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Digitalis' Awesome Thread of Textbooks

The mark schemes in it are great for practicing.

Yup, bought it at Blackwell's today. It's really good how they've got every station imaginable as an OSCE mark sheet, so you can see where you've picked up points. It has an explanation as to why you ask or check for that particular point too. Would definitely recommend to others :smile:

Reply 201

Mushi_master

17

Original post by Kinkerz

Cynical Acumen, by John Larkin.

It's a clinical skills book with a very different inflection to Macleod's etc.
I think it's absolutely brilliant. No nonsense and hilarious. Full of excellent tips for passing OSCEs and for real life situations.

Genuinely can't recommend it enough.

Bought this the other day on this recommendation, definitely a wise decision!

Reply 202

adsyrah

10

Just discovered this thread - it's brilliant!

A few books have been added to my Amazon Wish List in the vain hope a couple will be bought as leaving presents.

Reply 203

Ashfully

7

Any recommendations for books with practice questions for specialities?
Anyone tried the and Assess and progress Clinical Specialities from Oxford handbooks? Or the Get ahead ones?

Reply 204

msandford1

I saw this thread on helpful textbook reviews and would like to add a book to the list.

For anyone studying surgical pathology, I strongly recommend reading Elsevier's Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology. This book helped me to understand subject matter that seemed impossible to comprehend! As many of you who are studying pathology may know, that bone and soft tissue is definitely one of the most difficult areas of surgical pathology to understand.

I downloaded the e-book on my iPad and it's great because I have easy access whenever I want. The book uses really vivid images and detailed descriptions and is very easy to read and understand. I would definitely recommend "Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology" to anyone who is studying surgical pathology, especially those having trouble with tumor pathology, as this book goes into great detail on that subject!

Reply 205

That Bearded Man

22

Original post by digitalis

So I'm bored and decided to include some reviews of books I have bought and are in use on my bookshelf as it is a reasonably common question in the summer months/before going to uni, usually something along the lines of "ZOMG!! WHAT BOOKS SHOULD I BUY!!". As always, I will advocate the party line of buying nothing, yes nothing, until you go to university and look at all the books available in the library, as unlike school for all you school leavers, there is no real "core" textbook. It is down to personal preference and style.

So, here goes!

PS Current students/Drs./mods would be great if you can add your own.

Preclinical Medicine

Essential Clinical Anatomy-Moore and Agur

Spoiler

Netter's Anatomy Flashcards

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Anatomy Colouring Book

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Greys Anatomy for Students

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Wheater's Functional Histology

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Clinically Orientated Anatomy by Moore and Dalley

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Essential Cell Biology]

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Pocock and Richards: Human Physiology

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McMinn's Clinical Atlas of Human Anatomy

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Dean and Pedginton Vol. 1 2 and 3

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BRS Pathology

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General and Systemic Pathology

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Basic Concepts in Pharmacology: A Student's Survival Guide

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Rang and Dales' Pharmacology

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Integrated Pharmacology

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Medical Pharmacology at a Glance

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Human Reproduction at a Glance

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Guyton and Hall's Physiology

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Clinical Medicine

Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine

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Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine

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Tutorials in Differential Diagnosis

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Davidson's Essentials of Medicine

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Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine

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Surgical Recall

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Surgical Talk: Revision in Surgery

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Essential Surgery

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Clinical Obstetrics and Gynaecology

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Essential Orthopaedics and Trauma

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Wards 101 Pocket

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Clinical Examination

Oxford Handbook of Clinical Examination and Practical Skills

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Macleod's Clinical Examination

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Handbook of Clinical Skills

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More to come...

Your reviews are VERY good, thank you!

Just to ask as a lowly first year, I have Grey's and I have the colouring book for anatomy, can you recommend a textbook providing basics on anatomy? Obviously every schools teaching methods are different (Queen's Belfast) but just any idea about what a 1st year should get if they're looking for around the level of the colouring book, but with more info?

Reply 206

That Bearded Man

22

Also guys, as a first year studying respiratory physiology I've been very impressed with Ward and Ward Respiratory at a glance, just thought I'd give it some credit

Reply 207

Dandy Lion

I'm going to buy the oxford handbook of clinical medicine (cheese and onion), will there be a huge amount of difference between the 6th edition and the newest 8th edition? (There's a 6th edition on amazon which is a lot cheaper and I'm only in first year)

Reply 208

Kinkerz

15

Original post by Dandy Lion

I'm going to buy the oxford handbook of clinical medicine (cheese and onion), will there be a huge amount of difference between the 6th edition and the newest 8th edition? (There's a 6th edition on amazon which is a lot cheaper and I'm only in first year)

If it was me, as a firsty, I'd just use the library copy and then purchase the most up to date edition upon reaching clinical years.

