A Paediatric Vade-Mecum - 14th Edition

Despite the fact this book is in its 14th edition, I had not come across it before and was intrigued by its title “Vade-Mecum.” I must admit I don’t know what it means but the book is impressive enough. It comes from Birmingham UK and is directed at junior hospital doctors in Paediatrics, Accident and Emergency and GP registrars doing a hospital job. It has a tough and durable vinyl jacket, tough enough to withstand being dragged in and out of a white pocket and is compact enough just to be slightly bigger than my hand.

Essentially it is a practical guide to help a doctor deal with a situation in front of him or her. So the information is of a no-nonsense nature, often in short note form and bullet points and is packed with useful information. There is an excellent formula and a useful reference values section. Surgical issues are also covered with one of the authors being a paediatric surgeon and coupled with a detailed index; there is a lot on offer. General Practioners may find some of the information useful here, especially when dealing with an ill child. For a shade under £20, this will rescue many a doctor when dealing with a sick child especially within secondary care. Even better, at the end of the preface lies a simple page telling the reader how they can download a free version of this book (minus the formulary) for personal use at http://www.paediatricvademecum.co.uk/ for their Palm PDA. Even if I still don’t know what Vade-Mecum is, I do know that this is an excellent book.

Publisher:	Arnold (Published 2002)
	ISBN 0-340-80673-7

Price:	£19.99

Reviewer:	Dr Harry Brown - March 2004