Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine

Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine
Author(s): PL Mollison, CP Engelfriet, and Marcela Contreras
Mollison, PL, CP Engelfriet, and Marcela Contreras.
Black well Science, n.p., 1997, 754 pages, hardbound.

No other word comes to mind upon reviewing the content of this text other than "classic". This text has long been the gold standard upon which other textbooks in Transfusion Medicine are judged. Although there are many other authoritative textbooks in Transfusion Medicine, this one remains unique in several respects:

1. The historical continuity of this text and it's principal editor which date back to the first edition in 1951 offer a perspective (often anecdotal) not found elsewhere.
2. The continuity of the content and uniform style reflect the limited number of authors (in this case 3) compared to other multi-authored (or mega-authored) texts.
3. The references are listed only once in the back of the book in alphabetical order. This is as opposed to the more common practice of listing references at the end of each chapter in the order in which they appear. This is of course a mixed blessing, but it frequently allows one to quickly identify other significant contributions by the same group.

Upon initial inspection one is struck by how this text has shrunk in size. The voluminous ninth edition weighed 4.6 pounds and spanned 1015 pages, while the new tenth edition weighs a svelte 3.9 pounds, fills a mere 754 pages and is easily carried. However, one need not fear that the content has been similarly reduced in size. The reduction in size employed the usual smoke and mirrors (wider margins, thinner paper and smaller, but still quite readable fonts). In terms of references, the previous edition had approximately 4300 references compared to 5000 in the new edition.
As in previous editions, the content is extensive, current and authoritative, but not so encyclopedic as to be somnolent. For anyone with a serious interest in Transfusion Medicine, the purchase of this textbook is a justifiable necessity.

Reviewed for Bloodline by:
Mark E. Brecher
Director, Transfusion Medicine
Stem Cell Laboratory
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Brecher@MED.UNC.EDU

Copyright 1995-2010 - Carden Jennings Publishing Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. The material available at this site is for educational purposes only and is NOT intended for any diagnostic, clinically related, or other purpose. Carden Jennings Publishing Co., Ltd., assumes no responsibility for any use or misuse of this material and makes no warranty or representation of any kind with respect to the material available at this site.

Related Content 2 plasma cells, one with many vacuoles Blood and Marrow Transplantation Reviews: Volume 13, Issue 5 An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce Case Study: Large Platelets in a Trauma Patient Homozygous sickle cell disease in a 28 year old female