Reply 209

Beska

21

OSCE: A Training Manual for Medical Undergraduates

This book is a very, very good way to practice OSCE skills alongside your clinical skills handouts/Macleod's, with more specific focus on what to do in the OSCE to pass. Has marking grids that are very similar if not exactly the same as what we are taught to do (therefore what we would be marked on in the OSCE) and information on pretty much every examination and procedure you're likely to get in medical school. It also has marking grids for communication stations, history stations, psych stations, etc. However, it is quite expensive.

It is aimed at medics who already know broadly what they need to do in an exam/procedure, but are just practicing it for an OSCE. It has "hints and tips" that books like Macleod's does not necessarily give you.

e: Just seen an Amazon review that sums it up:

"As with many exams, it's not enough for you to know the answers... you have to show the examiners that you know. OSCE: A Training Manual for Medical Undergraduates is perfect for this."

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 210

sweetchilli

7

Original post by Beska

OSCE: A Training Manual for Medical Undergraduates

This book is a very, very good way to practice OSCE skills alongside your clinical skills handouts/Macleod's, with more specific focus on what to do in the OSCE to pass. Has marking grids that are very similar if not exactly the same as what we are taught to do (therefore what we would be marked on in the OSCE) and information on pretty much every examination and procedure you're likely to get in medical school. It also has marking grids for communication stations, history stations, psych stations, etc. However, it is quite expensive.

It is aimed at medics who already know broadly what they need to do in an exam/procedure, but are just practicing it for an OSCE. It has "hints and tips" that books like Macleod's does not necessarily give you.

e: Just seen an Amazon review that sums it up:

"As with many exams, it's not enough for you to know the answers... you have to show the examiners that you know. OSCE: A Training Manual for Medical Undergraduates is perfect for this."

just ordered this book on account of the few reviews on this thread. will post my own when I get it. OSCE exams in 1.5 weeks so hopefully will help!

Reply 211

Nimbus

12

Hey guys, I've some book recommendations for biochemsitry, immunology and cell biology here :smile:

Biochemistry- Voet and Voet - 7/10
One "hell" of a book at first glancet's with all of those ridiculously difficult looking models, wordy pages and jargons...BUUUT! It's very comprehensive and detailed and in most cases, it gives you all of the explanations to why certain things work in a certain way. I personally really like it for the accuracy, detailed descriptions and reasoning behind the mehanisms, pathways, and discoveries and it's very up to date. It almost act like a systematic review of the most significant biochemistry there is, but provided with explanations. :smile:

The most difficult thing with it is to getting used to its style (it's concise, won't waste space to try and break down all the maths equations into individual small steps for example), but once you're happy with spending enough time to read through and understand the stuff, it'll turn out to be one of your best teachers. :smile:

On that alone, I'd give it a 9.5/10 (-0.5 for the difficulty!)
However, because it's so detailed, I think it's probably waay too much for us medics and can easily get us confused if we're not willing to spend hours on biochemistry, so overall, probably not the most suitable book out there, so will give it a 7/10.

Molecular biology of the cell - Alberts et al - 8/10
In a nutshell - it reads like a story book! :biggrin:

Quite monstrous a size but what can you expect when you've 1000s of topics and well annotated diagrams to work with. It's the most essential book for first year biochemists/biologists and I found it invaluable a resource even into my second year (I did 3 years of biochemistry beforehand btw!)
I really like how it's much simpler to read (than Voet for example) - I remember having luckily stumbled across one when I was in Sixth Form, and even then I could read and understand quite a bit!
It's very detailed and honest, doesn't simplify any science in a way like A-level/GCSEs, and only omits extreme details (and tells you about it too).
The biggest critism I've for it is that the authors sneakily do not explain why something works and happens in certain cases (mostly concerning very small details so don't worry) whereas other books, esp Voets' Biochemsitry really covers wel.
I think the actual content definitely covers most of what medics will need, and in majority of cases, even more, so I'd high recommend it!

Biochemistry - Stryer, berg et al - 8/10
Not my favourite biochemistry book out there, but it's really good for mechanisms, knowing which enzymes and etc. I haven't checked out the entire book and only used it for mechanisms so far ('cos I rely on Voet for biochemistry a bit too much xD).

