Book Review

Sherlock's Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System. 12th ed. James S. Dooley, Anna S. F. Lok, Andrew K. Burroughs, and E. Jenny Heathcote. Wiley-Blackwell, 2011, 792 pgs, $199.95.

Readers who expected the concise and compact “small book” made famous by Dame Sherlock may be disappointed with the new 12th edition of Sherlock's Diseases of the Liver and Biliary System, edited by James S. Dooley, Anna S. F. Lok, Andrew K. Burroughs, and E. Jenny Heathcote.

This new edition consists of 37 chapters written by 52 international authors, and comes 9 years after the last edition. There are 748 pages plus an excellent index. Chapters are organized in classic fashion covering anatomy and liver function, cirrhosis and all of its complications, all the etiologies of acute and chronic liver disease, and liver disease in pregnancy, the neonate, and childhood. Some chapters are very long by the standards of prior editions. For example, “The Liver in Infection” is more than 20 pages in length and has 163 references, and the chapter on “The Liver in Systemic Disease” is also quite lengthy, but both are packed with information. There is also a separate chapter on benign biliary tract disease and a unique discussion of malignant diseases of the biliary tract. “Benign and Malignant Tumors of the Liver” and “Liver Transplantation” complete the full range of topics.

Quite useful is the table of contents separating each chapter into topics and referring the reader to the appropriate pages. Each chapter includes an introduction with learning points and ends with an extensive bibliography. I was impressed with the inclusion of references up to and including 2010. Diagrams, charts, and photomicrographs are of excellent quality and are abundant and relevant to the text

In summary, this 12th edition is an excellent reference text that is current and extensive in its content. It is well worth its modest price and I would recommend it as the most current textbook for physicians and students.