Dermatology Online Journal

Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology
Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Richard Allen Johnson, Klaus Wolfe, Machiel K Polano, and Dick Suurmond.
McGraw-Hill
ISBN : 0-07-852969-7 Electronic 3rd Edition
Cost: $79 personal/institutional

Review by Claire L. Haycox, M.D., Ph.D.
Dermatology Online Journal 4(1): 8

Review

The latest edition of Fitzpatrick's ' Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology' was issued in both print and electronic versions. I reviewed the print version last year and found this third edition, which contains even more color photographs and many expanded and updated sections, to represent excellent value. [1]

illustration from Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Richard Allen Johnson, Klaus Wolfe, Machiel K Polano, and Dick Suurmond. Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology.© The McGraw-Hill Companies

The CD-ROM contains the complete text and all 595 color images found in the print version. However, aside from a 'Search' function and rapid indexing ability, the disc does not confer any advantage over the print version. A few minutes reviewing the one page list of 'Toolbar Helpful Operating Hints' in the jewelcase insert, made the navigation quite straightforward and easy to use. I ran this disc on a Power Macintosh 9600/200 and the image quality was extremely high. A color calibration card is included in the packaging, or can be accessed electronically from the disc: Comparing the color card with the color bars on you computer display allows you to adjust your monitor to their reference standard.

illustration from Thomas B. Fitzpatrick, Richard Allen Johnson, Klaus Wolfe, Machiel K Polano, and Dick Suurmond. Color Atlas and Synopsis of Clinical Dermatology.© The McGraw-Hill Companies

A single disc runs on both Macintosh and/or Windows operating systems. At first glance, the affordable cost of $79 seems to represent a bargain, especially when compared to other electronic media (see Table below). On closer inspection however, this disc only contains 595 images. This is considerably fewer than other recently reviewed dermatology CD-ROM's. Furthermore, it is important to remember that this is NOT a comprehensive textbook of dermatology - it contains no references for example. There is plenty of up-to-date and accurate textual information, but it is primarily a synopsis and an atlas, as its title appropriately advertises. For the medical student looking for an inexpensive foray into digital dermatologic media, the excellent image quality and its approachability would probably make this a very attractive choice.

	Mac Version	PC Version	Cost*	Number of Images	Search Function
Habif	yes	yes	$179	3000	yes
Rook		yes	$295	1767	yes
Fitzpatrick	yes	yes	$79	595	yes
Saunders	yes	yes	$275	>2500	yes

	Notepad Feature	Bookmark Feature	Online Help	Formulary	Additional Features Compared to print version
Habif	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Rook	yes		yes
Fitzpatrick		yes	yes
Saunders	yes	yes			N/A

Tables: Comparison of Features of Dermatology CD-ROMs Reviewed in This and Earlier 'Media Review' Sections of Dermatology On-Line Journal. ^*(All costs quoted are for both personal and institutional purchases, exceptions are noted)

References

1. Haycox CL. Book Reviews, Arch Dermatol, 1997;133:801.

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© 1998 Dermatology Online Journal