Preface

Williams Manual of Hematology provides a convenient and easily navigable précis of the epidemiology, etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, and therapy of blood cell and coagulation protein disorders. The 93 chapters in the Manual are a distillation of the disease- and therapy-focused chapters of the ninth edition of Williams Hematology. The Manual is a handbook, but it is comprehensive. It is organized into 12 parts, paralleling the ninth edition of Williams Hematology, yet of a size that permits it to serve as a companion to the physician in the hospital or clinic. It can be used as a hard copy carried in one’s coat pocket or, more deftly, as an e-book on one’s smart phone or tablet.

In addition to the e-book version of this book, you may also find the Lichtman's Atlas of Hematology App with its extensive array of more than 3000 images that are characteristic of hematologic disorders. The App facilitates efficient navigation, search, and usability, and you may select images to be shared and used in presentations. The App is available for purchase in the Apple itunes store, as well as in the Android stores for Android Apps.

We have e-book included chapters on the classification of red cell, neutrophil, monocyte, lymphocyte, and platelet disorders and of diseases of coagulation proteins to provide a framework for considering the differential diagnosis of syndromes that are not readily apparent. Also included are numerous tables that contain diagnostic and therapeutic information relevant to the diseases discussed. Detailed chapters describing the features of individual myeloid and lymphoid malignancies provide a guide to diagnosis, staging, and management. Chapters on the manifestations, diagnostic criteria, and therapy of hereditary and acquired thrombophilia consider the role hematologists play in diagnosing and managing this important mechanism of disease. Descriptions of diseases of red cells, neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes, platelets, and coagulation proteins and their management leave no gaps and meet the needs of the busy hematologist, internist, or pediatrician. In addition, this handbook is very useful for advanced practice professionals, medical and pediatric residents and subspecialty fellows, and medical or nursing students because of its succinct clinical focus on diagnosis and management.

For many tables reproduced in the Manual, the reader can find explicit citations documenting those entries in the concordant chapter in the ninth edition of Williams Hematology. In addition, where helpful, images of blood or marrow cell abnormalities or external manifestations of disease are included. Each chapter ends with an acknowledgment of the authors of the relevant chapter in the ninth edition of Williams Hematology, including the chapter title and number for easy cross-reference to that comprehensive text.

The publisher prints a caution in the Manual that admonishes readers to verify drug doses, routes of administration, timing of doses, and duration of administration and to check the contraindications and adverse effects of drugs used to treat the diseases described. We reemphasize that these often complex diseases require direct participation and close supervision of an experienced diagnostician and therapist. This oversight should be provided by a person who is able to individualize therapy depending on the nature of the expression of the primary hematological disease, the patient’s physiological age, and the presence of coincidental medical conditions, among other factors.

The authors acknowledge the valuable assistance of Marie Brito at Stony Brook University, Kim Arnold at the University of Nebraska, and, notably, Susan Daley at the University of Rochester, who entered tables and figures into the chapters, managed the administrative requirements in the preparation of the Manual, and coordinated communication among the six of us and McGraw-Hill. We also acknowledge the encouragement and support of Karen Edmonson, Senior Content Acquisitions Editor, and Harriet Lebowitz, Senior Project Development Editor, at the Medical Publishing Division, McGraw-Hill Education.