Description
Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers Community Medicine: A Student Manual by Parikshit Sanyal
Community medicine is not something medical students (at least the majority of them) enjoy studying very much. Of all medical specialties, it has the distinction of being most deglamorized. However, in this age of increasingly super specialized medicine, community medicine is the sole voice speaking for primary health care, holistic approach to medicine and the role of preventive medicine. It is essential that in their disregard for the subject, present day medicos do not completely ignore such fundamental and brutally important aspects of medicine. Community medicine is the application of medical science to the society at large. It covers such diverse areas ranging from vaccination and control of epidemics to sanitation and town planning. This textbook is an attempt to present the subject of community medicine at a most introductory level to undergraduate medical students. It provides solid conceptual foundation of biostatistics. Major areas of community medicine including communicable and noncommunicable diseases, environmental health, mother and child’s health, immunization, nutrition and national health programs are covered extensively. However, care has been taken as not to burden the memory of the student with irrelevant details at any point. Regarding style, the book shapes into an easy-to-learn format. Important definitions presented in an information and simple manner emphasizing on keywords. Consistent use of highlight boxes improve the readability of the text and underline key facts. It is written in a manner akin to classnotes, with a basic framework which every student can follow, while also providing additional material for the interesting areas. The book is enriched with only the latest facts, figures and guidelines from international (WHO, CIA, UNICEF, etc.) and national (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) agencies. Website references to topics, online libraries and sources of reliable information are provided in the references to each chapter. Profusely illustrated both by original and public domain artwork and imagery, it is also a very pleasant read.