Widmann's Clinical Interpretation of Laboratory Tests

Widmann's isn't just page after page of lab tests with normal and abnormal values--I recommend Wallach's for that. Widmann's bridges the relevant physiology and pathophysiology over to the clinical tests. This allows me to understand the 'why' behind the numbers. It could use better graphics (I am a visual-oriented learner), and the references to the color plates within the text don't match up to the similarly numbered figures. This alone could cause other reviewers to drop the rating by a star or two. I still rate it 5 stars because it appeals to my sense of actually learning medicine rather than just rote memorization of facts and figures. In my opinion, this is crucial to success on the boards and wards and beyond. This book is recommended reading (along with "Daddy" Robbins) for my Hematology, Oncology and Immunology courses during med school (second year), though I look forward to using it for everything else down the road, including boards preparation, internship and residency.

This book is great for clinical pathology residents. It is MUCH easier to read than Henry or McClatchey and still contains much of the pertinent information of these reference tomes. Excellent for board review and for rotations, especially the clinical chemistry. Hope they come out with a new edition soon, as the latest is a few years old.

The value and limitations of human clinical laboratory testing is very difficult to introduce or summarize. Most texts are over 1100 large fine print pages. This text by authors at Georgetown University and the Scripps Clinic provides a systematic introduction to Hematology, Immunology, Clinical Chemistry, Clinical Microbiology (including some virology), Endocrinology, Theraputic Drug Monitoring, Toxicology, Tumor Markers, and Nutrition Disorders. Both diagrams provided and helpful tables are surprisingly current considering the 1991 publication date. Many medical professionals will be well served if they understand just what is contained within these covers.