Illustrated Textbook of Pediatrics, 3rd edition



Tom Lissauer is the current Examinations Officer of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. This was a post previously held by Graham Clayden. Therefore, the two authors have extensive experience in the development of paediatric curricula and examinations. The list of contributors reads like a "Who's Who" of leading UK paediatricians. There is no doubt that the authors and contributors possess a considerable breadth and depth of knowledge. However, knowledge is not necessarily all that one requires to be able to write a good textbook.

Happily, Lissauer and Clayden are able to distil this knowledge and experience into an eminently readable book. Difficult concepts are clearly explained, lists (an inescapable fact of learning medicine) are invariably made easy to digest in highlighted boxes and great use is made of section summaries which reiterate and emphasise the key learning points (useful for that last minute revision). The book, as the title suggests, is lavishly illustrated, both with diagrams as well as clinical photographs. These are usually well chosen and complement the text.

Previous editions have sometimes been criticised that some topics were covered with insufficient detail. This latest edition addresses some of that criticism by expanding by around 140 pages compared to the second edition. Two new chapters have been added on allergy and adolescent medicine. Doubtless, some will still find that they wish to know more about certain topics but it is important to remember that this is a textbook specifically designed with undergraduates and their exams in mind; it is not meant to be a weighty reference tome. For the majority of the book Lissauer and Clayden have managed to strike a balance between clarity and breadth that is appropriate for a typical 2 to 3 month undergraduate paediatric attachment.

One area of previous criticism that has not been addressed is improvement of the index. Although the index is comprehensive it can be a little frustrating in that the main reference for a particular subject is not highlighted (for example by the use of bold text that is often employed in other books). An example of this shortcoming is the important paediatric condition of asthma. The “main” section on asthma is on pages 270-274 but the index also lists other pages that include information about asthma without it being clear in the index which are the “main” asthma pages. However, this slight irritation seldom distracts from effective use of the book.

One final consideration when considering which paediatric textbook to use is the bonus of free access to the online resources at www.studentconsult.com. Purchasers of the book are allowed to register at the site using a unique PIN that is found inside the book’s cover. The site allows full online access to the entire text of the book (click for screenshot) as well as the ability to download the illustrations. There is the facility to download material to a handheld computer and best of all a large collection of self assessment questions that further enhances the book’s value for money.

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