Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease 8th Edition: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access

As the authors launch the 8th edition of Pathologic Basis of Disease they pause to look back 50 years ago, when the first edition of this book, entitled “Pathology with Clinical Correlations” was published. (For those who may not know, the first three editions were published under this name and so the current “8th edition” is really the 11th edition of this book.)
In the preface of the first edition, Stanley Robbins wrote:  

“But the study of morphology is only one facet of pathology. Pathology contributes much to clinical medicine. The pathologist is interested not only in the recognition of structural alterations, but also in their significance, i.e., the effects of these changes on cellular and tissue function and ultimately the effect of these changes on the patient. It is not a discipline isolated from the living patient, but rather a basic approach to a better understanding of disease and therefore a foundation of sound clinical medicine.”  

“The why's and how's are as important as the what's.”

In today's vocabulary, what Robbins said in 1957 was that pathology is the study of the mechanism of diseases and morphology is a tool (the only one available at that time) to gain insight into pathogenesis and clinical correlations. Over the past 50 years, this focus has not changed and it remains the guiding principle for the current edition. The main difference is that now we have many more tools to supplement morphology, including molecular biology, genetics, and informatics, to name a few. Indeed, it might be said that this book presents the molecular basis of human disease with clinical correlations. This edition, like all previous ones, has been extensively revised, and some areas have been completely rewritten. A few examples of significant changes are as follows:  

• Chapter 1 has been completely reorganized to include the entire spectrum of cellular responses to injury, from adaptations and sublethal injury to cell death.
• Chapter 3 , covering tissue repair and wound healing, has been extensively revised to include new and exciting information on stem cell biology, growth factor signaling, and the mechanisms that underlie fibrosis.
• Chapter 5 includes a completely rewritten section on molecular diagnosis that reflects rapid advances in DNA sequencing technology. The principles of genome-wide analysis, now becoming a powerful tool in the study of complex human diseases like cancer and diabetes, have also been added.
• Chapter 9 has been completely revised and reorganized in view of the increasing importance of environmental factors in human diseases.
• Chapter 17 has been completely rewritten and highlights new insights into the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal cancers.
• Chapter 22 , covering diseases of the female genital tract, includes discussion of the molecular basis of cancer, endometriosis, and preeclampsia.
• In addition to the revision and reorganization of the text, many new photographs and schematics have been added and a large number of the older “gems” have been enhanced by digital technology. Thus, even the veterans of Robbins Pathology will find the illustrations and figures sparkling and fresh.

Wherever appropriate, the authors have blended new discoveries into the discussion of pathogenesis and pathophysiology, while never losing sight that the “state of the art” has little value if it does not enhance the understanding of disease mechanisms. As in the past, they have not avoided discussions of “unsolved” problems because of they belief that many who read the text might be encouraged to embark on a path of discovery.
Despite the changes highlighted above, our goals remain the same as those articulated by Robbins and Cotran over the past many years.  

• To integrate into the discussion of pathologic processes and disorders the newest established information available—morphologic as well as molecular.
• To organize information into logical and uniform presentations, facilitating readability, comprehension, and learning.
• To maintain the book at a reasonable size and yet provide adequate discussion of the significant lesions, processes, and disorders. Indeed, the authors have reduced the girth and the weight of this book by trimming out about 80 pages (making it less useful for weight lifting).
• To place great emphasis on clarity of writing and proper use of language in the recognition that struggling to comprehend is time-consuming and wearisome and gets in the way of the learning process.
• To make this first and foremost a student text—used by students throughout all years of medical school and into their residencies—but, at the same time, to provide sufficient detail and depth to meet the needs of more advanced readers.

The authors have been repeatedly told by readers that up-todatedness is a special feature that makes this book very valuable. They have strived to remain current by providing new information and references from recent literature, many published in 2008 and some from the early part of 2009. However, older classics have also been retained to provide original source material for advanced readers.
We are now into the digital age and so the text will be available online to those who own the print version. Such access gives the reader the ability to search across the entire text, bookmark passages, add personal notes, and use PubMed to view references, and has many other exciting features. In addition, also available online are case studies, previously available separately as the Interactive Case Study Companion developed by one of us (VK) in collaboration with Herb Hagler, PhD, and Nancy Schneider, MD, PhD, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas. The cases are designed to enhance and reinforce learning by challenging students to apply their knowledge to solve clinical cases. A virtual microscope feature enables the viewing of selected images at various magnifications.

Book Features 

• Offers the most authoritative and comprehensive, yet readable coverage available in any pathology textbook, making it ideal for USMLE or specialty board preparation as well as for course work.
• Includes access to the complete contents online via Student Consult, along with self-assessment and review questions, over 100 interactive clinical case studies, downloadable images, videos, and a virtual microscope that lets users view slides at different magnifications.

Website Features

• Consult the book from any computer at home, in your office, or at any practice location.
• Instantly locate the answers to your clinical questions via a simple search query.
• Quickly find out more about any bibliographical citation by linking to its MEDLINE abstract.
• Images: Browse a Library of all book images. Easily select, organize, and download your images into a presentation.
• Interactive Case Studies: Browse over 100 case studies, complete with learning objectives, and interactive figures and review questions.
• Virtual Microscope: See both standard and magnified views of over 150 high-quality pathology slides showing both normal and diseased states.

New to this edition

• Delivers a state-of-the-art understanding of the pathologic basis of disease through completely updated coverage, including the latest cellular and molecular biology.
• Demonstrates every concept visually with over 1,600 full-color photomicrographs and conceptual diagrams - many revised for even better quality.
• Facilitates learning with an outstanding full-color, highly user-friendly design.

Contents 
General Pathology
1. Cellular Responses to Stress and Toxic Insults: Adaptation, Injury, and Death
2. Acute and Chronic Inflammation
3. Tissue Renewal, Repair, and Regeneration
4. Hemodynamic Disorders, Thromboembolic Disease, and Shock
5. Genetic Disorders
6. Diseases of the Immune System
7. Neoplasia
8. Infectious Diseases
9. Environmental and Nutritional Diseases
10. Diseases of Infancy and Childhood

Systemic Pathology: Diseases of Organ Systems
11. Blood Vessels
12. The Heart
13. Diseases of White Blood Cells, Lymph Nodes, Spleen, and Thymus
14. Red Blood Cell and Bleeding Disorders
15. The Lung
16. Head and Neck
17. The Gastrointestinal Tract
18. Liver and Biliary Tract
19. The Pancreas
20. The Kidney
21. The Lower Urinary Tract and Male Genital System
22. The Female Genital Tract
23. The Breast
24. The Endocrine System
25. The Skin
26. Bones, Joints, and Soft Tissue Tumors
27. Peripheral Nerve and Skeletal Muscle
28. The Central Nervous System
29. The Eye
Index

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1464 pages
• Publisher: Saunders; 8 edition (May 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416031219
• ISBN-13: 978-1416031215
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 2.3 inches

List Price: $129.00