{[['
']]}
']]}
The first edition of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine was published more than half a century ago. Over the decades, this textbook has evolved to reflect the continuing advances in the field of internal medicine and to meet the growing information base required of medical students and clinical practitioners. The users of this sixteenth edition of Harrison’s will not even have to open the volume to see that it marks a transition point in the book’s history. The new cover is only the most obvious indication of a new direction for Harrison’s. In shaping and revising this new version, the Editors have committed themselves to making the textbook as useful as possible to students and practitioners coping with the demands of modern medicine. The growth of evidence-based medicine, the prominence of managed care, and the explosion of information in fundamental areas such as the genetics of disease are only three of the many factors that make
these demands different from those faced by physicians only a decade ago. Just as the cover retains key elements of the classic book, the content of the sixteenth edition retains the essential facts that remain clinically useful and important. However, through modifications in both its format and its content, the new Harrison’s addresses the changing needs of its readers. The sixteenth edition of Harrison’s has a full-color format that facilitates quick reference and allows the inclusion of hundreds more high-quality illustrations than in previous editions. We expect that the reader’s convenience will be well served by the placement of color illustrations within the chapters rather than in the separate color atlas used in earlier editions. While providing the basic-science information that is critical to an understanding of biology and pathophysiology, this edition focuses more directly and extensively than ever on crucial aspects of clinical practice. Areas of emphasis include the approach to the patient, differential diagnosis, state-of-the-art treatment options, and disease prevention. Key topics, such as the immune system and HIV infection/AIDS, are covered in chapters amounting to “mini-textbooks.” New sections offer information on the formidable challenges posed by critical care medicine and by the threat of bioterrorism. New chapters provide coverage of highly relevant clinical topics such as disease screening, perimenopausal management and hormone replacement therapy, and end-of-life care. Virtually every chapter in this edition has been substantially rewritten, and 46 chapters either are entirely new or have new authors.
