Reviews

Getting expensive, May 30, 2010
Sanford guides had been given out for free in the past. The charge for the "book" in 2000 was about half of the 2010 price. The Sanford website charges 36% of the book's purchase price for postage - outrageous! Amazon had free postage. The pamphlet book is slightly larger than previous editions. I would like the book to be slighly larger for better reading but still pocket size.

The book's style has not really changed over the years and presents up to date info on the current antibiotics needed for infectious diseases.

The abbreviations used for antibiotics to save space should be eliminated and should be spelled out. With a slighly larger book size and better type set this would be possible.

Must Have, June 22, 2010
I'm a PA student in my clinical year. This book is a must-have for clinical year and when you begin to practice. It is absolutely necessary to be up to date on the latest antimicrobial treatment. I will buy the latest edition every year I practice in health care.

One of the best antibiotic guides available..., June 15, 2010
Grab your reading glasses and try the best little antibiotic guide out there. Well cited and using EBM extensively, this little pocket antibiotic guide is a practicing physician's best friend. Allergic to Augmentin or Septra? This guide usually lists recommended alternative antibiotic regimens for a given condition. It also gives suggested starting HAART regimens for HIV. Admiral Sanford started a very good thing, and I use the guide extensively in daily practice (inpt/outpt and ER).

Sanford Guide, October 15, 2010
As usual, an excellent reference for the practicing internist...comprehensive, to the point, reliable, easy to use. Can't live without it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Portraits of the Mind follows the fascinating history of our exploration of the brain through images, from medieval sketches and 19th-century drawings by the founder of modern neuroscience to images produced using state-of-the-art techniques, allowing us to see the fantastic networks in the brain as never before. These black-and-white and vibrantly colored images, many resembling abstract art, are employed daily by scientists around the world, but most have never before been seen by the general public. Each chapter addresses a different set of techniques for studying the brain as revealed through the images, and each is introduced by a leading scientist in that field of study. Author Carl Schoonover’s captions provide detailed explanations of each image as well as the major insights gained by scientists over the course of the past 20 years. Accessible to a wide audience, this book reveals the elegant methods applied to study the mind, giving readers a peek at its innermost workings, helping us to understand them, and offering clues about what may lie ahead. 

Praise for Portraits of the Mind: 

"The collection of images in the new book Portraits of the Mind is truly impressive . . . The mix of history, science and art is terrific." 
-Wired.com

Reviews

A mind-blowing wish come true, October 28, 2010
Through graduate school I encountered countless scientific images of the brain that were fascinating due to the creative techniques used to capture them as well as their power for unraveling sientific mysteries; but above all these images were simply beautiful in their own right and kept me wanting more.

In Portraits of the Mind, Carl Shoonover goes far beyond presenting an extensive compilation of beautiful images of the brain's physiology. He uses them in conjunction with brilliant and down-to-earth essays from top neuroscienctist to tell the story of the brain and of the people who've studied it throughout the centuries.

This book is a work of art to be treasured by anyone who shares appreciation for visual imaging, science and the brain.

Thanks Carl!

Where's Waldo?, December 2, 2010
"Science is beauty, beauty science. That is all we know or need to know." - attributed to John Keats, with bowdlerizations.

I couldn't do better for this stunning book that quote the opening paragraphs of a New York Times story by Abigail Zuger announcing it. But I've been sternly warned that such a helpful quotation from Ms Zuger's article would violate copyright laws; therefore I'm deleting my original posting. You'll need to search the Times for yourself to learn more about the book.

The most fascinating "portraits" of the title are primarily of cell networks in the brain, illuminated by various lazar and radiation technologies. The dramatic color coding of neurons in some photos results from genetic engineering that transfers 'luminescence' from the cells of squid and other sea creatures to mammalian cells. Don't ask me how any of it is done. One of the main research projects behind these pictures is called "brainbow" and you can learn about it by googling to your heart's content. I've seen a good deal of this work in the laboratory context, having had the privilege of being guided through the Harvard Institute for the Study of the Brain by its director, Dr. Joshua Sanes. I can hardly tell you how breathtaking it is, both visually and philosophically. But I'm ashamed to say that I haven't found Waldo in a single picture, or anything that would pass for a Soul, either.
... Read more

Editorial Review

Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia,® 2011 Classic Shirt-Pocket Edition continues its tradition as the leading portable drug reference packed with vital drug information to help clinicians make better decisions at the point-of-care. Each edition is meticulously peer-reviewed by experts and is now available in multiple formats. It details typical drug dosing (both FDA approved and off-label uses), available trade and generic formulations, metabolism, safety in pregnancy and lactation, relative drug pricing information, Canadian trade names, and an herbal & alternative therapies section. Multiple tables supplement the drug content, including opioid equivalency, emergency drug infusions, cardiac dysrhythmia protocols, pediatric drug dosing, and much more! Save time and improve patient care with the 2011 Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia®.New for the 2011 Edition: Black Box Warning Indications; Updated Drug Content; New Figures & Tables ... Read more

Reviews

My Favorite Drug Reference Book, December 14, 2010
I recommend the Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia to anyone who works in the medical transcription field. Medical transcription requires one to have up-to-date drug references at hand, and it's important to be able to find needed information quickly. This is my favorite resource for this.

