Merck & Co., Inc., is proud to introduce The Merck Manual of Medical Information--Home Edition. This all-new publication is based on The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, commonly referred to as The Merck Manual, the textbook of medicine most widely used by health care professionals in the U.S. and worldwide. The Home Edition transforms the language of the professionals' version into commonly used English while retaining the vital information about diseases, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.

The Merck Manual of Medical Information--Home Edition, like all the Merck manuals and The Merck Index, is published by Merck & Co., Inc., on a not-for-profit basis.

A Special Note to Readers:

The authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher have made extensive efforts to ensure that the information is accurate and conforms to the standards accepted at the time of publication. However, constant changes in information resulting from continuing research and clinical experience, reasonable differences in opinions among authorities, unique aspects of individual situations, and the possibility of human error in preparing such an extensive text require that the reader exercise judgment when making decisions and consult and compare information from other sources. In particular, the reader is advised to discuss information obtained in this book with a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or other health care practitioner.

With each printing, we have the opportunity to make corrections in our printed books. However, because the electronic versions are more flexible in this regard, we can make changes at any time. Thus, the text in this web site may be slightly different from that in the most recent printing of the book.