Atlas of Tropical Medicine and Parasitology (2007) by Wallace Peters and Geoffrey Pasvol offers a bleak and sometimes depressing window into the state of health, or lack thereof, of underdeveloped countries, particularly those in Africa. The names of the diseases and symptoms are fearsome and sometimes curious: dengue, blackwater fever, rabies, leprosy, bubonic plague and more. The images are striking and grim – almost impossible to forget.
The book also does an excellent job with diseases that are prevalent in developed countries as well. For example, sickle-cells disease, gonorrhea, Lyme disease and AIDS are all covered in excellent and vivid detail. Thus, the book is a useful adjunct for pathology and microbiology courses and is an important component of Infectious Diseases: A Curriculum for Self-Guided Learners.
I recommend this book, one of the best medical books of all time, to medical students and anyone who is interested in infectious diseases. I would respectfully suggest that the authors include in future editions more information about clinical presentations. To pick a relatively simple example, hepatitis A virus is described as a disease with “often mild infection with or without jaundice.” Early learners would benefit from more specific information about the clinical presentation of this disease: malaise, gastroenteritis, etc.
If you live in endemic areas, you should read the book to become more familiar with tropical diseases. If you don’t live in endemic areas, you should read the book to realize how fortunate you are.
Sample the book free here.
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