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Original post by Mushi_master
I just used Dr H's notes which was easily enough, depends how you learn though I suppose!

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Thank you :smile:

And for the exams, do we need to know the key points only?
Original post by TheStudent.
Thank you :smile:

And for the exams, do we need to know the key points only?


Focus on those bits, but in reality they can ask pretty much anything.

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Anyone used Sherwoods physiology and is it any good? What rating would you give it?
Reply 223
I would recommend the Funky Professor videos for anatomy too. They're awesome! He's on YouTube or here -
www.thefunkyprofessor.com
(edited 9 years ago)
Is Martini sufficient to learn most physiology (and do extremely well) or do you have to use Guyton / something else as long winded and painstaking but extremely detailed?

Originally, I was thinking i'll use martini to understand what the hell is happening and then guyton to supplement that / add additional detail, but could I get away with just using martini?

I realise that for some topics such as neurology / embryology you might use a more specific text but generally...?

Any tips / ideas from manchester students would be greatly appreciated also.
Original post by ameelia22
Is Martini sufficient to learn most physiology (and do extremely well) or do you have to use Guyton / something else as long winded and painstaking but extremely detailed?

Originally, I was thinking i'll use martini to understand what the hell is happening and then guyton to supplement that / add additional detail, but could I get away with just using martini?

I realise that for some topics such as neurology / embryology you might use a more specific text but generally...?

Any tips / ideas from manchester students would be greatly appreciated also.

Will vary from school-to-school.

Generally to function as a doctor? Martini is sufficient. Enough to satisfy your hunger to understand? Possibly insufficient, depending on the kind of student you are.
Original post by Kinkerz
Will vary from school-to-school.

Generally to function as a doctor? Martini is sufficient. Enough to satisfy your hunger to understand? Possibly insufficient, depending on the kind of student you are.


To pass exams....?

How do you go about working from pre-clinical textbooks?
Original post by ameelia22
To pass exams....?

As I said: it will vary from school-to-school.

How do you go about working from pre-clinical textbooks?

How would you go about working from any textbook? Read it, try to understand it and then do whatever works for you to retain it. It's no different to any other means of studying (unless you got through A-levels by working almost exclusively on past papers, in which case an adaptation will be necessary!).
Original post by Kinkerz
As I said: it will vary from school-to-school.


How would you go about working from any textbook? Read it, try to understand it and then do whatever works for you to retain it. It's no different to any other means of studying (unless you got through A-levels by working almost exclusively on past papers, in which case an adaptation will be necessary!).


Haha, good point! Thank you! Thought there might be a secret way that helps you soak everything up :wink:
Reply 229
About to start first year of GEM (at Imperial) and thinking about textbooks... is there any point in getting my own, and if so, what are the best ones?

I'm getting lots of differing opinions re anatomy textbooks (particularly Moore & Dalley Clinically Oriented Anatomy v. Gray's Anatomy for Students)

Also, as a first year, is there any point in getting any Clinical Guides (either Oxford Handbook or Kumar & Clarke)?

Finally - any opinions on the "Medicine at a Glance" book? (as useful as it sounds or not really)?

Thanks for the help and I'm really sorry if this has already been asked and answered!!
Original post by jam-jam
About to start first year of GEM (at Imperial) and thinking about textbooks... is there any point in getting my own, and if so, what are the best ones?

I'm getting lots of differing opinions re anatomy textbooks (particularly Moore & Dalley Clinically Oriented Anatomy v. Gray's Anatomy for Students)

Also, as a first year, is there any point in getting any Clinical Guides (either Oxford Handbook or Kumar & Clarke)?

Finally - any opinions on the "Medicine at a Glance" book? (as useful as it sounds or not really)?

Thanks for the help and I'm really sorry if this has already been asked and answered!!


Don't buy anything yet - go to your library and browse through the textbooks and see which one you like best. No point getting one now, realising it's not really conducive to your learning style and then being lumbered with it for the rest of the year.

FWIW, I think Gray's is overkill - Clinical Anatomy by Ellis and Anatomy at a Glance were more than sufficient for me!

OHCM is worth getting - the latest edition was published earlier this year so it should still be relevant by the time you're a clinical student. Medicine At a Glance is also very good but you don't really need two clinical books at your stage, so I'd stick with the OHCM for now.

If you're looking for a concise guide to the pre-clinical basic sciences, I think the Oxford Handbook of Medical Sciences is very good. Between that and the OHCM I'd say you've got your revision for first year pretty much sorted.
Original post by jam-jam
About to start first year of GEM (at Imperial) and thinking about textbooks... is there any point in getting my own, and if so, what are the best ones?

