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| Book Reviews | ||
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ARCH DERMATOL - July 1995 • THE SCHOCH LETTER - August 1995 |
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| ARCH
DERMATOL Volume 131 July 1995 |
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Dermatological
Differential Diagnosis and Pearls
By H. Eliot Y. Ghatan, 320 pp, with illus, $29.95, Pearl River, NY, Parthenon Publishing, 1994. As an encyclopedia manual of differential diagnosis of skin lesions, Ghatan's Dermatological Differential Diagnosis and Pearls is an extremely useful softcover reference for both practicing dermatologists and dermatology residents faced with the arduous task of classifying cutaneous diseases into clinical groups. Practitioners can use this book for expanding any differential diagnosis, especially in difficult cases where initial management is unsuccessful. Residents will also find this book beneficial as part of an organized study plan and in the preparation of differential diagnoses for those classic patient conferences. To facilitate ease of use as a reference, the author maintains alphabetical order throughout. Part one devotes itself to the art of differential diagnoses and is subdivided into five sections according to the following scheme: primary lesion, secondary features, morphological eruptions, regional eruptions, and pediatric differential diagnosis. Subclassifications are presented according to the mnemonic. "Vitamin HC" (vascular, infectious, traumatic, allergic, medications/metabolic, idiopathic, hematologic, congential), making memorization even easier. Part two contains a listing of important facts presented in eight exhaustive and innovatively organized sections. Among the listings are drug eruptions by morphology and cause, cutaneous signs of internal disease, dermatopathologic pearls, nutritional disorders, dermatoses of pregnancy, "old age and the skin," as well as "body systems and skin disorders," to name a few. An abundance of important clinical information is succinctly and logically summarized in this user-friendly book. Compared with other compendia of its sort, I have found this source to be complete, very well-organized, and extremely versatile. As a "book of lists," one would not be inclined to read this manual from cover to cover. Its utility as a reference source rapidly becomes clear to the user who will want to consult it regularly for patient care, especially in a tertiary care setting; however, its greatest value is as an aid for resident teaching and dermatology board review. Charles R.
Taylor, MD |
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| THE
SCHOCH LETTER Volume 45, Number 8 August 1995 |
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| The Voice of the Clinical Dermatologist | ||
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TWO
BOOK REVIEWS FROM THE PARTHENON PRESS
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| As the world turns it gets older and older and more original and exciting. Today two 1994 books arrived from the Parthenon Press. I am impressed constantly by the unique approaches adopted by our younger colleagues and these books whet my appetite for more of their publications. The dry books of our predecessors are being forced into the background as these tyros demonstrate what they can do. Since these books deserve individual reviews, here they are: | ||
| "AN ILLUSTRATED DICTIONARY OF DERMATOLOGIC SYNDROMES" by SUSAN BAYLISS MALLORY and SUSANA LEALKHOURI." | ||
| This is an elegant
book with beautiful illustrations. The pertinent references are included
In the descriptions. Each entity is illustrated by a single colored
example. As noted In the forward by Walter Shelley, .'This compilation
of over 700 syndromes can provide endless variations on the skin diseases
you see in your practice. For instance, the icththyosis section has
24 variations, the epidermolyisis bullosa section ha 27 different
types and there are 49 aberrations of the nail plate. " The only
problem Is how do you find the syndrome manifested by the patient
In front of you? The authors have listed the syndromes alphabetically.
This is a problem that they will have to solve. Perhaps a regional listing of the most important features might be best even though this would lead to some duplications. If you want to impress your colleagues with your erudition, memorize this book, and you will shine at every meeting. |
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| "DERMATOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS AND PEARLS" by H. ELIOT Y. GHATAN | ||
| Dr. Ghatan's book is the poor man's guide to memorizing facts about our specialty. It is difficult to accept the fact that this smaller book contains even more obscure facts than the book reviewed above. Both books are written in tabular form. This publication features a paper cover, no illustrations and reminds one of mnemonics. It has a section on "Dermatological Trivial Pursuit" where I learned that there is a "Epstein's Pearl." But then, senility is nothing to be ashamed about. It is merely when your physical being outlives your mind. When I first examined this book. I thought that this would be the ideal way to find questions to ask on the Board examination. Later, I was astounded to learn that I had been scooped by the publisher advising that this book is the best way to prepare for that examination. It is a shame that medical schools stress memory while the practice of medicine requires thought more than memory. More stress on originality in the schools would produce better, more interested doctors but obviously thought is worthless chaos without the background of what we learn in the halls of the universities. I must add two apologies. One, for the brevity of the reviews but print type is not made of rubber. Secondly, so is time, hence the long nine months wait between receiving the books and publishing these reviews is unavoidable. -EE | ||
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