Customer Reviews

Biochemistry (Lippincott's Illustrated Reviews Series)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Excellent book. Clear figures. However, this book has the same problem most medical texts have, namely that is is too long. As a review book I would expect something much shorter, but that's not exactly the fault of the authors since biochemistry is a pretty big field. But at the current length, I would recommend reading the book by Marks Marks and Smith since it's only a couple of pages longer and it has more useful information; i.e. it is a book you can use during your second year for pathophysiology courses. For a review I would recommend the new text Rapid Review Boichemistry simply because it is short and to the point, with only high yield information, and a CD full of questions. However, Lippponcott's is still a very good book and can probably be used as your only resource for biochemistry in medical school if your school follows a standard medical biochemistry format versus a clinically oriented biochemistry class, which requires supplementing with other texts or lecture notes.

I bought Lippincott's Illustrated Biochem Review, 3rd. edition (along with Harper's Illust. Biochem, 26th ed.), and used it throughout my first year med school biochem course. The text throughout Lippincott is clear, concise, and consistent [as opposed to Harper's, which is somewhat inconsistent in explaining the material, depending on which author or authors (out of a pool of several), is responsible for which topic or chapter]. Topics in each chapter in Lippincott are broken down in easy to digest sub-topics; important concepts stand out and crucial information is readily identifiable. In addition, Lippincott has wonderfully full-coloured illustrations that are professionally drawn, easy to understand, get to the point, and are visually interesting. My instructor recommends Harper's for his course because he says that it is more detailed than Lippincott, but almost everything that he covers in class is contained in Lippincott (except for a few minor details - no single book is going to contain everything, anyways)! Even though Lippincott is classified as a review, I highly recommend it as your primary source for your 1st year medical biochem course. I really can't say enough good things about this book - it's simply one of the best review books I have ever read (I suggest buying a used copy of Harper's, but for reference only).

If you're buying this book to help augment your Step 1 studying, you're wasting your time. This book is way too detailed and low yield. Step 1 may ask a few questions on biochemisty, but those questions are usually simple compared to what this book contains. Occasionally an unlucky test taker gets a couple difficult biochem questions. Does that make reading this review text worth it? That's up to you, but if you do dive into this book, you'll be working very hard for very little potential gain in your step 1 score. I thought the section on biochemistry from First Aid was more than enough preparation for the exam. That said, this book can be super helpful for your regular college, graduate, or med school biochemistry course, especially if it is competitive and comprehensive. If you have already thoroughly studied this book for that course, keep the book and use it as reference while studying other things for Step 1. But don't reread this book for Step 1. It's just not high yield enough.

This book is a good intro to biochemistry and I used it as a jumping off point for some studies in protenomics and genetic studies.

The nature of the text assumes a solid foundation in about 2nd year biochemistry with core studies in concepts, but there are is a lot of other interesting side bars and concepts (the section on DNA Probes being especially good).

I do not have a 2nd year Biochem background, but where I was lost I was able to bone up and then attack the text in a relatively easy manner. For hardcore students and upper level biochem professionals it may only serve as an overview. For those with lower needs it can still help in many ways and the stylistic presentation helps in understanding quickly with a minimum of effort.

This book provides a good starting point for medical biochemistry courses. It is a useful text when combined with a more advanced biochemistry book.

I started using this book to prepare for Step 1 of the boards, but I didn't care for it. I found all the colors too distracting and didn't find the explanations terribly helpful either. The one time I learned biochemistry best was using Mark's Basic Medical Biochemistry a Clinical Approach Second Edition. I found that book to be much better at simplifying and explaining the pathways with better figures. I mostly used Mark's and Biochemistry from Kaplan.

i read this for the boards(step1). It is readable with nice tables and diagrams that compliment it. you may not have time to read it, but if you have time, pls read this book for step 1. You should also read it during course work, then when the step 1 comes along it should be easier to read. i wish i read it during course work, but i read it for my step 1 and i made a 229/95

If you are a visual learner, then you NEED this book. The book covers the material and gets right to the point, providing helpful ways of remembering concepts and helpful diagrams to visualize the many intricacies of biochemistry. I highly recommend this book for anyone taking a course in biochemistry and preparing for the Step 1 exam.

I have used all three of the editions of thisbook in my classes. By far the best review text, the addition of color illustrations adds greatly to the conciseness of the text. Color certainly helps me remember things a bit better, as I have a visual memory. A good study aid and USMLE prep book.

This was a very good book for coursework, especially since the syllabus from BOD wasn't that good. For the boards, I just skimmed this book, particularly paying attention to the end of chapter summaries...I read through first aid biochem, and any topic I felt was hard to grasp i would re-read it in lippincotts. recommend this for boards when studying pathways... rememeber only study and read about pathways that are represented in first aid...and pay attention to rate limiting reactions!!!