Medical book reviews, education, and commentary.
Learning Radiology (2019) is an updated version of Learning Radiology (2011), which I reviewed elsewhere. Much like the previous editions, Learning Radiology (2019) uses a pattern recognition approach through which learners are taught how to recognize pertinent features of radiographic images. The images shown are generally very highly characteristic, and the captions help accentuate and … Read more
There are very few basics science books that make me wish I was back in medical school so I could learn the subject matter that way. Principles of Cell Biology (2014) is one such very rare book. Like most basic science books I’ve reviewed here, Principles of Cell Biology (2014) isn’t a what book but … Read more
Essential Biostatistics: A Nonmathematical Approach (2015) is a 200 page book that introduces you to most of the important concepts of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics. But instead of bogging things down with formulas and calculations, the book shows you how to use biostatistical concepts in practice. Take for example the concept of statistical significance. We … Read more
The Painless Guide to Mastering Clinical Acid-Base (2017) is a 180-page introductory acid-base biochemistry book. The book is very clear and well written and hits on all the major aspects of acid base disorders in the context of their underlying biochemistry and pathophysiology. For example, the biochemistry of ketoacidosis is discussed in fine, precise and … Read more
There are very few good orthopedics books that are suitable for the non-orthopedist audience, and I think I know why. Generalists often lack the specialized knowledge that orthopedists have, while orthopedists tend to see more extreme versions of musculoskeletal conditions—a problem known as spectrum bias—so their recommendations often seem overly aggressive to generalist readers. This … Read more
Dermatology for the USMLE (2017) is only about 150 pages long but it’s packed with all the buzzwords and images that you need to know for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and other standardized tests. This is not a foundational textbook in dermatology so you’d probably be doing yourself a disservice if you … Read more
Surgical Recall (2017) is a marked improvement upon Surgical Recall (2012), which I reviewed elsewhere. The 2017 edition, like its predecessor, is packed with high-yield clinical information. While the book is obviously surgery oriented, most of the material in it is extremely relevant to most major medical specialties, including internal medicine, family medicine, and pediatrics. … Read more