The Johns Hopkins Family Health Book: The Essential Home Medical Reference to Help You and Your Family Promote Good Health and Manage Illness

In this age of managed care, it's likely that you have more questions when you leave the doctor's office than when you walk in the door. Who better to turn to for a remedy for that than the folks from Johns Hopkins, the hospital ranked at the top of U.S. News & World Report's list for eight years running. A joint effort of the university's schools of Medicine, Hygiene & Public Health, and Nursing, the Family Health Book includes more than 1,600 pages of medical guidance, from basic first aid and emergency care to the intricate (but clearly explained) workings of the body's systems and organs, to--possibly most importantly--ways to prevent illness in the first place.

While many of the 500 illustrations are not for the squeamish, this reference is incredibly useful, especially for the elderly or couples who are expecting or have small children. For each disorder and illness, the editors have included information on typical and rare symptoms, tests a doctor may request for diagnosis, what you can do for home treatment, when to call the doctor, and prognoses. The "Preparing for Surgery" section should calm the worries of anyone about to go under anesthesia. The only gripe? A pronunciation guide would have been nice (leishmaniasis and paronychia don't exactly roll off the tongue), especially given that one of the best chapters is called "Becoming a Partner in Your Health Care" and focuses on doctor-patient communication.