Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Don't throw away your Fourth Edition! The Fifth Edition has a lot to recommend it: much better artwork, more sensible organization of basic theory and microbe-specific detail, up-to-date pathophysiology and therapies, etc. In the Preface the editors state that much material has been "trimmed" to keep this edition the same size as the previous one. "Trimmed" is a euphemism for "dummied-down". They should have opted for a bigger book. First, they left out all the references; not a single one is to be found. This was a valuable feature of the Fourth Edition, and pointed to much relevant material for further study. A cryptic excuse for this is that the emphasis is on the "text narrative", not reference material. That's nonsense; all good medical textbooks have references.
There has been a turnaround of authors in this multi-authored book. The new guys seem to have ignored several changes in the taxonomy of bacteria and viruses, such as the designation of Flavivirus as a Family and the split of Papovavirus into Papillomavirus and Polyomavirus. The new tables still contain the old errors, such as asserting that Hepatitis B is a Family when in fact it belongs to the Hepadnaviridae Family. There are numerous little errors like this that have been carried over from the Fourth Edition; apparently, the new authors cut-and-pasted what looked good without examining it for accuracy.
The stuff that was "trimmed" was not "older and less important information", as stated in the Preface. The editors apparently have figured out that USMLE-obsessed students are more interested in answering test questions than understanding anything, so a lot of viral and bacterial anatomy has been cut. We can now view these entities as more of a black box than something with important innards.
Some of the ambiguous or unclear explanations of the Fourth Edition have been carried over to the Fifth, such as the description of the One Step Growth Experiment, which would be unintelligible were it not for Wikipedia.
I cannot find an errata page for any Lange textbook. This is a Good Thing, since we can now rest assured that there are never any errors in their books. Too bad there isn't a contact form for sending suggestions for improvement for the next edition; this is a really good book, but apparently they don't need the likes of you and me to make it even better. Don't bother sending suggestions to Customer Service; it will be filed away by someone unfamiliar with the word "enzyme".
The Preface references a web site which purportedly contains an "online learning center" with lots of extra stuff, like "additional cases, questions, and study aids". As of this writing, it is vaporware, and I've complained to the publisher. In fact, Lange doesn't even have a reference to this (Fifth) edition up yet. Maybe all this will be in place by the time you read this.
If you don't have the Fourth Edition, you can probably get it very cheap, and I suggest you do so (in addition to buying the Fifth Edition) for the references and the enhanced technical detail.
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No other text clarifies the link between microbiology and human disease states like Sherris Medical Microbiology
A Doody's Core Title for 2011!
4 STAR DOODY'S REVIEW!"This will continue to be a popular textbook, primarily due to the well-designed figures and pictures in all chapters. It is one of the better textbooks I have seen for teaching the basics of medical microbiology."--Doody's Review Service
For more than a quarter-of-a-century Sherris has been unmatched in its ability to help you understand the nature of microorganisms and their role in the maintenance of health or causation of disease. Through a dynamic, engaging approach, this classic text gives you a solid grasp of the significance of etiologic agents, the pathogenic processes, epidemiology, and the basis of therapy for infectious diseases.
The fifth edition has been completely revised to reflect this rapidly-moving field's latest developments and includes a host of learning aids including clinical cases, USMLE-type questions, marginal notes, and extensive new full-color art.
Features
66 chapters that simply and clearly describe the strains of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can bring about infectious diseases
Core sections on viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases open with new chapters detailing basic biology, pathogenesis, and antimicrobial agents and feature a consistent presentation covering Organism (structure, replication, genetics, etc.), Disease (epidemiology, pathogenesis, immunity), and Clinical Aspects (manifestations, diagnosis, treatment, prevention)
Explanations of host-parasite relationship, dynamics of infection, and host response
USMLE-style questions and a clinical case conclude each chapter on the major viral, bacterial, fungal, and parasitic diseases
All tables, photographs, and illustrations are now in full color
Clinical Capsules cover the essence of the disease(s) caused by major pathogens
Marginal Notes highlight key points within a paragraph to facilitate review
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