Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary

Although Stedman's dictionary seems to be the preference for most medical schools, Taber's actually contains a lot more words than Stedman's. To be fair, there isn't much competition when it comes to medical dictionaries, it's either Stedman's or Taber's. Stedman's update is usually 4 to 5 years, but you'll only notice the lack of new words if you're in the research field. Taber's tends to release a new edition every year or two, plus you get more words at a lower price. In terms of the definitions in Taber's, it's written to be just a bit more considerate for the layman. Whereas in Stedman's, you would probably need to be at least a medical student or higher to make the most use of it. Best solution is to get both, at least one of the two definitions will make better sense to you.

This dictionary has enough information to be useful for even the most learned medical professional and is still simple enough to use to be accessible to any mildly educated member of society. The dictionary is much more than simply a dictionary. Consisting of the vocabulary section and then some appendices, this 2270-page godsend is chockfull of definitions, examples, full-color diagrams, charts, diagnoses, and more. The preface to the dictionary actually lists all of the features of this cyclopedic dictionary, so I will regurgitate it here: 1. Vocabulary 2. Easy-to-Use Entry Format 3. Alphabetization 4. Eponyms (including biographies of those after whom things were named) 5. Definitions 6. Pronunciations 7. Singular/Plural Forms 8. Etymologies 9. Abbreviations 10. Encyclopedic Entries 11. Illustrations 12. Tables 13. Adjective Forms of Words 14. Cautionary Statements 15. Synonyms (Very helpful!) 16. Cross-References 17. Appendices (Basically all the stuff that doesn't fit well within the dictionary, like medical terminology prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms as well as lots of various classification schemes) 18. Nursing Diagnoses AppendixThe book comes with a trial subscription to Taber's Online. This is my only complaint. Taber's Online does not appear to have received the thorough thought that the printed version did. I found that it was generally unhelpful, but you don't have to pay any extra for it, so I'm not complaining, just commenting. Overall, I would strongly recommend buying the Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary.

Having taken a medical terminology class at the hospital where I work, I quizzed the instructor on a suitable medical dictionary in his opinion that I could use for my daily work needs. He suggested a few including this one. Next day in work, I was about to ask a few of the many people in my department what their preferences were but decided to take a stroll around the cubicles instead. Sure enough, nearly every cubicle I passed, held a copy of this dictionary. After purchasing a copy, I wasn't surprised to see why. The book is very easy to follow and understand so, if you find yourself in need of this subject, I'd definitely recommend Taber's.

I was 'raised' on Stedman's, the usual medical dictionary at my Med School. When I recently bought a Taber's as a gift for a future colleague, I was surprised at the easier 'navigation' possible with Taber's (the tabs are excellent) and I was impressed with the quality & quantity of the illustrations. I believe this is the best choice for both health care providers and consumers.

I continue to use this book, after 5 years in private practice. It is fast, concise and still amazes me at its depth.I've just recommended it to my brother who is begining his EMT training.