Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 25th Edition Doody's Expert Review Review Questionnaire ISBN: 9781719650670 ISBN-10: 1719650675 Copyright: 2025 Edition: 25th Author: Venes, Donald Doody's Expert Review    Score: 78 Doody's Star Rating™ and Doody's Expert Review provide by Doody Enterprises, Inc. Reviewer: Iris Kovar-Gough,  MA, MLIS  (Michigan State University Libraries) Description This is a comprehensive dictionary that covers topics ranging from anatomical structures, physiological processes, commonly used medical acronyms, eponyms, etymological origins, bioinformatics terms, and surgical procedures. It is structured according to the conventions of the dictionary genre: bold main entry terms with short descriptions that are organized alphabetically and include few images. This is the 25th edition which replaces the 24th edition published in 2021. Purpose The book's purpose is to introduce health students, educators, and clinicians to medical terms. This venerable dictionary, in print since the 1940s, does meet the stated objectives and includes patient care pearls and caution and safety statements that attempt to make the resource more applicable to patient care than other dictionaries. Audience The dictionary is written for health students, practitioners, and educators. The dictionary covers terms from all specialties and areas of medicine. This is a good, general reference dictionary for health professionals and students. Though the book indicates it could be of interest to a consumer health audience, it does not meet the needs of non-professionals. The dictionary would be difficult to read for non-professionals due to its high reading level and complex language choices. The editor is an internal medicine doctor who has been in his position for at least two previous editions of Taber's and brings a wealth of medical experience and expertise to his editorial work. Features The dictionary follows the conventions of the genre for both content and structure. Using the traditional black and red color scheme, it is organized alphabetically and uses bold font weight to differentiate the main entry term from the definition. The writing is clear and concise, as expected. The content covers the breadth of medical vocabularies and includes eponyms; pronunciation guides; standard abbreviations, including those for charting and prescription writing in an appendix; and over 150 tables that give further details for some terms, such as the features of bronchodilator drugs. The updated edition includes entries for emerging technologies and post-COVID medical innovations like artificial intelligence and GLP-1 inhibitors. Unique to this book are patient care sections that give relevant care instructions for procedures and techniques. For example, the main entry term Guthrie Test indicates it is obtained through pricking a newborns heel. It also includes caution and safety statements that are clearly demarcated by a bright red and yellow icon that point readers to information that could impact patient or provider safety. For example, one such statement points out that exercise testing can be dangerous for patients with certain heart conditions. Assessment This is a high-quality dictionary that is useful for its intended audience. Compared to other books in the genre, such as Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 33rd Edition (Elsevier, 2020), it follows conventions of form and function. The additional features it includes, such as patient care pearls and safety callouts, are unique components that other dictionaries do not include. It is also a substantially slimmer volume than Dorland's because images are fewer and definitions are less lengthy, making it a good choice for readers with limited shelf space. It is more of a "quick reference" work than longer dictionaries. This book is recommended for readers who appreciate a portable, print, quick reference, medical dictionary. Review Questionnaire Range Question Score 1-10 Are the author's objectives met? 8 1-10 Rate the worthiness of those objectives. 6 1-5 Is this written at an appropriate level? 5 1-5 Is there significant duplication? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Are there significant omissions? (1=significant, 5=insignificant) 5 1-5 Rate the authority of the authors. 4 1-5 Are there sufficient illustrations? 3 1-5 Rate the pedagogic value of the illustrations. 3 1-5 Rate the print quality of the illustrations. 4 1-5 Are there sufficient references? N/A 1-5 Rate the currency of the references. N/A 1-5 Rate the pertinence of the references. N/A 1-5 Rate the helpfulness of the index. 3 1-5 If important in this specialty, rate the physical appearance of the book 4 1-10 Is this a worthwhile contribution to the field? 8 1-10 If this is a 2nd or later edition, is this new edition needed? 8 ©2026 Doody Enterprises, Inc.