313 pp. Illust. Canadian Medical Association, Ottawa/Reader's Digest Association, Westmount, Que. 1994. $37.45 (CMA members); $46 (nonmembers). ISBN 0-88850-229-X. Available from Canadian Medical Association, Membership Services.
The subtitle, Understand Your Body's Warning Signals and Take the Right Action, reflects the book's theme and tone. The 320 pages are divided into three sections: the first is on the human body, the second contains symptom charts and the third supplies useful information. The first section focuses on growth and development, blending text and graphics -- including photographs, anatomic diagrams and medical images -- in an appealing way. The tone of the text strikes a balance between being accessible to all and not being insulting to those reasonably informed about health matters.
The second section is the core of the book and consists of 147 step-by-step symptom charts, which are a useful roadmap to practical decision making. There are suggestions for self-help measures and guidelines for when to seek additional help. A prominently displayed symbol with the words "Emergency -- get medical help now" appears in several of the charts. There is a useful section on how to use the charts, and the presentation of pain-site maps for children, men and women is appealing. Cross-referencing of the material is useful. Almost all symptoms patients might present receive some appropriate comment in the book. The general medical section begins with a chart for "feeling under the weather" and includes charts on sleeping difficulties, headaches, breathing difficulties, back pain, chest pain and indeed a whole spectrum of clinical presentations that may be challenging for patients and health care providers alike. When I reviewed specific charts for their consistency with other clinical preventive health care information, I was delighted to find that all of the information was in harmony with the most recent recommendations of the Canadian Task Force on the Periodic Health Examination.
The final section contains practical advice on caring for sick children, growth charts, sample medical records and useful addresses and emergency telephone numbers.
The book's weaknesses are minor. A section on "choosing a doctor" would have been a welcome addition. Some comment on the role of family physicians and specialists in the Canadian health care system would have been useful as well. On the dust jacket of the book there is reference to a "Comprehensive Medication Guide." This is an overstatement: the four-page guide presents useful general information regarding drugs and classes of drug, but I suspect that many patients would not know the class of the drug they are taking. Thus, the information outlined is too superficial to provide detail of interest to many.
Finally, the sections on immunization are a little thin; for example, there is no mention of the protective measures necessary for travel to areas where malaria is endemic.
This book is of general interest and is likely to appeal not only to patients and families but also to many health care providers. It strikes a good balance between "high tech" and "high touch": accessibility and ease of use. It is a welcome addition to any library.
Rodney A. Crutcher, BSc, MD, CCFP(EM)
Associate professor and Program director
Department of Family Medicine
Faculty of Medicine
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alta.