Reviewed by Dr Harry Brown

8th Edition Published 2012

Lowell Goldsmith, Stephen Katz, Barbara Gilchrest, Amy Paller, David Lefell and Klaus Wolf

ISBN 9780071669047 (Book)

Book Price £294.99

https://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/html/0071669043.html

eBook Kindle version http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fitzpatricks-Dermatology-General-Medicine-Edition-ebook/dp/B0080K3QOY/

£280.24

You will probably look at the price of this book and say “wow” and that’s not for me. Now that reaction may well be justified but if you look at the product then equally you may say “wow.” Now I did not review the physical book, I looked at a PDF eBook (An Adobe Digital Edition to be precise) for review which is not available for sale. However if you are interested in a digital edition, Amazon do have a Kindle version available for sale in the UK.

The version I had contained a whopping 3,192 pages which probably gives you a sense of the scale of this resource-it is massive. It is more than just a textbook of dermatology but a huge one stop shop that will satisfy most practicing dermatologists. It is certainly not the book for GPs (unless you have a special interest) or undergraduates but for those doctors who specialise in dermatology and want an all encompassing resource. I can’t guarantee it will cover everything but it should cover most things. One downside of the Adobe Digital edition was the relatively slow scrolling on a reasonably powered PC machine. This is a minor inconvenience and interestingly, I felt more comfortable reading it on the iPad.

The depth of detail is huge, and of course there are loads of pretty pictures to keep the reader happy. I have seen the book before in a previous edition and the current print edition is in two volumes which is likely to take up a lot of space in the bookshelf whereas the electronic version is portable. In fact, it is so portable it can be transferred to a reader on a mobile device. I managed to transfer it to an iPhone and an iPad and reading with the Bluefire reader meant that it was literally in my packet as far as the iPhone was concerned. Obviously using a Kindle app or reader offers the same portability.

If you want to read in depth on a dermatology topic, this is certainly a place to come or if you want to look up a rarity. Another way of understanding the depth is to check out the contents-look here https://www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/html/0071669043.html Or read a specific chapter –take for example Pityriasis Rosea, this was a superb review of a problem we sometimes see in primary care. This was easy to read, in depth and relevant to clinical care.

Of course there is Google which will lead to free resources but some may be of dubious origin whereas this is far more trustworthy and can be found in one place. Of course the big downside here is the large price tag; this is only justifiable if much of your professional life is involving dermatology as a doctor.

It’s very expensive but high quality and hugely in depth-but if you think you will refer to this resource on a very frequent basis (likely to be doctors working in the main in dermatology) then it is worth considering. Also bear in mind it is primarily a US centric book though still relevant to UK care.

Dr Harry Brown

May 2014