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Pathology (CD-ROM) Review of CD-ROM |
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Pathology (CD-ROM) Review of CD-ROM |
Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Vol. 82-A, No. 1, p. 148, January, 2000: Book Reviews
CLINICAL MUSCOSKELETAL PATHOLOGY. William
F. Enneking, Richard Rathe, and Gene Cornwall, Gainesville, Florida, Office
of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, University
of Florida, 1997-1998, $323.00 (CD-ROM).
In terms of computer literacy
and competence, there are all levels of expertise in the population.
In terms of computer comfort, however, there are only two groups:
younger people, who find the technology easy to use and as simple as can
be, and the rest of us, who were raised in the age of the magical knowledge
system called books. As you might guess, I find myself in the latter
group, and I am somewhat in awe of those in the
former. I like tables of contents, chapter headings, the ability
to read over what I just read by flipping back a page, the ease of
finding a reference, and the warmth of holding a book on my lap or the
comfort of having it in my briefcase or on my bedside table. We
cannot, however, escape the fact that, as we approach
the millennium, we are becoming more and more
dependent on computerized information, the Internet,
e-mail, and CD-ROM instructional systems. Enneking and his coworkers
have produced a beautiful example of the latter.
As might be expected of someone
who has lived through the grand old "book days", Enneking has taken pity
on his fellow ancients by making his system very easy and, indeed, a joy
to use, while offering younger students a prize that will rival any educational
material that they might have in their library or computer system.
The table of contents is clearly defined; a click of the mouse allows the
reader to enter the appropriate chapter without a problem. The text
is clearly written, in perfect Ennekingian language,
which leaves little room for equivocation or interpretive
error. When a picture is available, another click of the mouse brings
it up not only quickly but with surprising and wonderful clarity.
This CD-ROM is intended to serve
not only as a research tool that will allow students, residents, fellows,
and experienced orthopaedists to learn about tumors but also as a reference
base that will allow the reader (or computer user) to obtain additional
information about specific terms. For example, clicking on the term chondroblastoma
allows the user to review the definition; demographics; clinical presentation;
natural history; radiographic, gross, and histological features; findings
on imaging studies; results of treatment; and examples of cases.
The reproductions of radiographs, photographs, and low and high-power histological
images are of good quality and clarity. The image viewer, located
on the right of the text, allows an image to be enlarged, made smaller,
or superimposed as desired.
As a special, additional feature,
the reader is invited to take a self-evaluation test. This test is
very helpful in allowing the reader to determine how much he or she has
learned. Clicking over the appropriate site immediately produces
radiographic images, gross photographs of tissue, and low and high-power
histological images of quality and clarity.
There are few references, but
this might be considered appropriate for a text that is so definitive and
so specifically reflective of the author's point of view.
The sections on tumors of all
types are superb, but the sections on other topics such as growth, repair,
metabolic bone disease, and arthritis are somewhat limited in their discussion
of the pathophysiology and
mechanisms of disease. However, this in no way
detracts from the spectacular descriptions or images of gross and histological
features.
Even though I am not especially
comfortable with computers, I prefer this CD-ROM to Enneking's two-volume
work, published in 1983, which is among my most frequently referenced texts.
The CD-ROM is easy to use, informative, and not nearly as heavy as the
text. (I can carry my laptop onto
an airplane.) But perhaps its greatest advantage
is that Enneking can (and, I suspect, will) produce new editions, with
corrections and additions, at regular intervals. Another advantage
is that, with a projector, more than one person can use the system; I have
found it to be a fine teaching tool. I recommend this CD-ROM for
all students of pathology, young and old, regardless of how much or how
little they know. It is a gem.
| Henry J. Mankin, MD
Orthopaedics Service Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, Massachusetts |
Author: Butch Landsiedel, Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation
Updated: 02/17/2001
Last Reviewed:
02/17/2001
Location of Files: http://www.med.ufl.edu/
