Many people now turn to the Internet to diagnose and learn more about illnesses and types of treatment. Today there are hundreds of medical dictionaries and encyclopedias online, but finding the best ones is hard. Some of the sites reviewed for this article were:
• Medline Plus
• WebMD
• Stedman’s Online Dictionary
• Online Medical Dictionary http://cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk/omd/
• Medical Dictionary Online
• MedicineNet.com
• The Merck Manual Medical library
• Medicine Online
• MedicineChest
• Tabers Online
All the sources cited above provided good information on medicine and medical terms. Some were more geared towards the general public while others were better used by medical professionals. However, based on reviews and my own use, the top five in terms of ease of use, audience and currency are:
1/Medline Plus
Medline Plus has an encyclopedia and a dictionary, plus articles, making it a favorite source of medical information online. The encyclopedia allows browsing alphabetically. The arrangement makes it easy to find what is needed by just scanning. The use of “see” references makes it easy to see alternate terms as well, for example:
Abdominal hysterectomy see Hysterectomy
The entries also have illustrations, definitions and general information on the conditions being researched. There is also information on treatment options including what to do at home where possible.
The dictionary is intuitive in that even when incorrect spelling is used, it provides options for the correct term. This makes it user-friendly even for the layman. A big plus is the details offered in addition to the definition. It tells the figure of speech of the word being looked up, gives the pronounciation.
2/ Merck Manual Medical Library
Merck Manual Medical library – Merck is a well-known name in the medical fraternity and its online manual is true to form – a quality reference work. The index easily guides users to the relevant information, which is important. The encyclopedic manual provides full information on thousands of illnesses, including their causes, symptoms and treatment. The language can also be easily understood.
The manual is broken down into main sections adding to its user-friendliness. For example, headings cover subjects such as “cancer”, “ear, nose & throat disorders” and “Men’s Health Issues”. Merck is a comprehensive guide to medical information online.
3/ WebMD
WebMD is a full-fledged source of medical information, covering definitions, current news in the health field, and health information. A comprehensive site, it takes some getting used to but the information provided is invaluable. This makes it worthwhile to learn the ins and outs of WebMD.
4/ Stedman’s Online Medical Dictionary
Stedman’s Online Medical Dictionary was easy to use and offered two ways to access needed definitions. Users could easily type in the term in the search box or use the alphabetical listing. Typing in the term was quick but could pose problems if words are not correctly spelt as no terms would be found. Misspelling would be common since medical terms can be difficult to spell.
The alphabetical listing is not a simple ABC format, but was geared towards those in the medical profession. Each letter of the alphabet was subdivided: example “A” was subdivided into “AA, AB through to AZ”. In addition, the Greek alphabet was also included so that clicking “A – AD” would start with:
-d-galactosidase
-d-glucosidase
-dextrin endo-1,6- -glucosidase
1,4- -d-glucan 6- -d-glucosyltransferase
1,4- -d-glucan-branching enzyme
This makes it difficult for the layman to just dive in, however, once exposed to the Dictionary it becomes easier to use. These are then followed by standard terms such as:
adamantinoma of long bones
Adamkiewicz
Adams
Adam’s apple
adamsite
For the medical student however, Stedman’s is a great source for definitions of medical terms.
5/ Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary
Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary – Obviously a great source of medical information, Taber’s is really subscription-based. The free sample definitions provided were useful, but many terms were not in the free version. What is really good about Taber’s is the audio pronunciation guide. The explanation of the root words that combine to make the term is a bonus. It also gives synonyms, uses “See references” and provides illustrations.
Without a paid subscription it is definitely not worthwhile adding this source to your online list. However, if you do have access to the paid version, it is a good source of information. It is geared primarily to those in the medical field, but the language is still easy to read and understand.
It must be noted that the listing was compiled alphabetically because it was hard to determine which was best overall.
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