Why is it that whenever I ask older students to recommend textbooks, they give me an answer along the lines of “well I liked this book, but this one is good too, and so is that one, and lots of people use this other one, so it’s up to you”? One theory is that we are trained as medical students to present our patients with their options, and to respect their autonomy by allowing them to make their own decisions. If that’s the case, then my autonomy really appreciates the respect guys, but truly … not helpful!

So I have attempted, with help from the other staff at the UNMS Bookscheme, and some friends, to put together the definitive list of textbooks to use for first year. These are our picks.

There are a number of good quality textbooks not included on this list. I will concede, it can be a matter of taste. Some people like diagrams, some people don’t. But you see, the fundamental question you must ask yourself when you are considering buying a book is not whether it has more facts crammed into it than any other book, whether the diagrams use 24 different colours or only 22, or whether the spine will look impressive on your shelf. The question is “WILL I USE IT?” The best textbook is useless if you do not open it. So where there are a number of good options for texts of a particular subject, we have picked what we think is the best for you to actually pick up, read, and gain from it what you need.

It is often recommended that you don’t buy any books for the first month, and instead check out books in the Med Reserve (the section of Auchmuty library set aside especially for us BMed students – if you find any biomed students you know lurking in there, feel free to kick them out! I do…) before you choose which ones to buy. I tried this, and found it fairly useless to be honest. But some people think it’s a great idea, so you might want to try it. (Far out, I think I just respected your autonomy! Okay okay, I’ll get back to being definitive.)

Disclaimer: Yes, I work at the UNMS Bookscheme (the MedSoc owned, medical student operated medical textbook bookshop), and so you may think there is a potential conflict of interest in my writing this article on what books you should use or buy. But I do not in any way stand to gain financially from this article! And, I’ll stress, this is a list of what books to USE. I’ve had a number of other med students check my recommendations. And I’ve been honest in what I think is worth buying, and what I think is not. So I think you’re safe to read on…

In that spirit, the best place to buy your books, if you can, is Malaysia. Cheeaaap! But if a trip to Malaysia isn’t on the cards (and you don’t have any friends or relatives that can bring books over for you) the Bookscheme (located at John Hunter) is your next best bet. It offers substantial discounts for medical students and also sells second hand books. Watch out for notices around uni or on Blackboard for other students selling second hand books also. Always check what edition a second hand book is – a good rule of thumb is not to buy a book more than 2 editions out of date (and even 2 is pushing it). For that reason, I’ve included the number of the current edition for each book listed below.

There is a word to be said for e-books too. Kind older years will lend you their portable hard drives filled with hundreds of *legally* acquired e-books. Make the most of this – it will give you a far more extensive library than you could ever hope to buy. But for your most used books, good ol’ hard copy is usually easier to use.

A quick note on names: textbooks are generally referred to by the author’s name. Sometimes new authors assist with later editions or the original author dies and a new author takes over but the book will always be referred to by the original author. So Davidson’s is written by Colledge, and Robbins by Kumar. You’ll get the hang of it.

So, to the meat of the article! Here I have listed the book (and the alternate name if not the author’s), and whether I think you should:

• Buy it “for the bookshelf”
• Invest in it if you’ve got the cash as “an investment piece” (you could get away with library copies in first year but you’ll use it for years to come so buy it now if you’ve got the cash),
• Borrow it “in the library bag”.

For reference I’ve also listed the student price at the UNMS Bookscheme. It’s possible to graduate without ever buying a book, so keep your own budget in mind, but remember library overdue fees are expensive too (and all the copies are already taken the night before PBL).

Martini, Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology 8th ed. For the bookshelf. $127.96

Martini is your entrance to the medical world. You won’t need it if you have a great background knowledge of biology/anatomy/physiology (degree in biomedicine anyone?) but if you’re an A&P newbie like I was, Frederic H Martini will be your best friend. By second semester though, you should be starting to turn to Guyton (see below). So if you’re cash strapped this isn’t exactly an investment piece, but you will very easily sell it second hand. And literally it was September before I found an available copy in the Med Reserve. The alternative to Martini is Tortora, and honestly it’s a bit of a Ford vs. Holden thing (I’m a Holden girl myself). Martini comes with an atlas and interactive CD though.

