5 comments about Practical Statistics for Field Biology.

1. As a graduate student doing field biology, I found this book to be very usefull. It is a great refresher for those who have had a biometrics course before, and I will be using it as quick reference for a long time. It is much easier to read then other biometrics books. Great buy!



2. When I found myself among seniors in one experiments in ecology class in university (I am a sophomore), I found to my dismay that others knew statistics way better than me. Although I learned probability and statistics in 10th grade, it's been 4 years since then. Therefore, I was in a despate need of a good book. I got this book along with Experimental Design for Data Analysis for Biologists, but I liked this book way better. It's more easy to read (perfect for busy students), has a couple of useful examples, and it's helping me a lot!



3. I am a grad student working on the data analysis for my thesis and this book helped me enormously! The problem with other statistics books is that they give data sets and examples that don't relate to types of data that field biologists half to deal with. My biggest problem was figuring out what kind of statistical tests I needed to use for the kind of data that I had collected, and this book answered many of my questions in that area.



4. This books is a handy little helper for basic statistics, especially if you don't work on the topic on a day-by-day basis. Every approach is exemplified; the same examples are often used for different cases, making it clear how the various tests are connected. I highly recommend this book.



5. The required statistics class in the biology major at my university was confusing and practically useless. This book, which I purchased a year or two afterwards, provided a nice review of the very basics.
   
   The book moves slowly, and the information:examples ratio seems a little low at first; on the other hand, it's good to see some of the actual math of what goes on behind a stats program and be reminded of fundamental concepts. Provides some nice suggestions on data transformation and other topics.
   
   Not perfect, but easy to read, unintimidating, and well organized - a must-read for those who are completely confused by their current statistics training.

3 comments about Health Measurement Scales: A Practical Guide to Their Development and Use (Oxford Medical Publications).

1. This is undoubtedly, one of the best books I have read in this area. The authors follow an appropriate sequence in terms of addressing scale development, testing and analyses issues. The best thing about the book is that it is really easy to comprehend and covers all the important areas. I feel it is a "must buy" for professionals in the area of health-related quality of life and outcomes research.



2. This book is definally the best one in the field, it is clear and provides all information about psychometry.



3. I really like this book and wish that I'd found out about it before my psychometrics class in the spring started, because I would have assigned it in a heartbeat. It's got a lot of the kind of practical advice that anyone thinking of creating a scale REALLY needs to hear first, including the #1 bit of advice: Should you make one yourself? For instance, excellent summaries of the work on scale usage biases by Jon Krosnick, Norbert Schwartz, etc., give useful cautionary information for scale constructors. I have a few disagreements---some of the advice about procedures such as some of the scaling methods they mention is out of date, for instance, and the chapters on factor analysis and IRT are a bit weak, but I can cover that with other material. It certainly doesn't detract from the value of the book overall and I've learned a bunch I didn't know reading it. It'll be on the syllabus next time!

3 comments about Plagues and Poxes: The Impact of Human History on Epidemic Disease.

1. 
   The impact of human history on epidemic disease is related in Dr. Bollett's Plagues And Poxes, an excellent medical-based survey which charts the rise and changing of disease patterns throughout human history. From key events which sparked changes and people involved in them to how inflections diseases have been stopped, Plagues And Poxes provides both a case history and a social analysis, written by a medical doctor who has been a member of many prestigious medical history societies.



2. The "M.D." stands prominently after the author's name on the cover of this book and that's probably for a good reason: this text would fit better in the pages of a medical journal then as a book for public consumption. As a reader with a science background (albeit in physics) I am always ready to read a new science book. I also have an interest in the study of disease, particularly as it relates to the historical development of the human race. Still, this book was a disappointment.
   
   Consider the following passage from the chapter on anthrax: "Most naturally occurring anthrax strains are sensitive to penicillin, which historically has been the preferred anthrax therapy. Doxycycline is the preferred option among the tetracycline class of agents, because it has been proved efficacious in monkey studies. Other members of this class of antibiotics are suitable, and animal studies suggest that such prophylaxis should be effective. The floroquinolone antibiotics (such as ciprofloxacin [Cipro®])should have equivalent efficacy, but no data are available..." Not only is this dull prose, it is unimportant to the thread of the story that Dr. Bollett claims he is telling. And this is only one of the most prominent examples of poor prose (besides making me wonder whether or not Dr. Bollett has any financial interest in Cipro).
   
   According to the introduction, this book is a revised edition to an earlier book on the same subject. I didn't read the first edition but I have a feeling it is much better than this book. Mainly because the last three chapters on emerging diseases are the poorest in the book and are probably new to this addition. As are what I expect are new paragraphs near the end of every chapter that relates how every single disease in history could be weaponized. It is disturbing to see a book like this play on people's fears of bioterrorism.
   
   It's unfortunate because the historical sections of the book which are the bulk of the first parts of each chapter are well done if a bit dry. Dr. Bollett has turned the traditional view around a bit by considering how human history has impacted epidemic disease rather than the other way around. If the book had stayed on this path it would have been decent, if not great. Somehow this new edition has lost its way.



3. I am using this book in a class I am currently teaching. It's fine, gives a decent rundown on the major plagues and includes non-infectious plagues which adds another dimention to the text. Still, it is a tad brief for anything much other than an overview.

5 comments about Understanding Health Policy.

