conditions, as well as in-depth discussion of genetic testing and cancer research. Each topic is thoroughly explained in language that can be understood by the layperson. The text, illustrations, extensive coverage of universal health issues, and timeliness of the information serve to make this title a strong contender in the field of consumer health guides. The somewhat older Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide (3d ed., Crown, 1995) and The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book (2d ed., Morrow, 1996) are also very useful; all three have unique features. The Johns Hopkins Family Health Book is highly recommended for public libraries and hospital libraries providing consumer health information.