Guyton, Textbook of Medical Physiology 12th ed. FOR THE BOOKSHELF!!

There is only name when it comes to physiology – Guyton. If you join a study group, chances are all arguments will be ended by the statement “It’s in Guyton”. Chants of “All hail god Guyton” may also be heard around HB15. I don’t really need to tell you about this book, because you will learn about it soon enough. You will use this throughout your medical degree (post grad, Ganong is the word), so it is definitely worth buying. But there is a new edition coming out in late June so if you can handle waiting til then to buy it you will be better off. When the new edition does come out, the student price will be around $170.

Kumar, Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease 8th ed (“Robbins”). Investment piece. $163.80

Don’t confuse Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease with Robbins Basic Pathology. Rookie error. Pathologic Basis is really the only book anyone considers when it comes to pathology. It has everything you need. You could manage quite well borrowing this one for first year (definitely for first semester) but it’s a book that you’ll use throughout your degree and the new edition only came out late last year so if you’ve got the cash, it’s not worth waiting.

Drake, Gray’s Anatomy for Students 2nd ed (“Gray’s for students”). For the bookshelf. $115.92

We’re not talking about the TV show. THE book in anatomy is Gray’s Anatomy. It’s way beyond your level though. The Gray’s for students version is great – fantastic text, great diagrams, easy to use and to read. Its main competitor is Moore and Dalley which yes has some good tables and summaries, but the layout is horrific. I could never find what I wanted, summary tables were never located anywhere near the relevant text, and I would rather be a cannulation dummy on skills night than sit down and read a chapter. In fourth and fifth year you’ll use Ellis Clinical Anatomy, but first year is not the time for Ellis. Of course we are Newcastle students, and so have the worst anatomical reputation in the country. But you will need to learn something, and that requires opening a book – showing up at anatomy labs (timetabled on Thursday mornings, phenomenal hangover rate) is not enough. It’s a good one to buy but isn’t exactly going to last you five years. Forgo it if you need to save your money, but remember you can sell it second hand once you’re done (new edition only came out last year).

Colledge, Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine 21st ed (“Davidson’s”). For the bookshelf. Around $90.

This is the best of the three options for clinical medicine. The others are Harrison’s (more known for its reputation as a doorstop than as a useable book, and available free through the uni website anyway) and Kumar & Clark. I haven’t found anyone yet who likes Kumar & Clark. I bought Davidson’s, and although I think I barely opened it in first semester, it came into its own in second semester when we started doing actual Prof Prac. You will use it for all five years of the degree so definitely worth it. The 21st edition has just come out in March this year so now is as good a time as ever to buy.

Rang, Rang and Dale’s Pharmacology 6th ed (“Rang and Dale”). Investment piece. $115.92

Rang and Dale are the only names in pharmacology. Wonderful, wonderful book. The diagrams are so good you possibly don’t even need the clear and concise text that explains everything in a way that’s easy to understand but doesn’t lack detail. You’ll use this at times throughout first year but it’s definitely one to pop in the library bag for now if you are cash strapped.

Talley, Clinical Examination: A systematic guide to physical diagnosis 6th ed (“Talley & O’Connor”). Investment piece. $96.60.

Talley and O’Connor covers everything you need to know to perform physical examinations. It also has a useful chapter on history taking. My Prof Skills tutors in both semesters set us reading from this book for each tutorial and it is invaluable for Semester 2 Prof Prac Oscas. I had a bit of trouble tossing up bookshelf or library bag for this one. Ideally you would buy it, you will continue to use it for the next few years, and the new edition only came out very late last year. But it is one of those books which you could manage quite well borrowing if you need to save money and can organise yourself to borrow it before the night before Prof Skills (when everyone else borrows it) and if you don’t mind sharing in Stuvac. So investment it is.

