''The Merck Manuals'' (outside the U.S. and Canada ''The MSD Manuals'') are medical references published by the American pharmaceutical company
Merck & Co. (known as MSD outside the United States and Canada), that cover a wide range of medical topics, including disorders, tests, diagnoses, and drugs. The manuals have been published since 1899, when Merck & Co. was still a subsidiary of the German company
Merck.
These manuals were originally developed in book form, but have been updated and converted to digital formats, including websites and mobile apps. Digital versions also include audio, 3D models, and animations.
The first Merck Manual, ''Merck's Manual of the Materia Medica'' (1899), was a small reference book that became widely used: by the 1980s it had become the world's best-selling medical text. Since then, several manuals have been produced, and are regularly updated. The titles include:
* ''
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy'', commonly called ''The Merck Manual''. This is the descendant of the 1899 book.
* ''The Merck Manual—Home Health Handbook'' is a consumer edition, introduced in 1997. An updated third edition was released in 2009.
* ''The Merck Manual of Patient Symptoms'' was a small printed reference summary of symptoms intended for medical students, physician assistants, and the like.
* ''
The Merck Veterinary Manual
The ''Merck Veterinary Manual'' is a reference manual of animal health care. It was first published by Merck & Co., Inc. in 1955. It contains concise, thorough information on the diagnosis and treatment of disease in a wide variety of species. ...
'', introduced in 1955, covers animal health care.
* ''The Merck Manual for Pet Health'' is a consumer, or pet owner, edition.
* ''
The Merck Manual of Geriatrics'' was introduced in 1990, focusing on health care for older patients.
* ''The Merck Manual of Health & Aging'' is a consumer edition.
The Manuals for human health were converted to a web format in 2015 and are hosted on MerckManuals.com in the US and Canada, and MSDManuals.com throughout the rest of the world. These sites include two versions tailored for consumers and for health care professionals respectively. The Manuals are available online in 12 languages. The Manuals for animal health were converted to a web format in 2002 and are hosted on MerckVetManual.com (outside the U.S. and Canada MSDVetManual.com).
See also
* ''
The Merck Index
''The Merck Index'' is an encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals with over 10,000 monograph on single substances or groups of related compounds published online by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
History
The first edition of the Me ...
'' is a related product aimed at chemists; originally published in 1889, it predates ''The Merck Manual''.
It is now produced by the
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...
.
References
External links
The Merck Manuals (issued in the United States and Canada)The MSD Manuals (issued internationally)
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M
Merck & Co.