Online Medical Reference System (OMRS)

Medical Reference Books

These reference books contain a paragraph up to a page or two of information on specific diseases. Some of the resources are general, providing information on more than one type of disease. Others are specific, providing information on a specific category of disease. Some are written for the lay person and some are written for the healthcare professional. You may want to look in more than one book.

Medical Reference Books - General

Alternative Medicine: the definitive guide

This book mainly discusses alternative treatment therapies. However, Part Three: Health Conditions, contains brief descriptions of common diseases.

Reference
WB
890
A466
1994

American Medical Association Complete Medical Encyclopedia

Published by the American Medical Association, the AMA Complete Medical Encyclopedia is designed to help you both in sickness and in health. It is arranged in A-Z order and covers symptoms and self-diagnosis; diseases and other disorders and problems; and caring for the sick. It includes cross-references and is well-indexed.

Reference
W
13
A5118
2003

Health Care Almanac: every person's guide to the thoughtful and practical sides of medicine

This almanac is divided into three sections.  The first, organized alphabetically, provides the names and addresses of organizations related to a specific health care subject.  The second sections outlines the major administrative units of the American Medical Association.  The third section contains a source list and index.  This is a useful resource when only brief information is needed.

Reference
W
13
H433
1998

Conn's Current Therapy

Published annually, this book is intended to serve primary care physicians. Most entries are several pages long. The content of each entry varies depending on the author, but diagnosis and treatment are included in each one. The authors of each topic are experts in that area. The sections are organized based on organ systems.

Ready Reference
WB
300
C93

Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment

CMDT is published annually. It covers all fields of internal medicine emphasizing the practical features of diagnosis and patient management. It is organized chiefly by organ system. Each disease entry includes essentials of diagnosis, general considerations, clinical findings, differential diagnosis, complications, treatment, prognosis and references. Bibliographic references are included.

Ready Reference
WO
100
C976

Current Surgical Diagnosis & Treatment

CSDT is intended to serve as a source of information about diseases managed by surgeons. The book is organized chiefly by organ system. The main sections containing body system topics are chapters 15 through 45. General information chapters include information on preoperative care, postoperative care and surgical complications. Bibliographic references are included.

Ready Reference and Dykes Library Stacks
WO
100
C976

Dictionary of Medical Syndromes

This dictionary contains information on medical syndromes. Syndromes are arranged alphabetically. Entries can be a paragraph to a page in length. Each entry includes synonyms, symptoms and signs, etiology, pathology, diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis. A short bibliography is also included with each entry. The bibliography contains a citation to the first article describing a syndrome. All of the syndrome names and their synonyms are included in the index.

Ready Reference
WB
15
M188d
1997

Diseases

Written for nurses, Diseases emphasizes patient care and education. Each disease entry includes causes, complications, assessment findings, diagnostic tests, treatment, key nursing diagnoses, specific nursing interventions and patient teaching guidelines. Illustrations, photographs, and charts are included throughout the text.

Ready Reference
WY
100
D6112
2001

Jablonski's Dictionary of Syndromes & Eponymic Diseases

This is an alphabetical listing of syndromes and eponymic diseases. There is no index. Each entry includes synonyms, a brief definition and bibliographic references. A few illustrations are also included. Jablonski's is also available online.

Ready Reference
WB
15
J13i
1991

Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy

The primary purpose of this manual is to provide useful clinical information to practicing physicians, medical students, interns, residents and other health care professionals. Diseases are organized mainly by organ system affected, by etiology, or by discipline. Clinical procedures, diagnostic tests and current therapy are discussed for each disease or disorder.  The seventeenth edition of this book is available online from the publishers.

Ready Reference
WB
100
M555
1999

Professional Guide to Diseases

Although written for medical professionals, this book is also useful to the lay public. It is organized by major diseases and body systems. Each chapter includes an introduction summarizing normal physiology and function before reviewing pathophysiology. Each disease entry includes a concise definition, causes, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and special considerations. Bibliographic references are included at the end of each chapter.

Ready Reference
WB
39
P964
1998

Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms

Actual diseases or disorders are not covered in this book. However, this book can help you determine if an existing condition is a sign or symptom of a disease or disorder. Each entry begins with an introduction that defines and describes the sign or symptom, discusses its significance and incidence, and summarizes its possible causes. The introduction is followed by sections on history taking, medical causes, special considerations, and pediatric pointers.