1. This is probably the best single text I have read on healthcare policy issues in the USA. The books addresses every relevant aspect of our system. Unlike other excellent books, such as Dr. Arnold Relman's book, A Second Opinion, which analyzes the system, then makes recommendations on how to reform it, the authors here mainly explicate. The format of the book includes brief, usually fictitious, vignettes about physicians, patients or administrators that illustrate the points the authors present. That format - combined with the simply-presented, clear narrative and analysis - works very well. I also find the references to be excellent. Aside from Dr. Relman's book, I recommend any of the books by Prof. Victor Fuchs, in particular Who Shall Live?, books by Prof. Theodore Marmor and the classic by Prof. Paul Starr, The Social Transformation of American Medicine. There are many other excellent books and articles by a wide range of insightful analysts. These kinds of books are invaluable for understanding the issues in healthcare. So much of the information that filters through to the average person via news reports, propaganda issued by parties with vested interests to protect and superficial proposals from polticians is inaccurate and misleading, usually grossly so. Reading a book such as this goes a very long way towards cutting through that clutter regardless of one's personal experiences and prejudices.



2. I got this book for a graduate class that I am taking. This book uses clear language when presenting the material and has many mini "case studies" for examples, which makes it easy to read. Though I am required to read this book, it is not the standard, wall-of-text, that I am use to reading.



3. Beware: This is an highly ideological text that starts with the assumption that health care is a right! It than goes on to say that in order to fulfill that right it is necessary to control the costs of health care. Obviously, cost control is a very problematic economic proposition that calls for state intervention and that sometimes has consequences that are the opposite of what is desired.
   In the UK, where health care is a right, cost control has led to shortages, waiting lists and an overall degradation of health care. The UK, currently, has the highest mortality rates for oncological problems of all the EU countries and British people got used to flying to France and India for medical care. Canadians also have shortages and Canadians resort to the US.
   Sometimes a "right" can easily turn into a "wrong"!



4. This book turned out to be worth more than I paid for. It's an easy read - and gives you fictional stories explaining the concepts behind health care issues and scenarios to help you put into perspective what the author is talking about. The stories are extremely helpful if you are a newbie to public health and health care issues. Should be one of the books you keep on the shelf to refer to from time to time. You cant go wrong with this book.



5. As another reviewer noted, this book starts from the premise that health care is a right. As a result of this perspective, the first several chapters feature "sob stories" on nearly every page detailing hypothetical examples of people who are put in a bad situation in our current system. Now, our current system is deeply flawed and any unbiased observer would concede this point, but it struck me as odd that the authors would commenti so heavily on the shortfalls of the American system, and so little on the shortfalls of "universal models" of the type they advocate (long waiting time for the majority of procedures, crowded emergency rooms, less use of advanced technologies, health care rationing, and many of the best doctors leaving the country).
   
   In summary, this is a very well researched book and there is little if anything stated here that isn't true. There is, however, a great deal that is deemphasized or simply unsaid because it does not support the authors preconceived ideas of what an idea health care model ought to look like.

No comments about Understanding Health Care Outcomes Research.

2 comments about Nutritional Epidemiology.

1. Amidst the fanciful claims for the health impact of diets and nutritional supplements some reason and science must prevail. In "Nutritional Epidemiology", Walter Willett has updated the substantial contribution to this task made by the 1st edition of his book. Topics covered include approaches to diet assessment in individuals and populations, pitfalls of diet questionaires and other measures of nutritional status and the evidence for a role of diet in a range of disease states. This comprehensive review of the art and science of dietary assessment is of great value to readers from a broad range of scientific and medical backgrounds.



2. The book arrived in perfect condition and ahead of schedule. No complaints.

1 comments about Statistics In Kinesiology.

1. The book was sent within seven days, much before than I expected. I simply love this service...

4 comments about Epidemiology Kept Simple: An Introduction to Classic and Modern Epidemiology, Second Edition.

1. The explanations and presentation of material in this book make this a resource I often recommend both for people familiar and new to the field.



2. "This should become THE epidemiology text." -Paul M. Gahlinger, MD, PhD, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Utah



3. If you are going to get one epidemiology text, this is the one to get. It is well-written, straightforward, but not dumbed-down! It covers all of the major areas of epidemiology and there are ample references to more in-depth papers on specific topics. A companion web site includes review problems, outlines, slides, and link to external references. For the beginner, it is a great introduction to the field of epidemiology. If you have read more advanced books, Epidemiology Kept Simple will help solidify concepts and help link ideas together.



4. I purchased this book for an Epidemiology class...interestingly enough, the instructor of the class is the author! This is my first introduction to an epidemiology textbook and thus far, I've found the book to be extremely worthwhile. The concepts are clearly explained, the examples plentiful, and the online exercises are very valuable.

No comments about Coalescent Theory: An Introduction.

1 comments about Medical Epidemiology (Lange Basic Science).

1. I've used this and the previous edition of Greenberg's text for my epidemiology and literature interpretation course for Physician Assistant students. I've found the text very readable and nicely linked to clinical practice. Each chapter starts with a clinical case around which the chapter is focused. The study questions at the end of each chapter also are useful.

   It is an excellent introductory text for clinicians/health professional students. Probably would not be the best choice for a epidemiology course in an epidemiology graduate program or career epidemiologists.