Who Needs Med School?

Do you know what Kawasaki syndrome is? You would if you had a Merck Manual handy. The second edition of the comprehensive Home Edition just hit the New York Times best-seller list. A major rewrite of the original 1997 volume, it covers everything from lice to osteoarthritis and has 35 new chapters on such topics as herbal supplements, female sexual dysfunction and how to get the most out of a visit to your doctor. Hypochondriacs beware: "It's not a self-diagnosis book, and people who use it as such probably aren't using it as we intended," says assistant editor Michael Berkwits. FYI: Kawasaki syndrome, discovered in Japan in the 1960s, may show up in small children as skin rash, fever and enlarged lymph nodes.