This is the first edition of this title. Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions is written for the non-specialist. The essays are written by medical professionals. Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions alphabetically arranges 650 essays covering all aspects of infectious diseases and their prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The essays also offer historical and technical background with discussions of discoveries, developments, and prognoses. Essays range from the common, such as influenza, to the rare, such as necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh eating bacteria. This work also includes essays reflecting the global reach of infectious diseases. It does this by exploring such topics as “emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, developing countries, epidemics and pandemics, endemic diseases, tropical medicine, globalization, neglected tropical diseases, water quality and treatment, sanitation, and travel” (ix). Over two hundred black and white photographs help illustrate the text.

Essays, which range in length from one to five pages, begin with ready reference top matter. Helpful information at the end of each entry is contained in “Further Reader,” which lists sources, often with annotations, and “Web Sites of Interest,” which provides a list of authoritative websites. Sidebars are also included in many of the entries. The sidebars contain key terms and facts, newsworthy topics, and questions to ask your health care provider.

A special feature of Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions is the nine appendixes at the end of volume three. Two that stand out are the glossary, which provides hundreds of definitions of commonly used scientific and medical term, and an annotated websites appendix, which reflects the importance of the Internet to general education in infectious diseases. There is also a pharmaceutical list that is categorized by the type of drug. The last two sections that make Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions different than others are the “Time Line” which “offers a chronological overview of major developments in infectious diseases from 1700 B.C.E. to the present” (xi), and the “Biographical Dictionary” of scientists in infectious diseases.

I compared Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions to Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and Lee Lerner's Infectious Diseases: In Context (The Gale Group, 2008). This comparative source, while informative, only contains 250 entries. Space constraints led the editors to limit entries only to those effecting human health. Two benefits to Infectious Diseases: In Context are color photographs and a “Words to Know” sidebar of essential terms that enhance the readability and understanding of the entry. The items really enhanced the look of Infectious Diseases: In Context, and in this respect, I would favor Lerner and Lerner's title. However, their title, while also written by experts, is geared more towards high school students. The audience for Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions is science and pre-med students, students in epidemiology and public health, students of global and tropical medicine, and public library patrons. Its entries go into much greater detail and are written at a higher level, while still being understandable. Salem Health: Infectious Diseases and Conditions is written and organized in a very easy to understand manner. I would recommend this title for undergraduate academic libraries with programs in the areas listed above, and to public libraries.