Magill’s Medical Guide, 9th Edition

A National Health Information Award Winner

Since 1995, Magill’s Medical Guide has been acclaimed by every major reference reviewer, and has become a staple in high school, college, medical school and public libraries. Magill’s Medical Guide is the perfect mix of accessibility and depth, providing general readers with an authoritative reference source that helps bridge the gap between medical encyclopedias for professionals and popular self-help guides. It is an up-to-date and easy-to-use compendium of medical information suitable for student research as well as use by general readers, including patients and caregivers.

The 1,316 entries in this encyclopedia describe major diseases and disorders of the human body, the basics of human anatomy and physiology, specializations in medical practice, and common surgical and nonsurgical procedures. The Ninth Edition offers hundreds of new and updated entries by more than 400 writers from the fields of life science, medicine, and biopsychology. Every essay is signed by the original author(s), including medical or other advanced degrees, and each updated entry is also signed by the revising author. These writers examine various diseases and disorders, both genetic and acquired, the detailed knowledge of human bodily systems and structures that medical practice requires, and the medical professions and procedures that apply this knowledge.

Hundreds of photographs and medical drawings provide invaluable visual context for entries about diseases, research, surgery, and human anatomy. For most diseases and disorders, a concise Information On box lists causes, symptoms, duration, and treatments, acting as a quick reference tool for the reader.

Readers will find topics that focus on specific disorders, as well as those that survey the range of afflictions attacking a particular system. The majority of entries treat physical disorders:

• Bacterial and viral infections
• Genetic defects
• Bone & muscle defects
• Cancers of various types
• Heart and circulatory disorders
• Brain and nervous system problems
• Dental diseases
• Eating and nutritional disorders and more

Other entries consider psychological, emotional, and learning disorders that originate in or have significant impact on the physical health of the body.

This 9th edition continues Magill’s tradition of including informative sidebars in many articles, as well as illustrative images that enhance the reader’s comprehension of the topics at hand. The intensive updates throughout Magill’s Medical Guide have revised the articles for clarity, completeness, relevance, and recency, with several extensively rewritten. In-depth appendices also add to the wealth of information herein, including a glossary, symptoms and warning signs, diseases and other medical conditions, a completely revised pharmaceutical list, types of health care providers, general bibliography, and a detailed list of organizations sorted by condition.

Several special features assist readers in locating topics of interest. The “Complete Table of Contents,” found at the beginning of each volume, allows the scope of the encyclopedia to be seen in its entirety. Shading behind the entries of each specific volume helps to anchor the user to the contents of the volume they are using.

Volume 1 includes this Publisher’s Note, and the Editor’s Introduction that details the content changes and additions in this ninth edition. At the back of each volume are “Entries by Specialties and Related Fields” and “Entries by Anatomy or System Affected,” which direct the reader to essays by category; for example, a reader looking up “Oncology” on the specialty list will find entries on diseases (such as Cancer, Malignancy and Metastasis, and Sarcoma), specialties (such as Cytology and Pathology), diagnostic procedures (such as Mammography), and treatments (such as Chemotherapy, Radiation Therapy, and Tumor Removal). Volume V has a number of special features including “Glossary of Medical Terms,” an appendix detailing the training, degrees and duties of various healthcare professionals, a general bibliography, a helpful resources list of organization and support groups, symptoms and warning signs and a pharmaceutical list along with a comprehensive index.