2nd Med Books

Medstudent

Hi All,

I'm starting 2nd med in Sept and I've been looking around for new books. I'm going to need pathology, pharmacology and medical microbiology books and I was just wondering what are the best ones to use? I hear Rang and Dale is good for Pharmacology?

Bazmedic

I'd recommend Robbins pathology, pretty much my entire class used it and found it very good. Rang and Dale is good, but it gets a bit tedious. Lippincott's pharmacology is good for quick revision. Mim's medical microbiology is good too.

Take the books out of the library and use them for a while before you buy them though. You may end up buying a book on others recommendations and find that you don't like it. I found this out the hard way :rolleyes:

mardybumbum

I'd go with Rang and Dale for Pharmacology. I downloaded the newest edition off the interwebz. You could probably buy the 5th edition second hand for a tenner or so. I dont think theres much difference in the newest edition.

As for pathology, I went and splurged on a copy of Pathological Basis of Disease. I borrowed Basic Pathology from the library and I felt it was lacking somewhat.

I haven't bought a micro book yet. I used Murray's for the end of second year. I'll probably buy Mim's this year as it does it system by system.

yerayeah

I got Underwood for second year pathology, and did pretty sh1t at path for the year. Then for third year I just used lecture notes and BRS pathology and got a first quite comfortably. A second hand BRS shouldn't break the bank, so I think you should definitely get that, it's very handy for pre exam cramming as well!!:D I don't know anyone who likes Underwood!! I've read Robbin's a few times, but the detail overwhelms me!:p

As for Pharm, I have the latest Rang and Dale, it's a pretty good book, I never really read from it a lot, just made my own notes using it instead but I'd imagine it would be hard to beat. I've heard good things about Pharmacology at a Glance as well though...

Vorsprung

Get "Medical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple". Does exactly what it says on the tin. Would agree with Robbin's pathology, and Rang and Dale is what I used as well.

If you're doing physiology, Costanzo's physiology is something you should borrow when doing Renal Physiology, and it's good to invest in West's Essentials of Resp Physiology - one of the best written Phys books out there.

Also, buy off eBay to save yourself a few sponjulahs.

Breezer

I completely disagree with yerayeah, I'd recommend Underwood above Robbin's for Pathology. Basically because Robbins put me to sleep, meaning I learned absolutely nothing from it. Underwood is far more readable.

I'm also going to recommend Lippincott over Rang and Dale, which I never liked for whatever reason. But I'm one of two people I know who shared this opinion.

+1 billion to "Medical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple" - best textbook I've ever bought.

Improbable

I used Rang and Dale, found it reasonable. If you live in Dublin, I'd recommend going round to Chapters on Parnell Street and browsing the 2nd hand books section. Quite a few university level textbooks and very cheap, I got 6-7 biochemistry texts which were only 1 edition behind for about 35 euro.

Medstudent

Improbable wrote: »

I used Rang and Dale, found it reasonable. If you live in Dublin, I'd recommend going round to Chapters on Parnell Street and browsing the 2nd hand books section. Quite a few university level textbooks and very cheap, I got 6-7 biochemistry texts which were only 1 edition behind for about 35 euro.

Thanks for the advice! i checked on ebay and on amazon but with uk prices and postage, I'm not saving an awful lot!! I dont mind spending the money on a good book if I know i'm going to use it. I work during the school year so I like to treat myself to new shiney books :P

Does medical microbiology made ridiculously simple actually have all the info in it?? I'm wary of books like that! I sorta just use them for revision, like the instant notes for biochem. It actually doesnt give all that much background info.

What about the dreaded neuroscience??

On a side note....do/did any of you guys work during med school? and when did you have to quit?

yerayeah

Breezer wrote: »

I completely disagree with yerayeah, I'd recommend Underwood above Robbin's for Pathology. Basically because Robbins put me to sleep, meaning I learned absolutely nothing from it. Underwood is far more readable.

I'm also going to recommend Lippincott over Rang and Dale, which I never liked for whatever reason. But I'm one of two people I know who shared this opinion.

+1 billion to "Medical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple" - best textbook I've ever bought.

I'd recommend Underwood over Robbin's too , there is too much detail in Robbin's. I got Underwood in second year, didn't think it was a bad book but equally didn't consider it that good a book and I never really used it in third year because I got on fine with just the lectures and BRS. That's just me personally though. Underwood is probably the best option for a lot of people... I just really think the OP should get a second hand BRS though, as it has 95% of the information you need in a very concise, easy to read layout and second hand should not be more than a tenner, and it is the job for cramming the last day or 2 before an exam. There are a few decent free resources on the web for path as well,

www.pathguy.com - this guy has a lot of info but I found having to wade through all his bullsh1ty tangents quite annoying!!

http://library.med.utah.edu/WebPath/EXAM/EXAMIDX.html - some handy questions there, there's EMQs somewhere on that site as well...

