Customer Reviews

Human Anatomy & Physiology (5th Edition)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I used this book as a student, and refer to it frequently as a reference. This 1000 + page text explains the structure and function of the complicated, detailed human body in a logical, easy to understand manner. Everything about this book is user friendly including the presentation order, the writing, and the graphics. In each chapter, Marieb presents the big picture before zeroing in on the details. For the body's systems, (digestive, endocrine, respiratory, etc.) Marieb overviews the system, and then explains the gross and fine anatomy and associated physiology.

Here are a few of the many features I find impressive: * Graphics: Very impressive photographs and illustrations. The electron micrographs are spectacular. * Tables and charts - These greatly simplify the learning of complex concepts. For example, in the immune system chapter, there's a good table explaining the first and second lines of defense. * Medical applications - Common diseases are overviewed in the appropriate chapter, for example epilepsy is discussed in the neural integration chapter. There are occasional basic pharmacology and sports applications, such as diuretics and blood doping, respectively. * Making connections feature - Marieb shows how the system being studied relates to the other systems in the body.

This is an absolutely state of the art A&P book, and each edition is better than the last. It's expensive, but you get a lot for your money. It may be too detailed for some, who would be better served by her "Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology" text. If you're an A&P student, I recommended you use her workbook as well. I've found that working through the exercises really helps this information stick.

I teach human anatomy and phyiology at Merritt College in Oakland and have used the various editions of this book for 10 years. It keeps getting better. It carries the best collection of graphics, figures and tables I've seen in any undergraduate text. In fact in carries much of the graphics that you find in medical school text books in anatomy and physiology. Dr. Marieb generally goes to the forward march of science in any given area. It forces the instructor to know their stuff and be ready to guide the student in lecture. The book's graphics do much of the work for me. I'm impressed by how Dr. Marieb selects the best graphics of all the texts plus much original work and collates them in an understandable way. I recommend that students keep this book as a reference for use in their allied health professional programs.

I recently read this wonderfully written text as part of my course load in anatomy and physiology at the university level. This book explores unifying themes, indepthly discusses system maintenance and homeostasis, explains disease processes germane to individual body systems, and reviews organic chemistry and microbiology basics as they relate to the text.. Marieb's synergy of words, artwork and charts emphasize retention of information through phonetic pronunciation of key terms, provide a medium for understanding the interrelations of body organ systems and explain structure and function through histology. I recommend using this book in conjunction with the many resources that complement this book to include: the interActive PHYSIOLOGY CD-ROM series (high quality, college level), study guides, and the A&P Toolkit Software which has multiple choice questions and answers by chapter complete with outline and subject index search capabilities. This book is a must for aspiring nurses, doctors, and the curious college student who wants an in-depth look into the Human body

I purchased this tome as a refresher volume. I needed a good physiology reference as a companion to my several anatomy atlases. I am not formally a student or a medical professional, but a middle-aged lay person who enjoys keeping up-to-date on the "arts & sciences". I am also an artist and enjoy studying the structure, functions, etc of the human body. This book is user-friendly and erudite, a great supplement to my medical (health) references as well as to my art and anatomy guides. You won't go wrong with this publication.

I am a medical student, and I find that Dr. Marieb's explanations are as good or better than those in my school's recommended texts. Of course, there are details in the medical school texts that won't be found in "Human Anatomy and Physiology," but that is to be expected since the Marieb book is not aimed towards graduate level study. Nevertheless, I still refer to "Human Anatomy and Physiology" frequently during my medical school studies.

The author of this book is an excellent writer. She makes learning anatomy and physiology easier. This book is divided into so many topics like skeletal system, nervous system, circulatory system. This book helped me as a undergraduate A and P student. It helped me form the foundation of my knowledge. However, if you want a really good study guide that focuses on key topics seen on college A and P exams, I highly recommend the following: Key Facts for Anatomy and Physiology by Patrick Leonardi
This last study guide was on the mark for helping me prepare for the type of facts asked on my exams. I was recommended this book from another pre-med student taking a A and P course. Both books are must buys.

I bought it "blind ... by reading amazon reviews" ...
now confirming once again, all the positive reviews, this is a GREAT work. For me it is very easy readable and understandable, too. Even as I'm german ... It got me well through all the Action Potentials and related events ;) - now the astonishing is, all "the others" even the Prof. studied with Guyton ... and I'm the only one who got 100% studying with Marieb ....

Elain Marieb presents a really wonderful anatomy and physiology text. It provides a colorful feast of pictures and charts for the visual learner without skimping on the important details in the text. Marieb's writing style is friendly, informal and descriptive. Her writing can get quite theoretical at times but she always comes back to earth with a common example.

This book is best suited for health sciences students (medicine, nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy etc.) as the book is littered with clinical applications. However students taking A&P at high school and undergrad level are well catered for. The book works systematically, from basic biochemistry to the organ systems and system interactions. Genetics and inheritance is also covered briefly.

What else is on offer? A large glossary (invaluable to an A&P text!)and a prefix/suffix table. There are chapter summaries and test quizzes. Some may enjoy the CD ROM computer interaction aspects, there's also access to Elain's internet site for A&P students.

Some of the material gets quite tough as the book progresses, but with re-reading and reference to other texts, students should quickly get a handle on the material. I previously owned a copy of the condensed "Essentials of human A&P" and traded it in for the full edition. I don't recommend students get the condensed version unless they are confining their A&P study to high school or 100 level college study.

In conclusion, this is good first textbook and greatly aids in one's course of study. Marieb takes the unimaginable complexity of the human body and presents it in a fun, relatively easy-to-read, lively text.

Marieb's book was an excellent resource in my A&P course this past semester. The diagrams, figures and drawings used in the text are very detailed, thorough and very helpful in understanding the material. I loved the integration that she used in the book. I also greatly enjoyed the sections that are included in each chapter about diseases in different systems and the case studies at the end of each chapter. It really helped to keep me interested, motivated and kept me actively learning the information, not just memorizing it to quickly forget it later! This book has helped to make this class an awesome adventure.

This book is an outstanding achievement for a single author, and I have learned a great deal from it. I like the graphics, the layout, and the wealth of information. However, I do find many paragraphs and passages in this book difficult to follow, usually because crucial details are missing. See, for example the explanations of ossification (pages 181-183) and the countercurrent mechanism in the kidneys (pages 1022-1026). It took me less time to digest a whole book on the immune system than the corresponding chapter in this book (chapter 22).

There is a web site associated with the book, which gives the student an opportunity to ask questions. I submitted a couple of simple questions several weeks ago, but have yet to receive a reply.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any A & P book at this level that would be better.