Target reader Those 50 and up who are likely to be sent for medical tests.

Premise Your doctor recommends a lab test or diagnostic screening. You don't have a clue what you're in for or why. This is where the book takes over.

High Marks Impressive pedigree. Clear and accessible rundowns of more than 170 lab, home, screening and diagnostic tests (e.g., lipid profile, renal biopsy, scrotal ultrasound), presented alphabetically. Descriptions include test purpose, patient preparation, risks and concerns, cost range and more. Labeled, color illustrations of major body systems (cardiovascular, digestive, etc.) help pinpoint target areas.

Low Marks A "results" box in each write-up describes the diagnostic process and what tests or treatments may follow. But it offers no information on how to interpret test results. So if you're looking for help in questioning your doctor's interpretation -- or even knowing what "normal" ranges are - you won't find it here. Further, the index at the front of the book lacks page references, so once you find a test there, you have to turn to the index at the back of the book to get the page number.

Dr. Simeon Margolis' Consumer Guide To Medical Tests provides a detailed overview of the latest medical tests; from what to expect from them to how to interpret results. Unusual in this presentation are general costs, and tips on special health care requirements after the test.

Thorough, comprehensive, easy to use, with all of the latest tests explained clearly for the average person who wants to know what is being tested for, how much it will cost, and what to look for and expect after the test. An essential book for your health library.

"The Johns Hopkins Family Health Book" is well-written, clearly organized, and very informative. I am finding it to be a valuable addition to my home library.

It gets four stars instead of five for being a bit dry, and not terribly reassuring; but on the other hand, I suppose that would be a different kind of book.

Don't hesitate to choose this work as a staple in your reference pantry!

There I was able to compare it with several others in its class, anddetermined that it was the most complete and best organized for myneeds. This book contains 17 chapters dedicated to understanding different parts of the body, and the symptoms, treatment, and prognosis for any illness I have checked for so far. A 48 page insert of color pictures helps you diagnosis certain kinds of rashes, sore throats, etc. The book also has recommendations on what can be treated at home and when you should consult a doctor. There are also sections on staying healthy, first aid and emergency care. END

This is the best medical book for laymen I have ever read. It has as much or more detail as the Merck Manual in an easier to read format for the patient. It covers prevention, diagnosis and treatment. I recommend it highly.

X.J. Kennedy is of the old guard. Like Richard Wilbur and Anthony Hecht, the New Formalists have much respect for him. And for good reason, as this collection shows. Kennedy writes skillfully in meter and rhyme, and is one of the few poets who writes successfully in light verse (another poet who skillfully uses humor is R.S. Gwynn). Kennedy has also written children's books and textbooks, but this collection shows that his reputation as a poet will never wane.

I greatly enjoy Kennedy's light poetry. I'd like to find a published copy of X.J.Kennedy's "Old Men Pitching Horseshoes" Anyone know where I could find this?

X.J. Kennedy is one of our finest American Poets. He has a loving respect for careful rhyme and meter that is heartening in this age of rambling, pretentious blather. His wit and insight are tightly honed in this excellent collection for adults.

To read the short stories in Glenn Blake's Drowned Moon is to swim through a subterranean town like the one in his story "Chocolate Bay," just below the surface of the narrative. These are compelling stories, haunted by the unconscious life of the characters. Blake makes the subtext of their lives palpable by seamlessly interweaving character and setting--swamps and bayous, houses with back porches, dogs in the yards. The exquisite light and color of this world is grounded by the down-to-earth people and their alligators, trucks, fishing, kids. One of the most accomplished stories is "Hazard," about old rivalries between two brothers, with an ending all the more satisfying for taking the reader so completely by surprise. Some of these stories will break your heart, even as Blake's comic sensibility makes you laugh. This is a collection of treasures--literary and humane--not to be missed.

This is a beautiful, haunting collection of stories about a part of the country I have no connection with, yet Blake brings me there, sits me down and says, "Look around." I didn't want to leave. Buy this book and read it again and again.

Terrific short stories about things that matter written in a prose that knows that language might be music. Forget Franzen, buy this one instead. The only thing not first-rate about this book is the type-face, which is weirdly small. What were they thinking? Buy it anyway.

Tim Steele has already proven his strength as a poet, and has quite a reputation for his work in meter. This collection only solidifies his reputation. The poems are well written (and Steele does some interesting things with meter and rhyme). Anyone interested in formal poetry should read his work.

Extending the range and depth of his two previous collections of poetry (available from the University of Arkansas Press as a single volume, SAPPHICS AND UNCERTAINTIES), THE COLOR WHEEL confidently establishes Steele not only as the premiere metrical poet of his generation, but also as one of the very best poets writing in English today.

