Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat: & Head and Neck Surgery - 6th Edition - No Cost Libary

Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat: & Head and Neck Surgery

   Author(s): P. L. Dhingra, Shruti Dhingra

                                            Publisher: Elsevier India, Year: 2014                                          

 Description: Diseases of Ear, Nose and Throat is a popular textbook of ENT. The first edition of the book was published in 1992. Since then it has received wide acceptance from the readers and every attempt has been made to update the current edition in the light of the advances made by the speciality. The current sixth edition of the book marks 22nd year of its publication.

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Book Reviews:

It is the third edition of this book, and there is a trend, as with each edition, to expand the length and depth of protected material. Increasingly, ENT and head and neck surgery have been subspecialized. Therefore, the key writers received expert feedback but also managed to maintain the initial target market and style homogeneity. It targets those new to the specialty quite clearly. For those starting in this area, it is a primary: medical schools, GPs cultivating a particular interest, nurses and paramedics, and specialist junior doctors who need a working guide.

The format is defined as a 'illustrated text in color' and is dealt with on a double-page spread of each issue. By compressing all the information on any particular topic into a set space, the authors carefully select what they contain as essential information. The presentation involves the extensive use of color in photos, illustrations, diagrams, and charts, all within a soft-covered A4 volume. There is a review box at the end of each line. This is an elegant presentation and it is easy to easily locate the details one wants. The wording is short and to the mark. It is highly didactic and generates some controversial statements as such, although none of these matters are too much considering who the book is aimed at. In addition, if the book is used as an educational tool, they may be valuable discussion points.

The images are good for successfully illustrating disease mechanisms that can assist in diagnosis. Specially strong were those of tympanic membrane and oral cavity. In future versions there may be room for growing their number and size. In contrast, some of the diagrams seemed a bit laboured and added nothing to what had already been said in the text. For instance, a photograph of an adenoidal child would have been far more useful than the graph of size: age distribution, the details of which were already described in the text. Often, they just didn't have the picture to describe the tuning fork studies.


The writers have elected to leave out nearly all organizational data. To their intended readership, that is entirely right, most of which are unlikely to be working, as it serves to make the book succinct. Many who read this book are likely to use it to immerse themselves in promoting a learning system, to help when meeting a patient with a documented problem, or to re-examine it. It competes with web-based materials and as such, its true strength lies in portability and the ability to incorporate one's own notes. Consequently one of the few complaints is its broad size. It's just not pocket size. However, ultimately, one will have to assume that it is doing what it wants to do and should continue to be a reliable guide for those needing a descriptive and readily available background in the details of the discipline.