Cope's Early diagnosis of the acute abdomen

by Zachary Cope

For the 20th edition of this classic text, Silen has expanded his discussion of the role of CT scans in diagnosing abdominal pain and cut the material on such obsolete procedures or nosologic entities as abdominal paracentesis, pyplyositis, and Bornholm's disease. The book continues to be the outstanding guide to the difficult task of diagnosing and deciding how to manage acute abdominal pain, where decisions must be made quickly and mistakes can kill patients. More generally, it remains the most venerable of all texts on the art and science of bedside diagnosis.

Genres: Medicine, Medical, Science, Textbooks

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Sir Vincent Zachary Cope (1881-1974) was an English physician and surgeon perhaps best known for authoring "Cope's Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen" by him from 1921 until 1971.[1] New editions continue being published by editors long after his death.

Reviews

[Jeremy]

best abdominal exam book ever written. for those non-medical people, this is an ENTIRE book on how to "read" someone's belly by looking at it, listening to it, and feeling it.

[Nick]

One of those lovely volumes wherein someone tries to distil their experience into a digestible format. Well written, interesting, and practical. Well worth reading, especially for Acute and Emergency Medics as well as surgeons. A classic for a reason.

[Erika Schmitz]

All the common diagnosis in General Surgery. Great for the medical student before starting residency!

[Christopher]

There is no silver bullet to "getting" the very complicated abdomen, but this is a good book. Cope/Silen focus on clinical presentation and physical diagnosis almost exclusively, giving the book a helpfully delimited scope. Plus, just watching Cope's thought processes was instructive in of itself. The first third on general presentation of abdominal diseases was very good. The latter two thirds was a "parade of diseases" which was fine.

[TheAmusingAce]

(For context, I'm a 3rd year medical student at a Canadian University)

I hated the abdominal exam in first and second year medical school. It felt so imprecise and useless now most centres have access to CT scans.

This book instilled in me a great love for this exam now, and an appreciation for this unique part of the art of medicine. I read it after several months of an integrated clerkship, and dozens of half-assed abdo exams. Now I jump at the chance to do the exam, because I get to practice what this book taught me. This appreciation for the art of medicine also extends beyond what this book actually covers.

Will it adequately prepare you for surgery exams by itself? Not at all. Will it be very practically useful in clerkship and beyond -> definitely. It's a relatively quick read, and a text I will probably re-read before I start my residency in 18 months or so.

[Matt]

"The passage of stool and gas is not a guarantee that all is well within the peritoneal cavity!"

[Kyla]

a timeless classic in physical diagnosis

[Jan]

A medical classic.

[Jimmy]

Excellent book, I've read it twice now, and may go back and read it again every few years.

[James Herrington]

This should be required reading in medical school and residency.

[J]

First two chapters on clinical Dx recommended by http://www.medrants.com/archives/6642.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=etcqH...

[Julian T]

Classic! The compassionate and competent surgeons guide to the acute abdomen. History is key to guide you through the long differential diagnoses

[Auriel]

#surgery

[Fariborz]

excellent book for any surgeon