36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Too confusing for begginers,excellent if you know the basics, December 21, 2003
This review is from: Textbook of Medical Physiology (Hardcover)
I have bought 4 physiology books during my medical studies and i am only a second year student! And i must say, that this book is definetely the best one, if you have the basic knowledge. If you are a new begginer though, it is very very difficult to start with this book, since the explanations are very detailed and require a certain level of 'scientific way of thinking'. There are many research examples and historical links, something that a student prepearing for an exam doesn't want to waste time on. Some of the explanations are too long and complicated, that one looses the initial idea of what the explanation was about.
On the other hand, if you are quite skilfull in physiology, this is a great book. The pictures are extraordinary and very scematic and understandable!!! You definetely get a lot for your money!
So, in conclusion, if you buy yourself a simpler physiology book and get the basics from there, Medical Physiology is the perfect choise to go on expanding your knowledge with. But don't buy it as your very very first physiology book. It will just confuse and frustrate you.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for medical school!, April 13, 2009
While in my first year of medical school, I have gone to the library and tried out the most popular physiology books. Guyton and Hall and Berne and Levy left much to be desired. The Lange Review is more of a review and simply doesn't teach things. There were concepts that I just didn't understand in these books that the authors assume a medical student should have as pre-req knowledge.
An example is a concept that relies a lot on physics (NOT one of my strengths!) Surfactant and surface tension. When I opened up Boron, it explained in detail with FOUR pictures... and A-ha! I understood in 5 minutes what had taken ages of confusion in Berne and Levy.
So, if you learn visually, need pictures and would like a bit more explanation and teaching in your physiology book, Boron is the textbook for you!
Yes, it does go deep into detail that is beyond what I will need during first year... but I just skim over those areas and focus on the parts that are most critical. It is so well-written that it is truly a joy to read! The authors are excellent teachers and have made many complicated subjects understandable.
A hint to Beginners: As I am a beginner in physiology, I MUST start a body system by reading the introduction chapter. For example, I read the intro to cardiovascular system before jumping into how the heart pumping mechanism works... But as long as I read the intro chapter and have a decent grasp on the organs involved, I can hop right into the physiology on my next read.
Medical Physiology inspires me to keep reading and keep learning. There are clinical examples, good referencing to topics previously discussed, and an extra plus, I can download ALL the diagrams and text from the studentconsult website! This allows me to download and carry the entire textbook around with me on my iPhone! Very convenient to review on my morning bus commute. (This book weighs a ton! Awesome to be able to fit it all into my pocket!)
In addition to all of the Pros of buying this textbook, I should also point out that it was released in 2009 and currently is the most up-to-date textbook. Thus, it incorporates quite a bit from molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics. It is truly on the cutting-edge of current understanding in these fields.
If in doubt, go to the bookstore or library and skim through several physiology books. Pick up Medical Physiology and try reading a topic that you find complicated. You will find that Boron outshines the other texts by far!
Happy Reading!
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best and most comprehensive physiology text, February 26, 2003
This review is from: Textbook of Medical Physiology (Hardcover)
No question this is the best physiology text going. Thorough, detailed, but has plenty of summary sections to keep everything organized. Very biophysical in sections, which I suspect many med students won't like, but everything's here you'll need. The sole (minor) problem is that the jpeg files on the CDRom are rather low resolution which makes them look fuzzy in a Powerpoint presentation. Otherwise, superb.
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