[.ca] Cecil Textbook of Medicine: 2-Volume Set (ISBN 0721696538)

CECIL'S FLEXIBILITY IS MILES AHEAD:
Dedicated to health since 1927, Cecil Textbook of Medicine is like wine: the longer you indulge in it, the more captivating it becomes. This 21st edition on CD-ROM exhibits Cecil's wealth of experience in a manner that will make its contemporaries to sulk with envy. It is not just the best in terms of providing succinct information, but also in terms of contents organisation. This CD-ROM remains the 'numero uno' multimedia Textbook of Medicine if flexibility of use is your priority. The only minus this book has is that it is not as thorough (in scope) as Kelley's text is.

Neither here nor there:
I bought this book before my Medicine rotation (on a deperate, misguided "what if I don't have enough information for this 'oh so important rotation'" impulse) and regretted it. I barely used it, and I much preferred Current. I found that the information was not particularly easy to find. It read more like a storybook. I felt it was time-intensive but not detailed (not like Harrison's). However, it is really a matter of personal preference. Some may like the many diagrams, flow charts, and tables that are given. It also gives a quick review of the relevant basics (pathophysiology, anatomy, etc.). My advice: by the time you get to your Medicine rotation, you should already know your study style and should choose the most appropriate book in accordance. Go to the bookstore and compare the books and see which appeals the most to you.

I am disappointed:
I know Cecil for several years. I am using it together with Harrison for the last 20 years. I bought the 22nd edition with the web version. It looks wonderful, but.... Try and compare the chapter on hyponatremia and compare it to Harrison. Try and find Carbamazepine on the list of drugs causing hyponatremia...you cannot find it in Cecil (but it is in Harrison and in the "current"). What about amiodarone and hyperthyroidsm? It is hardly mentioned in Cecil, and well described in Harrison (and in good old "current"). So, let's wait to the new edition of Harrison.

Cecil:
I first bought this book in Medical School and I still use it almost every week after 14 years. It is thorough and consise-- provides a bit of theory and a lot of practical information in a scholarly style. If youre a reader, get this book-- you may find yourself reading a reference book in your spare time. I would like to go to a physician who used Cecil Medicine as a reference. If youre not a natural reader, forget it and just buy the latest copy of the Washington Manual.

Cecil Medicine 23e edition:
Je viens tout juste de me procurer ce livre et j'en suis déjà pleinement satisfaite. J'aurais tellement dû avoir acheté ce livre en première année de médecine au lieu du Harisson qui est si pénible à lire. L'avantage du Cecil c'est qu'il est complet sans s'étendre sur des détails qui ne me seront pas utile pour mon étude et probablement pas pour ma pratique!!