11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
One syllable removed from and leagues behind Robbins, February 7, 2009
This review is from: Rubin's Pathology: Clinicopathologic Foundations of Medicine 5th Edition (Hardcover)
As a Jefferson medical student who took classes with the very writers of this text and who also owned Robbins in addition to Rubin's, I cannot recommend anything but Robbins to anyone who wants to really understand what they are learning because it is the gold standard of pathology, and there's a reason for that.
Rubin's book is solid and relatively well-written, but all the topics covered are very superficially discussed. For some people, that's ok; for a med student who needs to understand concepts rather than memorize facts, that's not. I have worked with the residents in the pathology department here at Jefferson, and guess which book they use? Robbins. A lot of the time, it almost seems like Rubin's is paraphrasing Robbins in much looser terms - at times, it's confusing. I will admit that one good thing about Rubin's is that it mentions a few disease processes that may not be mentioned in Robbins, but it ends there - the diseases are simply mentioned. You may know that they exist but not have a clue what they are.
The particularly weak sections of Rubin's are the clinically relevant ones and the illustrations. These pathologists are excellent at what they do, but they are not clinicians; in describing clinical features of different diseases, they usually just state the signs and symptoms observed, but sometimes you may wonder why those things make sense and are left with no explanation.
The illustrations are hit or miss - some are great and demonstrate the point the author is trying to get across. Others look like they were taken with a greasy lens by a drunken photographer, which is problematic when looking at the histology. Also, there aren't many side-by-side photo/photomicrograph comparisons of different processes involving the same tissue or organ; when there are, it seems coincidental that they have found two pictures of the same tissue and just throw them together.
I realize this isn't a review for Robbins, but I urge you to look at that book before investing the same amount of money in this one.
Why you might think Rubin's is better than Robbins:
1) slightly smaller (6.2 pounds vs. 7.4 pounds, according to Amazon)
2) more "concise" writing
3) many photos and photomicrographs!
Why Robbins is actually better than Rubin's:
1 & 2) Smaller does not mean better! You are not going to read every word in either book, so it doesn't matter that Robbins is a little wordier and longer. When you need to look at a textbook for reference, Robbins will make you understand. Rubin's will only give you a cursory look at what you would like to know.
3) Robbins has many photos and photomicrographs, and every single one is crisp and in focus. That is ESSENTIAL for looking at histology! If you go to a bookstore and browse Rubin's, you will see what I mean about the blurry pictures. A few examples in the 7th edition include figures 9-58, 18-9 B (not a single nucleus is in focus), 20-57 B & 20-62 (too dark and blurry), and many others that are out of focus, poorly lit, or both.
4) Overall, Robbins is a book very well put together that its authors created with the goal of teaching students. There are far fewer typographical and grammatical errors than in Rubin's, which I think speaks to its meticulous editing. The pictures are well selected - perhaps even taken especially - for the text. Robbins explains pertinent normal anatomy and physiology pretty in depth in the beginning of each chapter before presenting the abnormal, whereas Rubin's assumes you know most of it and gives extremely brief background.
(NOTE: If you are a Jefferson student looking to buy Rubin's, again, please save yourself the time/anguish. Yes, every picture on your exams will come from this textbook, but you will have access to those pictures on a review presentation every single time.)
In the pathology world, you will never hear anyone call Rubin's the "bible" of pathology. Please do yourself a favor and buy the brand new, updated version of
Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access (Pathologic Basis of Disease (Robbins/Cotran))
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rubin's has a place..., March 27, 2009
This review is from: Rubin's Pathology: Clinicopathologic Foundations of Medicine 5th Edition (Hardcover)
I used Robbins in graduate school but also had purchased a copy of Rubins for undergraduate courses. As other reviewer mentioned, Robbins wins hands down for explaining the detailed processes behind the selected pathological condition. Rubin's work fits in between Big Robbins and Small Robbins. And for some students, its "just right". I enjoyed the graphics more in Rubins rather than Robbins, but will acknowledge its limitations with regard to content. I still tend to gravitate towards Rubin's text before I pick up Robbins from the bookshelf. It might be the physical exertion involved to lift up the Robbins.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