Young, Wheater’s Functional Histology: A text and colour atlas 5th ed (“Wheater’s”). In the library bag. $120.54

You’ll use this for histology in Semester 2. Some copies are available in the histo labs but never enough, so it’s handy to bring a library copy in with you. Good text, great diagrams (which is what it’s really all about in histo). You will use this in second year also but it’s not really worth the price tag. Please pretty please read this book instead of watching Shotgun Histology. Plenty of older years will tell you they watched Shotgun and did nothing else to pass their Med Sci Oscas. With all due respect to them and their UPs, Shotgun is so riddled with uncorrected errors and inaccuracies as to be practically worthless. If you must, read Wheater’s and then watch Shotgun to visualise it and try to pick up as many of his mistakes as possible. I cannot warn you enough… Shotgun caused many a mighty division in my study group…

Rohen, Colour Atlas of Anatomy 7th ed. Or Abrahams, McMinn’s Clinical Atlas of Human Anatomy 6th ed (“McMinn’s”). In the library bag. $?/$97.02 respectively.

You will use these photographic atlases to study for your Med Sci Oscas in Semester 2. They are much alike really. McMinn’s has more extra information but I personally find the labelling in Rohen much easier to follow. The new edition of Rohen’s is due out in April. The old edition was $118, the new will probably be similarly priced. Netter’s Anatomy Atlas is also good quality, but it is hand drawn which will not help you for the oscas. You may like to use it from time to time though. You can also get Netter’s flash cards which have a good rep – but most Newcastle students don’t go that far.

Feather, OSCEs for Medical Students Volume 2 2nd ed. In the library bag. $49.47

This three volume series is virtually unheard of in BMed, but they are fantastic! Definitely use this when doing physical examinations and studying for your Prof Prac Oscas in Semester 2. Volume 2 includes Gastro, Neuro & Psych, Urology & Renal (as well as Opthamology & Otolaryngology) so you will use it in first year second semester and again in second year second semester. The library has just got these in for us, so use them well!  The reason I have advised borrowing not buying is because it is an exam preparation book, not an actual imparting of knowledge book – there are more important books to spend your money on. So borrow away.

Talley, Clinical Gastroenterology: a practical problem based approach 2nd ed (“Talley & Martin”). In the library bag. $69.68

This is a useful book to consult for some of the Semester 2 working problems but not worth buying. It covers the clinical, or Prof Prac side of things and is easy to read. This is the same Talley as Talley & O’Connor, and also the same Talley as the new Pro Vice Chancellor of Health here at UoN.

Field, Systems of the Body: The Renal System 2nd ed. In the library bag.

The 2nd edition of this book is coming out in September this year – so maybe maybe not in time for your renal block. Although Guyton and Davidson’s is a perfectly satisfactory option, some people like this book as an alternative and it is certainly not bad to use. The Renal edition in the Fast Facts series will complement it by providing the clinical aspects in brief, but neither is worth buying for a four week block. (The price for the current edition of Systems of the Body is $60.48, this may or may not change for the new edition.)

I will also give a special mention to Kapit & Elson’s Anatomy Colouring Book 3rd ed. I loooooved this. It’s a book of line drawings of all the anatomy you need to know, numbered for you to colour in. It’s really great to colour the relevant plates in this as you read the appropriate section of Guyton – helps keep you focused and helps you process and retain the information as you are doing something practical and making connections with your knowledge. But some people just don’t like colouring – I didn’t think I would and I amazed myself. So just give it a go, no matter how kindergarten you may think colouring in is. You will only ever colour in photocopies of the pages though, so skip buying the book and photocopy the library copies.

You may be told in FRSs you need to buy books on microbiology, biochemistry, ethics or epidemiology. Don’t. These are definite library bag items, if that. For epidemiology – i.e. your public health course – use Fletcher & Fletcher, Clinical Epidemiology: The Essentials 4th ed. If you really are cashed up, the only reason to buy it is that you, a few times in first semester, will have to read a chapter before a public health tute, and library copies are a little lacking on Thursday mornings. In which case, sell it on the next year.

Well my friends, we’ve come to the end of the line. Your bookshelf is now beautifully decorated and your library bag full. That was your guide to the ups and downs, ins and outs of BMed Year 1 textbooks. Definitively!

Rosanna Olsen
Academic Convenor