The HarperCollins Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Previous editions of this dictionary were published asMelloni's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. This edition retains the format of earlier editions, but definitions have been deleted or modified and new terms added.Definitions are supplemented by 2,500 sepia-and-black illustrations, which run across the top of each page. Illustrated terms are printed in color in the text to refer the user to the illustration. Color is also used at the bottom of each page to indicate the first and last entry on the page.A list of abbreviations and symbols; a list of prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms; and a phonetic pronunciation guide, printed on tinted paper, precede the main body of the dictionary.The audience for this book is identified as the general public, and the cover states that the dictionary is "the complete home medical dictionary." Definitions are described as "brief, accurate and to the point explanations of current medical terms." The detailed, scientifically labeled illustrations are intended to preclude the need for lengthy definitions, most of which run only one or two sentences and use fairly technical vocabulary.The definition-illustration combination works in some cases, but not all. For example, definitions and the corresponding illustrations for medical devices and instruments provide a clear understanding of the terms. For other terms, dependence on the illustration to clarify the definition is less successful. The definition ofamino acidappears as a subentry underacid. It is defined as "any organic acid containing one or more amino groups and a carboxyl group; forms the essential component of proteins." The corresponding illustration is a double-page-spread chart of the chemical composition of the major amino acids. No additional information is given, nor are thereseereferences to main entries for individual amino acids. The lay audience will find the definition inTaber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary(F. A. Davis, 1992) much more informative as it gives not only a definition but also a full explanation of the function of amino acids. The dictionary has inadequate information on prenatal development. There is, underembryo, a definition accompanied by illustrations of the human embryo at three unidentified stages of development. In contrast,Mosby'sprovides an illustrated chart showing development of the human embryo from conception to 38 weeks.These comparisons are not intended to devalue the work under review. It is a fine dictionary with outstanding medical drawings, but it is not a home medical-reference tool. It is appropriate for health-sciences libraries and students, but the general public and public library reference desks will find dictionaries that provide more detailed definitions more appropriate to their needs.--This text refers to an alternatePaperbackedition.