Preface Harrison's Manual of Medicine

Dennis L. Kasper; Anthony S. Fauci; Stephen L. Hauser; Dan L. Longo; J. Larry Jameson; Joseph Loscalzo

Dennis L. Kasper William Ellery Channing Professor of Medicine, Professor of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Department of Microbiology and Immunobiology, Harvard Medical School; Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Anthony S. Fauci Chief, Laboratory of Immunoregulation; Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
Stephen L. Hauser Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California
Dan L. Longo Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Senior Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Deputy Editor, New England Journal of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
J. Larry Jameson Robert G. Dunlop Professor of Medicine; Dean, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Executive Vice President, University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Joseph Loscalzo Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Abstract

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine (HPIM), the premier medical textbook for students and clinicians, provides a detailed body of information important to an understanding of the biological and clinical aspects of quality patient care. Harrison’s Manual of Medicine aims to fulfill a different need: As a concise, fact-rich resource for bedside care, the Manual presents clinical information drawn from the 19th edition of HPIM, covering the key features of the diagnosis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of the major diseases that are likely to be encountered on a medical service. First published in 1988, the Manual has become ever more useful with the rapid expansion of medical knowledge and the increasing time constraints associated with heavy patient-care responsibilities in modern health care settings. The Manual’s popularity and value reflect its abbreviated format, which has proven extremely useful for initial diagnosis and management in time-restricted clinical settings. In particular, the book’s full-color format allows readers to locate and use information quickly. In addition, numerous tables and graphics facilitate decisions at the point of care.

The Manual has been written for easy and seamless reference to the full text of the 19th edition of HPIM, and the Editors recommend that the full textbook be consulted as soon as time allows. Although not a substitute for in-depth analysis of clinical problems, the Manual serves as a ready source of informative summaries that will be useful “on the spot” and that will prepare the reader for more in-depth analy- sis through more extensive reading at a later time. Like previous editions, this latest edition of the Manual is intended to keep up with the continual evolution of internal medicine practices. To this end, every chapter from the prior edition has been closely reviewed and updated, with substantial revisions and new chapters provided where appropriate. The 19th edition of the Manual is available in print and in portable format for the smartphone and tablet.

Author Biographies

Anthony S. Fauci, Chief, Laboratory of Immunoregulation; Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Chief, Laboratory of Immunoregulation;
Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

Stephen L. Hauser, Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California

Robert A. Fishman Distinguished Professor and Chairman,
Department of Neurology,
University of California, San Francisco,
San Francisco, California

Dan L. Longo, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Senior Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Deputy Editor, New England Journal of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Senior Physician, Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Deputy Editor, New England Journal of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

J. Larry Jameson, Robert G. Dunlop Professor of Medicine; Dean, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Executive Vice President, University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Robert G. Dunlop Professor of Medicine; Dean, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Executive Vice President, University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Joseph Loscalzo, Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Hersey Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Chairman, Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts