Epidemiology for the uninitiated, 5th ed.

D. Coggon, Geoffery Rose, D.J.P. Barker

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London: BMJ Publishing Group; 2003. 68 pp plus index, graphs and tables. $27.50 (paper) ISBN 0-7279-1604-1

Rating: ***

Audience: Physicians

Content: As the title indicates, this very slim book offers the reader a brief initiation to the field of epidemiology and biostatistics. It also includes a short account of research methods and screening. The text is very short and as such does not go into any subject in much depth. It is meant clearly to be an introduction to clinicians with little previous instruction in statistics and epidemiology.

Strengths: The book's very brevity is its chief strength. The language is clear and the writing concise. Complex concepts are well and briefly presented. The organization of both the contents and index makes it easy to find specific topics.

Limitations: Brevity is also this book's main limitation. Not all major topics are covered; for example, the evidence-based approach for clinicians is hardly touched upon.

A.M. Clarfield Department of Geriatrics Soroka Hospital Ben Gurion University of the Negev Beersheva, Israel

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