Customer Reviews

Review of Medical Physiology

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with the other reviewers who have pointed out that this is a "review" book and not a textbook, and thus is often too brief and condensed in style for those who are new to the subject of physiology. However, the 'classic' physiology textbooks (i.e. Guyton or Berne & Levy), while excellent when you are new to the subject, are vast tomes - each section being a hundred pages long or more. That's fine when you are starting out, but you will come to them with a heavy heart when you are pushed for time or cramming for exams. That's where Ganong's brevity is a real advantage - it covers all the major points, without "dumbing down" the science which can lead to misconceptions, and it doesn't weigh a tonne. Thus it provides a very comprehensive review of physiology (and a good deal of neuroscience) without breaking either your biceps or your bank !

What I really love about Ganong is that it is so up-to-the-minute. The knowledge that you gain from Berne & Levy and Guyton will be expanded to the next level by Ganong. Sometimes I actually pick it up and read it just for the hell of it, it's so interesting...It's also particularly strong on physiology at the cellular and molecular level, which is obviously increasingly important in modern medicine. I'm a medical student and loads of my friends rave about this book. It has also been recommended to me by a number of doctors and professional scientists. Bravo, Prof Ganong - I'm looking forward to the next edition!

Ganong's book on physiology is the best physiology book I have encountered. It was difficult to read at the time, but all the details were important, and the knowledge helped me through many subjects later. It contains all the information you will ever need on physiology, and the index is extensive.
If you want a fast-read, easy book, this is not it.

This is the premier physiology textbook on the market, by far and away the best physiology textbook in the world for physicians and medical students. It is concise without being too brief and detailed without being boring. Whereas Guyton contains lots of extraneous words, every word in Ganong is designed to convey the maximum amount of information. This book is ideal for medical students; it allows the rapid assimilation of concepts with the appropriate level of depth. An added benefit is the fact that this book is revised every other year meaning it is always current. This text also has chapter review questions (Both short answer and MCQ) with answers (for the MCQ questions). -- StuPot

This book is one of the best Physiology books around. Although not primarily aimed at medical students, as it skimps slightly on the explanatory aspect, it is unique in the sheer amount of information it conveys. Not only that, it is very easy and quick to revise (for the day before the exams.) The amount of clinical information conveyed is very good and its section on endocrinology is unparallelled.

Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology is an absolute marvel of brevity and conciseness. It has all the information you need -as up-to-date as it is possible in a textbook and faultlesly organized. All the fundamental concepts are explained in a clear and lucid style -and they are invariably presented from a molecular point of view, which facilitates understanding enormously. None of Guyton's verbosity to be found here.
A work of real talent.

For a book of this size the detail is impressive. What floors me though, is its clinical relevance; with the chapters prepared as an ideal prelude to discussions on pathology and modalities of treatment.

Ganong has written this book with extremely powerful writing. He says more in one paragraph than most do in one page. As a professional biologist, the book is an excellent resource for information on mammalian physiology with specialty on humans. The index is superb allowing you to find topics quickly and with cross references. I highly recommend this book to college students all the way to Medical Doctors where I often see it on the shelf in their offices. A true delight to find so much information in such few words and diagrams that are very clear and concise. I have used this text since the 5th edition. New edition every two years. Price is very reasonable.

I am a medical student. I bought Ganong 18th edition last year. I found it full of new materials but everything it said was not detailed enough to make me understand. If you are a freshman to the subject physiology,I recommand you not to use Ganong as your first book. You must read other books written in detail,like Guyton's Physiology first. A more detailed book would make you easy to understand the beauty of physiology.

Ganong writes an excellent and complete review of physiology. This is a great text if you are already familiar with phys and if you want to refresh or want a reference. This is a tough text for studying physiology for the first time. Very indepth in most areas of physiology. The chapters on repro phys aren't stellar, but most other areas are great. Very logical procession. This is a must have for all those studying/researching (grad students and onwards) areas that involve physiology.

One of the most bizarre elements of medical school is that no medical school curriculum teaches all the necessary information for Step 1 of the Boards. All students are going to have to learn additional information in order to be prepared. Beyond the requirement to assimilate new information, discovering sources for this additional studying can be time consuming and frustrating.

However, for physiology, it is all in Ganong. Period. Even a thorough discussion of neurophysiology. There is no text that is more complete or more thorough. Which, of course, is it's downside. Although a review text, it is hardly a breeze to plunder. It is over 800 pages long, and, unfortunately, puts organ systems together in a manner that is non-traditional, eg, discussion of the actions of ADH/vasopressin is something like 200 pages away from renal physiology.

But, its length does really approximate what you will need to understand once on the wards. You are fooling yourself if you think that the larger Costanzo is all you need to understand.

You will be very well served if you use this book as a companion to your physiology course in the first and second year.