Ready Reference
WY
39
P964
2001

Medical Reference Books - Specific

Asthma Sourcebook

This sourcebook includes consumer health information including symptoms, therapies, statistics, research, genetics, a glossary as well as a directory of support services.

Reference
WF
39
A853
2000

Birth Defects Encyclopedia

This encyclopedia is a comprehensive, systematic, illustrated compilation of birth defect information. Extensive cross-referencing and a master index are included. Over two thousand articles on specific birth defect conditions and complex syndromes are included. Each article follows a standard format that includes thirty elements. These elements are described and explained in the instructions for use on p. liii.

Reserve
QS
13
B619
1990

Cancer Sourcebook

This book contains basic information on cancer types, symptoms, diagnostic methods, and treatments. The information in it has been created specifically for the understanding of the lay public.

Reference
QZ
200
C217398
2000

DSM-IV-TR: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders

The DSM-IV-TR is published by the American Psychiatric Association. This is the updated version of the DSM-IV, meant to bridge the gap between the DSM-IV and the DSM-V.  Its main purpose is to provide clear descriptions of the diagnostic categories in mental disorders. The diagnostic codes and their use are explained in detail. However, information other than diagnostic features is also included with many entries.

Ready Reference
WM
15
D536
2000

Everyone's Guide to Cancer Therapy: How Cancer is Diagnosed, Treated, and Managed Day to Day

This guide to cancer therapy is written for the lay public. It explains early detection of cancer, how a malignancy develops, tumor stages and how each tumor is best treated. It also explains clearly and simply what to expect from the various forms of cancer therapy. Also included are sections on how individuals can cope and contribute to their own well-being during treatment and recovery.

Ready Reference
QZ
201
D665
2002

Management of Wilderness and Environmental Emergencies

This book is written for health care professionals. Its purpose is to provide the clinician with a body of knowledge concerned with the interactions between people and the natural environment. Thirty six chapters cover a wide range of environmental emergencies including altitude illness, envenomations, poisonous plant ingestions, cold injuries, sun exposure, lightening injuries, etc. It includes illustrations and bibliographic references.

Reference
WB
105
M266
1989

Mendelian Inheritance in Man-a Catalog of Human Genes and Genetic Disorders

MIM is an encyclopedia of human genes and the disorders and other traits with which they are associated. It has been continuously updated for over 30 years. The text of each entry provides a description of the phenotype, gene product and /or gene, and discusses the nature of the basic defect. Included in this discussion is the pathophysiology, pathogenesis, genetics, diagnosis and clinical management of the disorder. An extensive preface, with appendices, contains useful information including gene maps. An electronic version is also available, maintained by Johns Hopkins University. This electronic version, OMIM, is full text, updated weekly and searchable by key word.

Reference
ZQZ
50
M159m
1998
v. 1-2

Merck Manual of Geriatrics

This manual is a practical handbook covering all aspects of disease and clinical management of elderly patients. The first section covers diagnosis of common presentations of illness in older patients. Broad management approaches specific to the elderly are covered in section two. Section three, the largest, covers the organ systems, with emphasis on age-related concerns. Another section covers special issues such as social, ethical, financial and legal issues. The third edition is also available online.

Ready Reference
WT
39
M555
2000

Outpatient Medicine

Aimed at residents, this book contains concise reviews that address the most common clinical questions encountered in an adult medicine clinic. It is not intended to be a substitute for a comprehensive ambulatory medicine textbook. Introductory chapters survey general aspects of ambulatory care and preventive medicine. The rest of the book is organized by organ system. Each disease entry includes epidemiology, etiology, clinical approach, management, follow-up, cross-references, and bibliographic references.

WX
205
O942
1998

Physicians' Guide to Rare Diseases

This guide is arranged in sections based on disease categories. Each major section begins with an overview article written by a specialist. Each entry includes a description, synonyms, signs and symptoms, etiology, epidemiology, related disorders, treatment, references and resources. The resources include research institutes and support groups. Also featured are a full-color atlas of visual diagnostic signs, a directory of orphan drugs and a detailed index. The disease you are interested in may be in here even if you do not consider it rare.

Ready Reference
WB
39
P578
1995

Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases

Also known as the Pediatric Red Book, this book is published by the Committee on Infectious Diseases of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It is published approximately every three years. Much of the book deals with immunization. However, section three contains summaries of infectious diseases. Each disease entry includes clinical manifestations, etiology, epidemiology, diagnostic tests, treatment, isolation of patients, and control measures.

Ready Reference
WC
100
A5115rc
2003