The Merck Manual, Twelfth Edition

Since 1899 when it was first produced, The Merck Manual has been a widely used comprehensive medical reference. It provides health care practitioners and students with practical explanations of what to do to diagnose and treat conditions in all of the major medical and surgical specialties. It covers when to suspect a disease, a sequence of evaluation, and treatment options along with selected alternatives. In addition, it provides enough background information on etiology and pathophysiology to ensure comprehension of the management recommendations. The Merck Manual is published by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., as a service to the medical community. It is the product of a collaboration between hundreds of medical experts worldwide, an independent editorial board of peer reviewers, and the Merck Manuals editorial staff of physicians and professional medical writers. For over 100 years, The Manual has had complete editorial independence to present the best current thinking regarding medical diagnosis and treatment. To ensure absence of commercial or corporate bias, authors and peer reviewers cannot be Merck employees, nor can they serve as speakers for Merck products, or in any other way represent the company. The 12th edition (1972) contained many new chapters, for example, on coronary care units, cardiovascular and malignant diseases, immunology and genetics, and the chemotherapy of psychiatric disorders.