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nftaussig
Jun 17, 2012nftaussig rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Jonathan A. Edlow, a professor at Harvard Medical School who specializes in emergency medicine, presents fifteen case studies in which doctors are presented with symptoms whose cause is difficult to diagnose. In each case study, Edlow explains the steps the attending physicians and epidemiologists take to make the diagnosis; the possible diagnoses that the physicians consider, and why some of the possible diagnoses can be excluded; and how the case was resolved. Some of these discussions also touch on the history of medicine. The cases address several medical issues, including food poisoning, tick bites, workplace hazards, and the dangers of unregulated dietary supplements. The focus of the case studies is not so much the diagnoses themselves, but the process through which those diagnoses are made. While Edlow's explanation of the potential diagnoses are fascinating, the resolution of the case under consideration sometimes seems like an afterthought.