The McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine South Asia Edition is a product of international partnership and collaboration in medical education. The combination of Western and Asian experience and knowledge presents a unique opportunity to the health-care systems of South and Southeast Asia, which—despite rapid economic growth—are facing challenges in healthy living.
South Asia accounts for one-quarter of the world’s population and carries about one-third of the global disease burden, with infectious diseases, noncommunicable diseases, and injuries being the three major challenges faced by the region. South Asian countries report the highest mortality rates in relatively younger age groups. Low economic and educational status and other social determinants of health are strongly linked to the predominance of certain diseases. Population expansion and rapid economic growth have created disruption in the ecosystem and contributed to the emergence of infectious and noninfectious diseases. Some tropical diseases, despite significant prevalence, are associated with poor awareness among physicians and neglected by policymakers. South Asia is experiencing an epidemic of chronic noncommunicable diseases, which not only complicate health outcomes but also modify the outcome of communicable diseases. Because of these epidemiologic and genetic factors, not infrequently the management strategies applied here differ from their Western counterparts. Thus it is important to incorporate components of health-care systems specific to this region into a comprehensive textbook of medicine for better patient care.
To meet these regional needs, most of the South and Southeast Asian countries, including India, have acknowledged a newly conceptualized medical education system wherein there is a shift from content-based to practical problem-based curriculum. To keep pace with the reform in medical education, textbooks on modern medicine also need to be revised.
In his poem Bharat Tirtha (Gitanjali), the Nobel Prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore promoted the heritage of tolerance, acceptance, and exchange of ideas. The great monk and philosopher Swami Vivekananda also advocated combining the thoughts of the West and East so that our cultures, sciences, and ideas are further enriched. The McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine South Asia Edition is an excellent example of such a cross-cultural collaboration. The work of European and North American authors has been adapted by South Asian editors to meet the needs of physicians in the region. The textbook is meant to serve as a comprehensive compendium for practitioners, highlighting the distinctiveness of clinical features, regional diagnostic guidelines, and management strategies unique to this part of the world. Equally importantly, it is a work in progress, with new topics being added in the electronic version (on the website and in the mobile application) on a day-to-day basis and the existing chapters subjected to ongoing review, with an aim to keep all contents up to date. Registered users will be immediately informed about updates.
The McMaster Textbook is a product of international partnership and collaboration in medical education. The combination of Western and Asian experience and knowledge presents a unique opportunity to the health-care systems of South and Southeast Asia, which—despite rapid economic growth—are facing challenges in healthy living. It also offers our partners in different parts of the world an opportunity to see health-care challenges and solutions through a different lens. We all shall benefit from the project.
Jyotirmoy Pal
Nandini Chatterjee
Kolkata, India
March 2022
