Welcome to my blog. Wow, that has been a long time coming! I have wanted to do this for a long time. Writing a book is great but it can be partially outdated by the time it is published. There is always at least some lag time from writing to editing to publishing. (That being said, I must give “props” to Data Trace as they have been incredible to work with and the lag time from when I finished writing and editing to the publication of the 3rd Edition of the Handbook can be measured in weeks instead of months as in the past). The flow of new information in the field of lower extremity infectious diseases progresses rapidly and, when strictly dealing with a published book, there is no convenient way to update it nearly quickly enough since years elapse between revisions. I have always wanted a way to communicate new information as efficiently as possible. Yes, I still lecture all over the country and include the latest data in those talks but only a relatively small number of interested parties actually ever attend a formal lecture. A website dedicated to lower extremity infectious diseases (LEID) along with an updateable blog seems to be the most convenient way to reach the greatest number with the most up to date information.
When I originally approached Data Trace about updating the book, I was probably more interested in a Web presence as I was an actual published 3rd Edition. The decision was made to do both since they are unique and valuable in their own rights. Of course, I may already be behind the technology 8-ball with something as prosaic as a website and blog. I guess I could start “tweeting” to really get things out there quickly, but anyone who knows me realizes I have trouble saying “hello” in the 140 characters Twitter gives you so I don’t see how it could help get out scientific information! Who knows, maybe that is the next step…we’ll see.
Now down to business. As I envision it, the purpose of this blog is to give me the ability to disseminate new data, information, reviews and thought leader opinions in the area of LEID. It also gives me the ability to communicate with anyone throughout the world who may have a question or problem dealing with a LE infection. The whole idea of this blog is to be interactive. I want to hear others’ thoughts and ideas! This is what will make it intellectually stimulating and fun for me and, hopefully, valuable to those monitoring the site.
Although purchase of the 3rd Edition of the Handbook of Lower Extremity Infections is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED and desirable, it was agreed that this blog should be open to all comers and not just those who have purchased the book. While revising the book I reviewed every word to make sure it was still current. Changes were made where necessary, some extensive, such as an entirely new chapter on MRSA. I will give more specifics about the update in a future posting.
Thanks for reading my initial post. Please become an active participant!
Warren S. Joseph, DPM, FIDSA
Why should I buy the book?
Thank you for your question. The 3rd Edition of the Handbook of Lower Extremity Infections is the only book published that is specific for treatment of infections that you would see in your daily practice. Sure you could buy the latest edition of Mandell’s Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, considered by some to be the “bible” on the subject but it will set you back $400 and about 75% of the content will be extraneous to what you do every day. Furthermore, unlike a big bulky textbook, the Handbook is just that…designed to be an easy to use and search reference that will allow you to find the answer to your question easily presented in a point by point format. If you have an earlier version of the Handbook, the 3rd Edition is worthwhile because it has been fully updated to reflect the latest medical evidence, important in this age of evidence based medicine. Each chapter has been revised or expanded and a new chapter has been added on MRSA. Finally, if you wonder why to buy the book since you can access this blog for free; my answer would be that this is a COMPANION blog. It is meant to supplement, not supplant the book. I will use the blog to comment on the latest literature as it comes out, to give my opinion about an ID topic that is currently making headlines or, to just discuss an area that I feel is important. It also gives readers a chance to correspond and have a give and take. Thanks again for your interest.
Anything new to add to comments in book about laser tx of fungal nails. In my area there are ads for DPMs offering this @1K per tx!.
My Q is , does it work?
Same Q for topical Lamisil 1% solution; aside from recent technical trial failure.
Thanks, HH
Dr. Joseph,
Hello. I want to thank you for the wonderful lectures you did at the Kentucky Podiatric Medical Association.
I am interested in your 3rd edition of your handbook. I have a number of my reference books with me all the time via the Kindle application on my iPad. Do you plan to release an e-book version of your handbook?
Again, thank you for your lectures and all that you do to advance podiatry and medicine as a whole.
Sincerely,
RM
Thank you for the kind words and the question. I apologize for the delay in responding as I have been out of the country for a few weeks.
I am also an avid Kindle user (I have 4 in my home from the first generation to the Fire). This is a question for the publisher of the book but I do not believe that they currently have any plans to release an eVersion of the book
Warren