The Harvard Guide to Womenus Health: ,

The projected Harvard University Press Reference Library is off to an impressive start with its first volume, a comprehensive guide to what women need to know to form effective partnerships with their physicians. Carlson and Eisenstat, co-editors of Primary Care of Women, and Ziporyn, a medical journalist and historian, offer an authoritative and accessible means to this end. Encyclopedic coverage includes over 300 main entries arranged alphabetically from Abdominal Pain to Zinc, plus an extensive index that directs readers to discussions of several hundred subtopics ( blood clots, diet pills, Premarin). Matters related to reproduction are emphasized, but general topics such as alternative therapies, exercise, nutrition and concerns common to both sexes, such as diabetes and coronary artery disease, are also discussed, with attention given to how symptoms and treatment may differ for women. Descriptions of specific therapies and procedures are clear; many are accompanied by exceptionally lucid line drawings. The resource directory includes organizations, print sources, Internet and World Wide Web sites. (May)