THE COLOR WHEEL takes its title from one of the volume's central poems, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Child," a witty and wise meditation that begins with a description of a small child coloring with crayons and segues smoothly into the poet's memory of first seeing a color wheel, a spectrum of choices not only for the budding artist, but also, on a metaphorical level, for the poet and reader. The poem ends with one of the most beautiful passages I've seen in recent poetry: "You're off and traveling through the wheel/Of contrasts and of complements,/Where every shade divides and blends,/Where you find those that you prefer,/Where being is not linear,/But bright and deep, and never ends."

This enticing invitation to choose freely from the world's variety extends to Steele's entire collection, which ranges from a mock-Stevensian anecdote about a sugar bowl to a sobering recollection of doomed Holsteins in "Georgics." The Horatian alcaics of "Luck," in which the poet confronts the good fortunes of others,complements the mildly brooding blank verse of "Pacific Rim," in which the poet hints at the luckless victims of 20th century brutality. Yet the tenor of the collection is decidedly hopeful, and perhaps no title (or poem) in the book better exemplifies this than the charming "Beatitudes, While Setting Out the Trash."

Steele's art, which frequently explores the interrelationships between nature and human nature, regards human consciousness as fragile and in need of preservation. His superb meditation on "The Library" draws upon and condenses some of the material to be found in his magisterial prose critique of the free verse movement, MISSING MEASURES, and yet the emphasis in this poem is on the wit of foraging squirrels as well as the cleverness of archiving humans.

The volume contains a number of exquisite lyrics, including the opening "Aurora" with its subtle echoes of Valery, and the delicate homage to Thom Gunn, "Vermont Spring." Readers who admire the poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson will certainly enjoy "Cory in April," a poem about a drunken homeless man who was once a boxer, and admirers of Frost will be tickled by the humorous and moving "Fae," one of the most memorable poems in Steele's outstanding ouevre.

With his flawless ear, deft rhymes, and penetrating intelligence,Steele is already a poet for the ages. Read THE COLOR WHEEL and SAPPHICS AND UNCERTAINTIES to discover why.

This book gives insight knowledge about the monetary and fiscal policy making in the developing countries. First ten chapters of the book desribes the expereince of Far Eastern and Latin American countries' financial reforms during the 1960-80s. Especially, it would be interesting to read about the reasons of Japanese as well as Korean miraculous growth during the above mentioned period. Besides, last three chapters explain the case of transitional countries of ex-socialist economies. In his last chapters, the author compares the Russian big bang effect with Chinese gradual reforms. He also points out on the importance of fiscal as well as the liberation policies in those transional countries. Since it is based on the development models of many countries in the world,in brief, I think, the book would be very useful for the policymakers in almost all developing countries.

This book takes the opposite position of Jeffrey Sachs' big bang theory of economic reform. Instead of a big bang, McKinnon suggests a particular order to economic liberalization in order to maintain some stability during the transition process. He uses many examples to show that, for example, fiscal stability should come first, which is a lesson that has proven itself current with Argentina's and Turkey's cases in the early 2000s. This is a book that, though has a strong economics foundation, leaves something to be desired in terms of rigour of economic analysis. Instead, it was written I think particularly for the usage of policy-makers who may not be familiar with technical economic jargon.

Ask for the recipe of these poems. Take the plain-spoken disclosure of the Confessionalists, pour into the informed line-sense of the Formalists, season with wit, secret love of the Metaphysical poets, & serve. Phillips doesn't ask that you do extensive background checks on his references, though he does allow himself familiarities with Miss Moore of the tricorner hat, icons of New York City's literary past, & other remarks which may challenge some reader's sense of easy access. Not to fear. If this is the first book you read that introduces you to the world of high literary comradery, you couldn't ask for a nicer host.

phillips has put together a great collection of poems, full of humor and the sense of craft of the formalist poets. it's full of so many great poems i can't begin to list them all.

One commonly held view of the relationship between scientists and engineers assumes that the latter represent an applied form of the former. Vincenti shatters this notion by showing how engineers develop their knowledge and use that information in the context of the problems they solve. While engineers and scientists share in their formative education a curriculum heavily devoted to mathematics (at least through differential equations) and fundamental physical forces, their priorities diverge at the context of their assigned tasks and in the type and quality of information that can be made available to complete their purposes. In particular, engineering knowledge does not exist for its own sake, in contrast to science.

Vincenti cites several examples from the aeronautics industry. While these descriptions take on an anecdotal character, these collected narratives nonetheless impose his conclusion as well as any philosophical essay could and probably better. In each case, _What_Do_Engineers_Know_?_ demonstrates that incomplete information may yield intermediate results having little or no effect on the intended problem.

The first example relates to a wing design for the B-24. The history of the Davis airfoil design is explained, as well as its incorporation for the B-24 wing. At the time of its adoption, various airfoil shapes had been investigated, and the Davis form subsequently was found to resemble the high performance laminar-flow airfoil. But did this form benefit the B-24 performance. Probably not, answers the author. Laminar flow can be difficult to maintain at the Reynolds numbers typical of modern aircraft, particularly in wartime conditions when surface roughness will likely increase tripping the boundary layer to turbulent (with resulting increased drag -- laminar flow has a thinner boundary layer, but is more prone to flow separation). The B-24 was considered a fine aircraft, in part due to its wing length.