Breezer

Medstudent wrote: »

Does medical microbiology made ridiculously simple actually have all the info in it?? I'm wary of books like that! I sorta just use them for revision, like the instant notes for biochem. It actually doesnt give all that much background info.

Yep, it does. I agree that a lot of books like this (including others in this series) don't have all the info, but this particular one does.

On a side note....do/did any of you guys work during med school? and when did you have to quit?

Yes, up to the point my marks started counting (i.e. when we started Medicine and Surgery). A fair few people are still doing phlebotomy/ECG work.

mardybumbum

Medstudent wrote: »

What about the dreaded neuroscience??

On a side note....do/did any of you guys work during med school? and when did you have to quit?

Neuroanatomy: Crossman and Neary is a great book. Wont take you forever to read, has all the information you need to get a solid mark. Saying that, I had to use Fitzgerald to understand the Limbic System and Basal Ganglia.

Neurochemistry: I used Rang and Dale and Siegel. I didn't like Siegel at all. Waaaaaay too much info. I managed with it though.

Neuropharm: Rang and Dale again.

Psychiatry: Just used my lecture notes.

Neurophysiology: Lecture notes again.

Neuroscience isn't all that bad.
Im not sure which university you attend but in TCD, the 5 neuroscience subjects were worth 20% each. I knew this at the start of the year but still spent way too much time on anatomy compared to the other 4 subjects, as did many others in my class.
That may be something to be cautious of.

To answer your second question. I give guitar lessons/play gigs every weekend at home in Mayo and study in Dublin. For the last two years I have went home nearly every weekend. This year my marks count and Im giving it up, well the guitar lessons anyway. I'd be up for playing a gig every three weeks or so. Will be spending my weekends in Dublin in the library.

Echani

Rapid Review Pathology by Edward Goljan is a great text, particularly if you're thinking of sitting the USMLEs. It's not huge and completely inclusive like Robbins, but you could easily actually get through all of it a few times and know your stuff very well by the end of the year. I used it in conjunction with my lecture notes during the year and did very well in pathology, then used it again with my USMLE stuff during the summer studying for Step 1.

There's also a series of bootleg audio lectures given by the same guy, which goes along with the book pretty well. Listening to whatever was relevant to what was going on in my coursework at the gym also helped out a lot. You can probably get them from your classmates or else download them.

squeakymclean

Hi there,
I have tons of textbooks I'm looking to get rid of - from first med right through to membership level medical / surgical textbooks as well as USMLE books. Will consider any reasonable offer and am also willing to deliver in the Dublin area!

bythewoods

Does anyone know what book I should use/ if I should use a book for Molecular Medicine?

*looks at mardybumbum for answers...*

Kwekubo

bythewoods wrote: »

Does anyone know what book I should use/ if I should use a book for Molecular Medicine?

Not a chance in hell... Google stuff if you don't understand it.

mardybumbum

I concur.

bythewoods

Cheeeeeers guys!

Anything specific for this semester's Biochem?

mardybumbum

If I remember clearly last years biochem was dead easy (compared to 1st year).
I just used the lecture slides again for the most part.

Boran's lectures were all endocrinology iirc?
I used the endocrinology chapter in guyton and hall and looked at Kumar and Clarke for dexamethasone suppression test, symptoms and signs, e.t.c.

Inflammation....Oh how I hated you back then. So many fookin cytokines. I never really got a grip on that last year. I know it pretty well now though thanks to chapter 2 in Robbins pathology.

Coagulation was a nice essay question. I found the paper by "Norris" (on the biochem homepage) explained the cascade really well. That did me fine along with the lectures.

For acid/base disorders I used the chapter in Guyton with the same title. Went over his slides a few times as well.
For hyperlipidemia: if you need to run over your lipid metabolism, Lippincotts is your only man. Rang and dale covers the lipid lowering agents fairly well.

Collagen and ECM is done well in Lippincotts or Meisenbergs.

I didn't prepare for Calcium metabolism last year but iirc there is a chapter in Guyton on that very topic.

Saying all that, turning up to the lectures, listening and going over the slides will get you a pass.

A Neurotic

bythewoods wrote: »

Does anyone know what book I should use/ if I should use a book for Molecular Medicine?

*looks at mardybumbum for answers...*

Just make sure you've memorised your answer for the essay "Nanobots: fact or fiction?".