August 2000

Congratulations to the Merck Manual

Merck has published The Merck Manual for 100 years on a not-for-profit basis. The company offers the 17th edition (April 1999) on its Web site free of charge. Written by over 300 experts, the manual covers all but the most obscure disorders. In addition to describing symptoms, common clinical procedures and laboratory tests, it deals with problems of pregnancy and delivery; common and serious disorders of neonates, infants, and children; genetics; drug dependency; psychiatric disorders; and many disorders covered by other specialties. Current therapy is presented for each disorder and supplemented with a separate section on clinical pharmacology. In 1997, Merck introduced a Home Edition for non-medical professionals. At this time, only part of the home edition is online. The complete Merck Manual of Geriatrics is available. The manual discusses the medical care of the elderly with detailed attention to how physiology changes with age, the unique ways diseases present in the elderly, and the special considerations of treating disease in elderly persons.

"We try never to forget that medicine is for the people. It is not for the profits. The profits follow, and if we have remembered that, they have never failed to appear."
-- George W. Merck