5^th Edition

Edited by Jeffrey Callen, Joseph Jorizzo and others

ISBN 978-0-323-35829-3

Published by Elsevier (May 2016)

Price £108.99

http://www.elsevierhealth.co.uk/dermatological-signs-of-systemic-disease-9780323358293.html

This excellent book will naturally appeal to two distinct schools of physicians, namely dermatologists and general physicians (are there any left?) who want to brush up on their dermatological skills which have a bearing on general diseases. There is a fascinating connection between skin conditions and internal disorders and this book is an excellent connection between the two specialties. This book is a relatively slim volume of 460 pages but it packs a lot of information and knowledge within its covers.

It is a well produced and informative book, with an impressive array of contributors but it is very readable and user friendly. This is just as well as the subject matter in this area can be diverse and spread around and yet this book manages to unite this topic under the one roof. There are 48 chapters and many if not all of them are interesting enough to dip into, in their own right. For example, chapter 44 is nail signs of systemic disease whilst the following chapter is about oral disease.

As would be expected from a well produced dermatology book, there are ample high quality photographs of skin lesions which neatly illustrate the readable text. The text is broken up into smaller paragraphs which makes it neater on the eye and easier to access quickly. I personally found the subject matter very interesting, relevant and I am sure there are a large number of people who would be interested in accessing the book’s content.

This book is a member of the publisher’s excellent on line stable, ExpertConsult.com and bundled with the purchase price is access to a web version of this book, as well as an ebook for a smartphone or tablet based app. The web version is easy to use but at the time of writing this review, the ebook was not yet available.

It is not a large textbook but an accessible book and it can be used both as a reference text and something that can be easily opened up and a single chapter read. It is not cheap but for an interested reader who would value the subject matter, this book will not disappoint.

 

Dr Harry Brown

June 2016