Compiled by two hundred renowned medical experts, the internationally acclaimed medical reference includes up-to-date information on heart disease, digestive disorders, cancer, nutrition, AIDS, hormonal disorders, infections, geriatric care, psychiatry, and much more. Reprint.
No, I cannot claim to actually have read this book in its entirety but I do find myself referring to it often enough that I've become well acquainted with its contents.
I primarily use this for genealogical purposes when looking over death certificates in order to decipher the medical jargon found in these legal documents.
Occasionally, I even find it personally useful for diagnosing myself as to whether I have symptoms worth worrying about or not. Overall, I find it far more grounded of a work over searching the myriad of questionable internet sites that normally seem to somehow imply that I have a terminally fatal disease.
If I recall, at the time it was the only decent medical handbook for laymen. This book was a source of anxiety for me; and to my doctor's annoyance, a guide to possibly unsound self-diagnosis. I outgrew this phase :) but looking back, it was entertaining.