NetDoctor (Net Books)

Offers a powerful cure for medical ignorance—the Internet!

Trying to compare the current books dealing with online health information is a lot like trying to compare the spices used in a fine dish. Each is unique, has its own strength, and is a welcome addition. This work is the newest spice added to the mix. A visually welcoming directory to online health and medical information, it contains nine chapters covering general practice (which includes topics such as dentistry, pediatrics, and public health), health and fitness, diseases and conditions, the human body, disabilities, mental health, alternative medicine, sites of interest to medical professionals, and a "final chapter" on health insurance and death and dying. The text is laced with illustrations from various web pages referenced in the book, and a useful two- to six-sentence description is included for each of the more than 2000 sites reviewed. Although the entries included in the NetDoctor include sites both on the Internet and in commercial online services, the bulk of the entries represent Internet web sites. Unlike Tom Linden's Dr. Linden's Guide to Online Medicine (LJ 10/1/95) and Health Online by Tom Ferguson (LJ 3/1/96), this work fails to provide an in-depth medical practitioner's perspective of the usefulness (and also the potential pitfalls) of online information to patients. The book is basically a directory. However, the NetDoctor serves as a nice supplementary companion volume to both the Ferguson and Linden guides. And a website (http://www.ypn.com) is provided by the publisher for access to free updates.?Kathleen Low, California State Lib., Sacramento
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.