Dermatology, 4th Edition

By Jean L. Bolognia, MD

ISBN: 9780702062759

Pub Date: 11/9/2017

Reviewed by: Patricia Wong, MD (Stanford University Medical Center)

Description

At 24 pounds, the two-volume fourth edition of this dermatology tome is the equivalent of eight human brains in weight. Just by mass alone, it appears inconceivable to have this amount of information stored in one’s grey matter — thus a great reason to own this book. The authors have created one of the most comprehensive references on the diagnosis and treatment of skin conditions with thousands of color clinical photographs, diagrams, and tables of differential diagnosis. Access to the ebook version, with 30 online videos, is included with the print version.

Purpose

The purpose is to provide an encyclopedic dermatology reference for dermatologists.

Audience

The audience is all dermatologists.

Features

I used to turn to either Rook (Rook’s Textbook of Dermatology, 9th edition, Griffiths et al. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2016)) or Fitzpatrick (Fitzpatrick’s Dermatology in General Medicine, 8th edition, Goldsmith et al. (McGraw-Hill, 2012)) as my encyclopedic dermatological reference, but they have been replaced by this one. It is a superb comprehensive book. It is well organized and well written. It is a color atlas, it is a treatment reference, it explains current disease mechanisms, it is a guide for clinical diagnosis. In short, it is everything! If you need additional information, you will be perusing the latest medical journals to find the answer, probably not another dermatology book. The book is chock full of helpful tables contrasting similar conditions. Shaded boxes summarize key points to remember. There are diagrams outlining the immunological steps causing a particular disease.

Assessment

At $20/pound, this book is worth the investment. The previous edition was published in 2012 and a lot has changed in our field. I love this book. If you are going to add one giant powerhouse dermatology reference to your library, this is the one to own.

Doody’s Review Service Weighted Numerical Score: 93 – 4 Stars!