The Merck Manual of Medical Information (Merck Manual of Medical Information Home Edition (Trade Paper))

The team of nearly 200 experts, consultants, and authors has assembled a body of information so vast that listing select items fails to do it justice. The Merck Manual provides reams of useful medical information, ranging from fundamentals such as anatomy to crisp, easily understood descriptions of complicated diseases. Clear drawings of basic anatomical details and helpful sidebars that define terms and proffer advice are invaluable features, as is the up-to-date counsel on choosing the right form of exercise.

The Merck Manual's 30-page section on drugs is itself an excellent resource. Here you'll find descriptions of the biological impact of high-powered pharmaceuticals, plus a table of drugs that put the elderly at risk. Its five appendixes on such topics as legal issues and commonly used medical terms segue handily into a guide of institutions that offer information and counseling for a multitude of medical conditions. This exhaustive volume clarifies both the workings of the human body and the geography of its demise, not to mention Western medicine's solutions to its failures. If knowledge is power, buy this book to arm yourself with a world of information.

Product Description
Over 1,000 pages of in-depth medical information! One of the most widely used sources of medical information in the world, The Merck Manual had previously been written for doctors and health-care professionals—not the general public. Now The Merck Manual—Home Edition contains virtually all of the information in the physician’s version, but in easy-to-understand, everyday language, with a reader-friendly format.

Written by two hundred internationally respected medical experts, this best-selling reference presents in-depth information for almost all medical problems, including:

- Heart disease
- Digestive disorders
- Cancer
- Nutrition problems
- AIDS
- Hormonal problems
- Infections
- Men’s, women’s, and children’s health issues
- Mental health disorders
- And more!

The most complete medical book of its kind, The Merck Manual—Home Edition is an essential volume for every household.

Recently my son was diagnosed on the phone by our pediatrician with chicken pox and it was made clear that they did not want to see him for a physical exam. I was given a tiny bit of information by the office staff but was still curious for more information. I spent over an hour surfing the Internet looking for information but found watered down information, repeated many times over on multiple websites, including some written by physicians intended for laypeople to use. I looked at my parenting books written by doctors (one titled "The Portable Pediatrician", no less) and was still lacking any substantial information. When I consulted the Merck Manual home edition, (which I had forgotten I bought recently and had not yet used), I was surprised at the level of information given. There are many details that I had not found elsewhere, such as number of days from exposure to outbreak, how long it takes the pox to change from first appearance to crusted over, about how long the infection lasts, and treatment suggestions. Reasons why some children have a mild outbreak vs. a severe outbreak were even provided, something I had not found anywhere else.

The information here is not dumbed down in that it is not so vague that it is not useful. There is a lot of information here but it is written in a style for the layperson to understand. I appreciated the writing style, which presents information to the non-physician without putting on airs.

Anyone who, like me, prefers to gather information and learn about things rather than making a call or office visit to their doctor to get just one opinion will appreciate owning this book. At about 1500 pages it covers many illnesses and ailments. If you are interested in this book I suggest you buy it so that you have it at your fingertips 24 hours a day, for whatever may arise. I am not suggesting this take the place of a doctor, but I know from working with physicians that there are certain calls that are non-emergent in nature that are not appreciated when the office is closed!

If you are looking for a book about children's ailments that encompasses not only western medicine but lists an array of other treatment methods, I suggest Smart Medicine for a Healthier Child: A Practical A-To-Z Reference to Natural and Conventional Treatments for Infants and Children by Janet Zand. I found this to be an excellent companion to the Merck manual, home edition. The Merck manual gives more information about the disease or ailment itself through a Western medicine viewpoint while the Zand's books' specialty is sharing treatment options grouped by category (herbal, homeopathic, western, etc.).


Excellent Medical Information Source For Every Home !   April 27, 2000
Irvin Goodman
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

This hardbound 1,509 page authoritative health care encyclopedia will serve you well. Designed for home use, it covers every major medical/health care topic. Complete table of contents, and well indexed (over 11,000 entries) to make finding the information easy. Major topics range from Anatomy, Drugs, Bone, Joint and Muscle Disorders to Disorders of Skin, Eyes, Immune System, and Children's Health Issues. Many informative tables are provided. You'll find clear, easy to understand answers to most of your health questions. Even though I am a health professional and have access to the standard Merck Manual, I keep this volume at home for ready reference and refer to it often. Well worth the price. There are many books on the market about health care topics, but this one IS AUTHORITATIVE !


A Book Everybody Should Have Around!   May 30, 2003
12 out of 12 found this review helpful

This is a wonderful summary of general medical information written in simple terms so this is a great addition to the family. It is very current in describing medical understanding of a variety of illnesses, and it provides a solid foundation upon which you can start doing more research on the Internet for the condition that you may be interested in finding about. It even suggests temporary remedies and puts you in charge of how you are treated by the medical profession. This is a must have book to keep around!


An Excellent Source of Medical Information   July 29, 1999
Gilbert C. Rice (GCR@prodigy.net) (Steubenville, OH)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful

This book acts as an excellent source of information for both the consumer and the professional. The book's format is easy to understand, yet it provides enough information to make a good understanding about a broad range of medical issues. I would recommend the book to anyone who is looking for a good source of medical information.


Comprehensive AND comprehensible   August 30, 2001
Lillian R. Rodberg (Allentown, PA)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful

Let me start with my own qualifications for reviewing this invaluable book: 25 years' editing and indexing of professional medical texts and reference books; 20 years of creating "translations from the medicalese" for the rest of us; 3 years as consulting reviewer for an online health publication.
In this work, I use both the "senior" Merck Manual, which is written for professionals (though many nonprofessionals have been referred to it by librarians and such), and this recently developed "home" version, which I can't praise highly enough. It is literally the first text I have encountered that provides essential medical information in terms the average educated person can understand, WITHOUT writing down to people. It covers all the basic diseases and conditions and many unusual ones, including prevention where prevention is possible. Clear, understandable charts cover such topics as common blood and laboratory tests. The index is superb, so finding things is easy, whether you are coming at the topic by way of some medical jawbreaker your doctor has mentioned (myocardial infarction) or by way of what most people call it (heart attack). Any household would benefit from having this reference on its bookshelves. Even as a professional, I look in this edition first and tackle "Papa Merck" or a specialized textbook only if I need more than the basic information.