Molecular biology - Weaver et al - 9/10
Best . molecular . bio . book. It's my essential molecular bio book back when I did biochemistry as a first degree. It provides you with a lot of explanation for techniques and research as well as clear and logical explanations for mechanisms - highly recommended! :smile:

Medical biochemistry - Dominiczak - 5/10
Not my favourite medical biochemistry book I'm afraid. The diagrams aren't great and very vague at times. The explanations are also not very comprehensive. I'm not probably not giving a good review as I did not extensively read through it but I'd advise investing into getting a Stryer or any other biochemistry book for better explanations.

Biochemistry - Lehninger et al - 7/10
I personally haven't used it a lot but it was the classical standard biochemistry book used by students dozens of years a go and one of the best lecturers I had (and a very reputed researcher) sworn to this book back in his days so I'm guessing it's really good!
The detail is very nice, not too much that you can't stand it (if you hate biochemistry) like Voet, just about right really!
One great thing about it is the end of chapter quizzes - perfect for getting your head around some confusing concepts and assumptions.
One thing I found not so good is that there are one or two ideas are that a biiit out of date.
Overall, a lovely book (but quite thick and monstrous looking)!

Janeway's Immunobiology - Murphy et al - 9/10
Best book for immunology I've found so far! Enough details for even biochemists who want to specialise in immunology. Amazing diagrams, beautiful layout. Enough said. =P

Reply 212

Kinkerz

15

Original post by Nimbus

Molecular biology of the cell - Alberts et al - 8/10
In a nutshell - it reads like a story book! :biggrin:

You say that as though it's a good thing! Means you have to read about four quadrillion pages to get anywhere. It's such a low-yield book.

Reply 213

Nimbus

12

Original post by Kinkerz

You say that as though it's a good thing! Means you have to read about four quadrillion pages to get anywhere. It's such a low-yield book.

Yeah I guess it's quite "chatty" and definitely not a succinct book. But I really enjoy cell biology and reading it and to me, it feels like listening to a nice, laid back lecture when you read it. xD

Anyway, guess it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hopefully the highlights in the book will enable people just find the stuff they need sooner!

Reply 214

Democracy

20

Nimbus

Molecular biology of the cell - Alberts et al - 8/10
In a nutshell - it reads like a story book! :biggrin:

Quite monstrous a size but what can you expect when you've 1000s of topics and well annotated diagrams to work with. It's the most essential book for first year biochemists/biologists and I found it invaluable a resource even into my second year (I did 3 years of biochemistry beforehand btw!)
I really like how it's much simpler to read (than Voet for example) - I remember having luckily stumbled across one when I was in Sixth Form, and even then I could read and understand quite a bit!
It's very detailed and honest, doesn't simplify any science in a way like A-level/GCSEs, and only omits extreme details (and tells you about it too).
The biggest critism I've for it is that the authors sneakily do not explain why something works and happens in certain cases (mostly concerning very small details so don't worry) whereas other books, esp Voets' Biochemsitry really covers wel.
I think the actual content definitely covers most of what medics will need, and in majority of cases, even more, so I'd high recommend it!

I used this book to learn postgraduate level molecular biology - I can't even begin to describe just how irrelevant it is to medical school. You absolutely should be looking for simplification because when you have a million other facts to retain in your brain, it doesn't really do much good to get bogged down learning about the roles of DDB and XPC-RAD23B in nucleotide excision repair...

That said, the book gets 10/10 for the authors' good taste in music AND their creativity:

http://wyattandstuff.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/beatles-on-cell-biology-books.html

Reply 215

Gritten

I'm not sure how to set up a new post (?) but quick question - how many of these universities have apps students can use?

Thanks. x

Reply 216

Dr_Noodle

Levick's Cardiovascular Physiology is an excellent textbook, highly recommend it. Have looked at quite a few books on this topic and this is by far the best. If you go to Amazon you can get it with a self-assessment book which helps. It goes to a good level of detail and explains the concepts well with inclusion of relevant diagrams. It's a bit pricey (~£40 for the two books) but worth it.

After much deliberation over the last five years, I personally wouldn't bother with either Davidson's or Kumar&Clarke. You are better off using a combination of Patient UK, Emedicine and NICE guidelines in order to get up to date epidemiology and investigation/management guidelines. Emedicine is quite good for
pathophysiology. You should also download the BNF app if you have a smartphone/tablet, it is good to get used to referring to it early before the prescribing competency in final year.

I quite like the Lecture Notes books as an intro to topics though they don't go into quite enough detail. Ones I have particularly liked are General Surgery (worth buying and going through cover to cover in third year), Cardiology, Respiratory and Psychiatry.

For MCQs I recommend PassMedicine. OnExamination is far too expensive for what it is (I used it for two years, really not worth it).