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This book is written for medical transcriptionists and is a nicely organized and comprehensive list of words which might be encountered in that trade. It is strictly a word list, with no definitions beyond expansions of abbreviations or acronyms. It is also oriented specifically to the human medical field, although many of the terms listed are applicable to the field of veterinary medicine as well.
Beginning with a general terminology section, entries thereafter are grouped according to specialties, such as cardiology, infectious diseases, oncology, imaging, and laboratory/pathology. There is a nice section addressing commonly encountered abbreviations and acronyms. There is also a very extensive section on terminology forms, listed alphabetically, including the combining form, meaning, and an example of its usage. This is a very pertinent topic for our profession and well handled in this book. A section on how to create plural forms resolves questions of irregular words and will lend professionalism to one's medical records. Some anatomical plates follow, again based upon human figures. There is also a table of the elements included, covering each symbol, atomic number, and atomic weight. I found the short table of weights and measures to be especially useful, as it covers not only the usual metric and “standard” measures, but also avoirdupois, apothecary, troy, and household equivalents.
Keeping in mind that the terminology of disease processes vary between the human and veterinary fields, the book is still a valuable reference for those involved in recordkeeping. Its usefulness in regular veterinary practice would probably be limited, but I can see it being a valuable resource to some. Veterinary technicians as well as others involved within the clinical practice will find some value to this book on their bench.
Publisher: Elsevier Saunders, 2012
1194 pgs., softbound
ISBN 978-1-4160-4879-4