Susan Burge, Rubeta Matin and Dinny Wallis

Published by Oxford University Press (September 2016)

2^nd edition

ISBN: 9780198747925

Price £32.99

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/oxford-handbook-of-medical-dermatology-9780198747925

Well this book is yet another offspring from the well known and highly regarded Oxford handbook series and to be honest that speaks volumes, that is if you aware of the series. Like the many other fellow titles in this impressive series, it is compact with a soft cover, easily portable and is highly useful. The title is interesting, it contains the phrase “medical dermatology” rather than just simple “dermatology” if this confuses you then don’t worry as it is an excellent and practical review of dermatology. Of course, there are many superb, richly illustrated and massively detailed textbooks of dermatology out there but they can be expensive and maybe too in depth for some users. This is very much a support book to help you get the best for the patient in front of you – no different from any other book in this excellent series.

It starts off on the inside cover with a simple method of describing a skin lesion and this is a great reminder for those that knew how to do it and it is only 2 pages. This practical and informative style continues throughout the book and tackles the subject in a more focussed and practical way. Think of this book as a support network to help you diagnose and manage a skin condition in a logical fashion. For example, some paragraphs are titled “what should I look for” or “what should I do” questions that we often ask ourselves! Of course, this supplies the answers in a way to help you manage a specific patient.

Despite its seemingly compact size –it packs an awful lot of wisdom within its 693 pages making this a portable and very useful book, designed to be used frequently. The same ethos is found throughout the excellent Oxford Handbook series and this book is no exception. A wide audience is likely to find this book useful including medical students, GPs their registrars, dermatologists in training as well as physicians in other specialities wanting a book that will help them in diagnosing and managing skin conditions. As always it is keenly priced and I think represents very good value for money. It is up-to-date, accessible and has good quality colour pictures and to be honest, it is difficult to find a criticism of this excellent book.

Dr Harry Brown

November 2016