
Preface
The
 traditional teaching
 of
 clinical medicine
 by the
bedside,
 by
 lectures, tutorials
 and
 through textbooks
 is
mainly
 system-
 and
 disease-oriented.
 Diseases
 are
 pre-
sented under their relevant system headings
 and all the
clinical
 manifestations, irrespective
 of
 their regional
 and
anatomical diversity,
 are
 presented
 under
 each
 disease.
This discipline
 of
 learning clinical medicine
 is
 contrary
to how it is
 practised
 in
 real
 life,
 where
 the
 history
 and
examination
 may
 have
 to be
 constructed
 on a
 single
symptom
 or an
 asymptomatic sign.
 The
 patient presents
with
 one or
 more symptoms
 and the
 examiner, during
history-taking
 and
 clinical examination, takes
 note
 of
various
 signs that
 are
 present
 and
 constructs
 a
 diagnosis
from
 these.
In
 this
 book
 I
 have endeavoured
 to
 mirror
 life
 and
 have
presented
 signs
 as
 they
 are
 likely
 to be
 seen
 on a
 visual
survey
 of a
 patient, starting
 at the
 face
 and
 moving down
step-by-step
 to the
 feet.
 A
 brief description
 of
 each disease
is
 given
 as the
 part
 of the
 body
 it
 affects
 is
 covered
 in
the
 sequence
 of the
 scalp-to-sole
 survey,
 and
 with
 each
mention
 of a
 condition
 a few
 more
 details
 are
 added.
 The
book explores
 the
 visual content
 of
 clinical medicine
 and
covers both pathognomonic
 and
 fundamental signs
 as
 well
as
 non-specific signs.
 These
 clinical features presented
 in
an
 anatomical context
 will,
 hopefully,
 offer
 an
 iterative
stimulus
 to the
 student's
 memory
 and
 thereby
 help
 the
retentive ability
 of the
 reader. Thus, this atlas presents
 the
synthesis
 of a
 clinical diagnosis
 from
 the
 features scattered
around
 the
 body
 and
 encourages
 the
 student
 to
 look
 for
these.
In
 this
 age of
 'superspecialization',
 it is
 becoming
increasingly
 difficult
 for
 undergraduates
 as
 well
 as
 post-
graduate students anywhere
 in the
 world
 to see the
 full
spectrum
 of
 clinical signs.
 The
 increasing demands
 on the
clinical
 curriculum
 from
 the
 advancing
 old
 specialities
 and
emerging
 new
 ones have reduced
 the
 time available
 to
 stu-
dents
 to
 experience
 the
 full
 breadth
 of
 clinical medicine.
Today
 it is
 quite usual
 to find
 students graduating
 from
various medical
 schools
 in
 this
 and
 other countries with
 no
clinical instruction
 in, for
 example, dermatology, rheuma-
tology
 or
 neurology!
 This
 problem
 is
 compounded
 by the
fact
 that many diseases
 are
 often
 treated early,
 more
 effec-
tively
 and
 now,
 more
 often,
 in the
 community.
 There
 are
fewer
 opportunities
 for
 students
 to see the
 usual
 and
 less
common signs,
 and yet
 they
 are
 likely
 to be
 confronted
with
 these
 signs
 in
 examination
 and in
 their subsequent
clinical
 practice.
 In
 this book
 I
 have addressed this problem
by
 covering
 as
 much neurology, dermatology, rheumatol-
ogy
 and
 ophthalmology
 as may
 confront
 a
 hospital doctor
and
 a
 general practitioner.
 In
 addition
 to the
 colour pic-
tures
 of the
 clinical signs
 of
 each condition presented here,
anatomical sketches
 and
 line diagrams have been included,
wherever appropriate, both
 to
 improve
 the
 understanding
of
 clinical features
 and to
 cover some important,
 but
 non-
visual
 signs.
This book presents
 a
 structured approach
 to
 clinical
diagnosis
 from
 a
 single sign, suggests
 other
 areas
 to
 look
at for
 relevant supplementary signs and,
 at
 appropriate
places, gives
 the
 critical
 'chairside'
 tests
 to
 confirm
 a
 diag-
nosis. This approach makes some repetition inevitable,
 but
this
 has
 been
 kept
 to a
 minimum
 and the
 clinical signs have
been
 cross-referenced
 for
 easy revision.
When
 I
 started work
 on the first
 edition
 of
 this
 book
my
 main objective
 was to
 present
 a
 pictorial guide
 for
the
 inspection part
 of the
 clinical assessment. Some
 of
my
 well-wisher colleagues
 had
 expressed understandable
doubt about
 the
 success
 of
 such
 a
 venture
 in an age
when
 technology makes
 it
 possible
 to see the
 condition
 of
almost
 any
 internal organ. Contemporary clinical practice
tends
 to
 suggest that
 the
 budding clinician
 of
 today
would
 much rather
 get an
 ultrasound
 of the
 abdomen
than spend time
 at
 looking
 at its
 external contours.
 I
 felt
that
 my
 modest
 effort
 would
 at
 least serve those students
whose self-esteem would
 not
 allow them
 to
 dispense
 with
what
 their eyes could
 do
 before calling technology
 to
 their
aid.
 It is
 pleasing
 to
 note that
 in the UK and USA
 12,000
copies have
 been
 sold
 and the
 book
 was
 translated into
seven languages.
 Bedside
 medicine
 is not
 dead
 after
 all!
 I
am
 grateful
 to all
 those
 who
 have
 found
 this
 book
 of
 some
use and
 have encouraged
 me to
 produce
 the
 second
edition.
In
 introducing some embellishments
 I
 have taken advice
mainly
 from
 students
 who
 have generously given their
comments
 to me. In the first
 edition,
 I had
 omitted
 the
legends because
 I
 thought that students would have
 a
chance
 to
 make their
 own
 observations before reading
 the
text
 to
 look
 for the
 diagnosis.
 I am
 told that
 it
 would
 be
preferable
 to
 have
 the
 legends giving
 the
 telling feature
 of
each picture,
 and
 that
 it
 would
 also
 help students
 to
 apply
appropriate descriptive terms.
 In
 addition
 to
 providing
 the
legends,
 I
 have made some amendments
 and
 additions
 to
the
 text.
 I
 have withdrawn seven pictures that were
 either
repetitive
 or
 unsatisfactory, replaced eight others with
those
 with
 more
 expressive visual content,
 and
 introduced
39
 pictures with additional signs.
 I
 hope
 the
 students
 will
find
 these
 changes
 useful.