I'm getting lots of differing opinions re anatomy textbooks (particularly Moore & Dalley Clinically Oriented Anatomy v. Gray's Anatomy for Students)

Also, as a first year, is there any point in getting any Clinical Guides (either Oxford Handbook or Kumar & Clarke)?

Finally - any opinions on the "Medicine at a Glance" book? (as useful as it sounds or not really)?

Thanks for the help and I'm really sorry if this has already been asked and answered!!


Definitely wait until you start the year and see what lecturers/older students recommend re: anatomy textbooks.
For Imperial, I don't think you need OHCM or K&C until you actually start clinicals as there is a clear pre-clinical/clinical divide there. Best to wait until you start clinics.
Probably worth getting a physiology textbook, but as you're in the GEM programme, you might already have one/know most of the physiology any way so a library book will suffice. Once again, best to wait until you meet other students to hear what they recommend.
Definitely worth getting Pharmacology at a Glance or Rang and Dale's Pharmacology Condensed out the library for your pharm teaching though.
Reply 232
Original post by Democracy
Don't buy anything yet - go to your library and browse through the textbooks and see which one you like best. No point getting one now, realising it's not really conducive to your learning style and then being lumbered with it for the rest of the year.

FWIW, I think Gray's is overkill - Clinical Anatomy by Ellis and Anatomy at a Glance were more than sufficient for me!

OHCM is worth getting - the latest edition was published earlier this year so it should still be relevant by the time you're a clinical student. Medicine At a Glance is also very good but you don't really need two clinical books at your stage, so I'd stick with the OHCM for now.

If you're looking for a concise guide to the pre-clinical basic sciences, I think the Oxford Handbook of Medical Sciences is very good. Between that and the OHCM I'd say you've got your revision for first year pretty much sorted.



Original post by purplefrog
Definitely wait until you start the year and see what lecturers/older students recommend re: anatomy textbooks.
For Imperial, I don't think you need OHCM or K&C until you actually start clinicals as there is a clear pre-clinical/clinical divide there. Best to wait until you start clinics.
Probably worth getting a physiology textbook, but as you're in the GEM programme, you might already have one/know most of the physiology any way so a library book will suffice. Once again, best to wait until you meet other students to hear what they recommend.
Definitely worth getting Pharmacology at a Glance or Rang and Dale's Pharmacology Condensed out the library for your pharm teaching though.


Thanks so much for the info and advice guys :smile: will wait until term starts as you say to see what's suggested by imperial and what the library have.
Thanks again!!
Anyone have recommendations for a textbook on acute medicine? I'm considering either the "Acute Medicine: A Practical Guide to the Management of Medical Emergencies" or "Making Sense of Acute Medicine: A Guide to Diagnosis"?

Has anyone used either of them two before?
Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics is a fantastic text. Pharmacology is a really interesting subject anyway, but this book provides brilliant, colour diagrams, and a detailed, comprehensive look at a drug's mechanism of action as well- which I always feel is by far and away the most important thing to know about a specific drug. It also details pharmacokinetics and side-effects of each drug.
Original post by navarre
Medical Pharmacology and Therapeutics is a fantastic text. Pharmacology is a really interesting subject anyway, but this book provides brilliant, colour diagrams, and a detailed, comprehensive look at a drug's mechanism of action as well- which I always feel is by far and away the most important thing to know about a specific drug. It also details pharmacokinetics and side-effects of each drug.

You've not hit the latter years yet, have you?
Original post by Kinkerz
You've not hit the latter years yet, have you?


Still pre-clinical, but you need a grounding in the fundamental science behind the drug you're going to prescribe.
Original post by navarre
Still pre-clinical, but you need a grounding in the fundamental science behind the drug you're going to prescribe.

Actually you don't. It's nice, sure, but's not the most important thing to know about a drug. At least on any practical level. In fact, in practical terms it's almost meaningless.
Original post by Kinkerz
Actually you don't. It's nice, sure, but's not the most important thing to know about a drug. At least on any practical level. In fact, in practical terms it's almost meaningless.


At an exam level, it is the most important thing to know though.
Physiology by Costanzo- I found it when googling "best physiology book" and apparently it's hailed in America- for good reason though, I absolutely love it :biggrin: I'm assuming things are the same in other medical schools where you're really pushed for time trying to cover anatomy and physiology of a system in way too brief a time, so while things like Guyton are nice to use, imo there physically is not time to realistically plough through that many pages and understand the concepts! Costanzo hits the balance beautifully, and being written with med students in mind, the physiology is linked to pathophysiology, or to equations used in clinical practice. I can't recommend this book enough, it's written in a light-hearted way that makes reading it a genuine pleasure. :smile: Since they use it in America I'm assuming the level of detail would be sufficient for most med schools here too, I've definitely found it to be the right level for me at least!
(edited 8 years ago)

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