The sixth edition of the Manual of Orthopaedics continues to be
designed for use by medical students, house staff interested in the care of
orthopaedic patients, and family practice doctors who treat many orthopaedic
patients and may then refer them to an orthopaedic surgeon.
The first four editions were primarily concerned with orthopaedic trauma.
The fifth edition included discussion about nontraumatic conditions, and the
sixth edition has incorporated even more topics not related to trauma, so that
the current edition of the manual is more balanced in its presentation of
orthopaedics. Dr. Swiontkowski continues as the editor, with many of the
faculty at the University of Minnesota contributing chapters. Steven D.
Stovitz, MD, from the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health,
reviewed or edited all of the chapters in this edition of the manual.
The Hennepin County Medical Center treatment recommendations can be found
in a box at the end of the trauma chapters, and they serve as a good quick
reference for the resident on his or her way to treat a patient in the
Emergency Department. Each chapter has a good bibliography for the reader who
wants more in-depth information on a particular subject. Some of the
bibliographies have two sections, one of which is entitled "Selected
Historical Readings," giving the reader the opportunity to see how the
diagnosis and treatment of a particular injury or condition may have evolved
over time.
What I like about the manual is that it is a good tool for the beginning
resident and can also be a quick review for any doctor who may suddenly find
himself or herself thrown into an unfamiliar situation. Also, the manual
provides a great deal of practical knowledge that is scattered throughout
other texts or that residents learn by watching or by being told—for
example, how to inject or aspirate a joint, where to place what sized needle,
how to measure the motion of joints, how to properly drape a patient for
surgery, how to set up traction, and how to make a splint. This manual should
be made available to all beginning residents who are involved in treating
orthopaedic patients.