Critq. of 2 current medical dictionary's - Essay Example

Critical Analysis of two current medical dictionaries- the Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary and Webster’s New World Medical Dictionary As we know how medical terms can become difficult to comprehend, the requirement of a medical dictionary, which caters to words related to the medical field, sometimes becomes essential. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary is a popular one used widely by medical students and professionals. It is available in both hardcover as well as leather bound.

The latest is the 20th Edition, which comes with a CD-ROM version 3.0. The dictionary is published by F.A. Davis Co. containing approximately 2800 pages. According to Amazon where it has been featured, the dictionary contains the latest of the medical terms and the definitions provided are quite easy to understand even by layman as they are written in simple English and since many include examples, it becomes easy to correlate the meanings. The definitions are accurate and also include pronunciation phonetics along with singular/plural forms.

Abbreviations have been provided so as the definitions do not exceed over pages! Etymologies or word origins of many words have been provided as well, as many of the medical terms have Latin origin, for further understanding and ease of memorizing the word. For example, if we know that “logy” means study, and “cardio” means pertaining to heart, then we can understand that cardiology is the study of the heart. Many terms also have certain statements in color, which bring attention of the user to special considerations that ought to be noted during practice.

This is especially helpful as they work as tips, and are sometimes not even included in textbooks. In addition, a new section containing 100 most frequently prescribed drugs have been compiled. Some of the information is available in tabulated form for better correlation and a methodical approach to certain terms. A great feature of the hardcover edition, the one that I reviewed is that it contains a section containing various diseases along with their symptoms, diagnosis and treatments, which can come very handy for medical students.

Another great point about this dictionary is that it prints synonyms for the various medical terms, which are useful for correlating various medical problems. The appendix included information regarding complementary and alternative medicine, prefixes/suffixes. There are more than 700 illustrations and 500 color pictures, according to Amazon, which has given this book a rating of four and a half stars! The illustrations include colored and labeled diagrams, pictures and charts, and are definitely very informative and of superb quality.

The tabs provided also help in better navigation than an ordinary dictionary. This version is also indexed for easy word location. Overall it’s a self-sufficient dictionary catering to the non-medical minds as well as going up to higher levels.Content: 5Spelling/Grammar: 4.5References: 4Organization: 4.5Sentence structure: 4The other dictionary I picked up is Webster’s New World Dictionary, the 2nd Edition (reprinted in 2003). It is much smaller and thinner than Taber’s, containing hardly 400 or so pages, available in paperback and a CD-ROM version of the same is also available.

It is created by MedicineNet.com, which is a source of medical information online. The book is also much cheaper as compared to Taber’s for obvious reasons. This book is better suited of home reference, rather than the use of medical students or professionals as it includes around 8,000 basic terms and their meaning that maybe required by a layman for better understanding of his daily medical queries, not satisfied by his medical practitioner. The definitions are accurate and easy to comprehend and style is more of encyclopedic.

The dictionary includes many diseases, symptoms and their therapy, but the information would suffice a patient curious about the diagnosis of his illness that his doctor has made. It also contains a guide for information on medical specialists in various fields of medicine, in case the patient wants to locate the best doctor to consider for his treatment. It also contains information regarding many health organizations and institutions, which can be a source of additional and specific information.

According to Amazon.com, the content is “the content is 100 percent doctor-produced and highly reliable” and includes various pharmaceuticals, diagnostic technologies and even herbal supplements. It has been rated three-stars by Amazon. The CD version directly links to MedicineNet.com, which is a storehouse of medical information, and also PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice. Its best feature is that it has the generic and brand names of popular medications available in the market, for easy referral.

So overall, it’s a complete health referral for use at home and to put some light on more basic medical terms along with basic information regarding various common diseases heard about from the doctor or newspapers. Content: 3Spelling/ Grammar: 3.5References: 2Organization: 3Sentence structure: 4References:Amazon.comGoogle.com