The second example describes flying-quality characteristics and relative design priorities regarding stability and control. (The Wright brothers had emphasized stability in the infancy of manned powered flight.) Designers had to determine what characteristics made an airplane desirable to pilots, and which would consign them to the scrapyard. This ergonomic study evolved as pilot and aircraft capabilities expanded in speed and flight duration. An appendix provides qualitative criteria used to compare stability performance.

The third example compares how thermodynamics is treated by physicists and engineers. The latter employ control volume analysis as developed by Ludwig Prandtl for economy and accuracy rather than the understanding of nature governing thermal energy transfer. The fourth example covers data collection for airplane propellers. Subtle changes in camber, pitch and twist in a design can have subtle or profound effects on efficiency. These were evaluated using empirical studies, in contrast to a more analytical treatment where the contributing second and third order effects are more difficult to distinguish. The fifth example explains the struggles in riveting thin metal sheets with countersunk joints for aircraft production. The establishment of standard head angles required more detailed material behavior for both rivets and attaching sheets than previously known.

Finally Vincenti concludes with a synthesis on how design knowledge develops from functional collections of information. The writing style can be tedious at times, and other times smooth, but this is a matter of personal taste for the reader. While a typical engineer may find some aspects of the work, particularly among the examples, more familiar than other chapters, it nonetheless remains a beneficial insight into how engineering knowledge is acquired, organized and utilized to address the concern at hand.

I am an instructional technologist dealing a lot with the design and development of products in a young technology, computer-based instruction. My technology is in its youth compared to other technologies that have become essential to our social and economic operations. I am interested in knowing the stages my technology will go through and the types of knowledge it must accumulate as it matures, which seems certain, given current interest and ferment.

Vincenti describes how aeronautics technologies grew and went through their stages, and this has given me insight into my own. This is not a book of idealized process for implementing technology. It is s set of historical case studies, some of which Vincenti himself participated in, others of which he researched.

The book is not easy to read, but I have found it very rewarding. It is full of technical terms and heavy technology. At the same time, if you pay the price in effort and study this book carefully, you will not be disappointed. You will see how technologies develop, and knowing this, you will be able to anticipate developments and needs in your own area of growth.

At last a straight forward amd well researched alternate veiw about breast cancer, its causes and its treatment. Dr. Lee and all have gone to great lengths to present meaningful and in depth perspectives on the issues that most matter in trying to understand how we can respond to breast cancer. They don't shy away from the difficult questions of how money and politics have shaped what we have been led to believe about how our own bodies function and the impact of various hormones on us. All we have to do is look in the news these days to see the mis-information that we have been fed elsewhere on HRT, cancer and such. Nor do they back away from distortions that have been feed to us about supposed sucesses on the war on cancer. Finally we have in one place a book that can point us in the direction of real hope and possible long term solutions, both individually and collectively.
I have been working with women and men with breast cancer for many years. At last I have a source of information that I can point people to that we can trust. Read this book. Then re-read it. It is a goldmine and a must if you or anyone you know has breast cancer or even concerns about it.

Dr. John Lee Tells the Truth about Hormone Replacement
After all the hoopla recently about the dangers of HRT, this well-written book is a refreshing look at what's really going on in medicine with hormone treatments, and what's really causing breast cancer. Obviously written with great care for scientific accuracy, yet within the grasp of the "lay" person, Lee, Zava and Hopkins have carefully laid out the politics of breast cancer, the psychology of it, and the biochemistry. When you put this book down you'll probably have a better grasp of breast cancer than your typical doctor. This classic is a life-saver and should be on every woman's bookshelf.

Finally a book on breast cancer that explains the REAL causes: (1)environmental exposure to toxic chemicals like pesticides and petroleum products that mimic our own natural hormones, estrogen specifically; (2) nutritional deficiencies from eating junk food that allow these toxic chemicals to inhibit normal detoxification mechanisims that take place in the Liver and Gastrointestinal tract; (3) taking prescription drugs which amount to synthetic derivations of our natural hormones, which inhibit normal cellular communication and can damage our DNA, resulting in formation of hormone-driven tumors; (4) chronic emotional stress which uses up our B-vitamins, essential fatty acids and other essential nutrients needed to maintain our immune and detoxification systems, as mentioned above.
Dr. Lee is a hero and a mentor. I highly recommend that ANYONE interested in the REAL causes of breast, ovarian, uterine and prostate cancers, AND how to prevent them, should read this book, and the two previous books by Dr. Lee, on Menopause and Premenopause, both available on this website!
More and more people are waking up....and beginning to understand the horrible mistake we made by trusting large corporations (drug companies)that place profits before people. Reading books by Dr. Lee will educate us and show us how with a little time reading, we can learn how to take care of ourselves while living in a world that is run by corporations trying their hardest to destroy us!
Read and share this book with those you love!