Endocrine Secrets » (5th Edition)

McDermott, Michael T., MD

An endocrinologist at the University of Colorado School of Medicine provides a useful manual with concise information about the endocrine system, arranged into seven sections: fuel metabolism, bone and mineral disorders, pituitary and hypothalamic disorders, adrenal disorders, thyroid disorders, reproductive endocrinology, and miscellaneous. New chapters include discussion of psychiatric disorders and thyroid disease, aging and endocrinology, and endocrinology in managed care.

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Doody Review Services

Reviewer:Renee Simon Aronsohn, MD(University of Chicago Hospitals)
Description:This book offers a thorough yet concise and easy-to-read summary of the major endocrine topic areas. The previous edition was published in 2005.
Purpose:The purpose is to provide trainees with pertinent, accessible, and practical knowledge for both the inpatient and outpatient practice of endocrinology, as well as to serve as a first step for board review and didactic conference preparation. The objective is a worthy one, and the book succeeds in providing just enough, but not too much, detail on numerous topic areas.
Audience:The book appears targeted at trainees at all levels, as well as those actively practicing in the endocrinology subspecialty. The contributing authors' level of training and backgrounds vary, ranging from medical residents and fellows to private practitioners and academicians.
Features:The major and many of the lesser known topic areas in endocrinology are covered. Each chapter is organized as a list of questions and answers, which is an effective format for conveying the salient information and issues. Each chapter also includes a list of key points, providing a quick and useful way to review and consolidate the material. The numerous tables, references, and websites included in each chapter are particularly useful. The book also includes the "Top 100 Secrets" list as well as miscellaneous chapters on famous people with endocrine disorders and interesting endocrine facts and figures, which are entertaining but less useful than the rest of the book.
Assessment:The book succeeds in achieving an effective balance of concision and detail. It is a must-have for endocrinology fellows in training, although its use as a board review is limited. That said, practicing endocrinologists also may find it useful as a way to efficiently review the less common subject areas. This edition is more up-to-date and provides improved text and tables, which would warrant replacing the previous edition.