Many times, the one piece of information a medical transcriptionist needs is whether a medication name is a brand or generic, in order to format it correctly. The Pocket Pharmacopoeia's index makes it super-fast and easy to confirm this and to double check spelling. Beyond that, it's a cinch to find information on available formulations, strengths, and common dosages.

A unique strong point of this publication is that the medications are arranged by diagnostic area, which can be very helpful. If one knows that, say, the mystery drug is a blood pressure medication, it's easy to skim that section to find the right name.

Finally, this book is very reasonably priced for a reference of this type, and I LOVE its "pocket footprint." It takes up very little desktop real estate to keep it right at hand for quick reference.

I recommend the Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia to all of my medical transcription staff and students. Try it once, and I predict it will be an annual purchase for you thereafter. To borrow a quotation from an old copy of the book: "It's not what you know, it's how fast you can find the information." ... Read more

Editorial Review

See inside every yoga pose! With clear, expert instruction and full-color, detailed anatomical drawings, Yoga Anatomy depicts the most common asanas to provide a deeper understanding of the structures and principles underlying each movement and of yoga itself.

From breathing to standing poses, see how each muscle is used, how slight alterations of a pose can enhance or reduce effectiveness, and how the spine, breathing, and body position are all fundamentally linked.

Whether you are just beginning your journey or have been practicing yoga for years, Yoga Anatomy will be an invaluable resource—one that allows you to see each movement in an entirely new light.

Author Leslie Kaminoff is a recognized expert and teacher in anatomy, breathing, and bodywork. He is the founder of The Breathing Project, New York City’s premiere yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered yoga practice and therapy. ... Read more

Reviews

See "Inside" Your Yoga Poses, May 25, 2008
Yoga Anatomy is a book that gives the reader a look inside the human body as it is put in various yoga positions.

Chapter 1 covers the dynamics of breathing and actually covers some breathing physiology as well. Chapter 2 talks about the spine and gives some pretty detailed spinal information. Chapter 3 is short and covers the asanas.

The rest of the book, Chapters 4 through 9, make up the "meat" of the book and contains most of the anatomy information most readers probably bought the book for- what muscles are used in what poses. The way the book gives you the information is quite handy- it has a section on standing poses, sitting poses, kneeling poses, on-your-stomach poses, on-your-back poses, and arm supported poses. Sooo, all you have to do is pick a position/pose, and there you'll find pictures of what muscles are involved (and let me say, they show you some great angles of the poses to make sure the reader can see ALL the muscles that are involved). In addition to learing what muscles are involved, the book also tells you what joint actions are involved, as well as what body parts are working AND which ones are lengthening- neat!

A great reference book, its simply perfect for the yoga enthusiast that has become acquainted over time with muscles they never knew they had- but will now after reading this book! Also recommend The 5-Minute Plantar Fasciitis Solution if plantar fasciitis pain keeps you from doing your yoga.

Extremely Detailed, August 2, 2007
"Yoga Anatomy" by Leslie Kaminoff, is a must have book for yoga instructors and practitioners. Although there are a few books on yoga anatomy currently available to choose from, I was pleasantly surprised by Kaminoff's offering. First of all, the illustrations are absolutely crystal clear (the amazing artist, Sharon Ellis, is a medical illustrator). The drawings show exactly what your muscles and bones are doing in each pose. The coolest part is that we get to see some (not all) of these poses from interesting angles - not just the side view and front view - but also from the bottom and top, which really adds a lot (the author accomplished this by shooting pictures of the models from below, using a large sheet of plexiglass suspended by two ladders!). For example, imagine seeing "Bakasana" (Crane Pose) from underneath! You can see the Serratus Anterior and Iliacus at work - two things that may be difficult to view in traditional yoga anatomy books.

For each pose featured, Kaminoff provides information on the joint actions, what parts of the body are working, what is lengthening and what obstacles you may encounter. Sanskrit and English terms are provided along with pronunciations of the Sanskrit. The author also gives a very detailed chapter on the Dynamics of Breathing as well as a chapter on the Spine. These additions are invaluable and very clear. So much information is presented, it is almost overwhelming - but unlike other anatomy books, it doesn't feel dry or boring. This would be a great manual for any yoga teacher training program as well as for anyone who would like to "see" what is happening in each asana.

The book I've been waiting for, August 22, 2007
This book is a godsend for anyone who studies or teaches yoga. It reflects so much care and work and attentiveness to detail. It really is anatomy for yogis. I've been studying yoga for close to 40 years and have been exposed to a variety of corrective allignment forms of body work. So when I'm having trouble in a posture I often refer to standard anatomy books but they can be overwhelming and aren't geared towards helping me understand what is going on in a given posture. Despite taking several anatomy classes including a wondrous anatomy dissection class, I still don't have enough knowledge to translate what I read or see in an antomy text into what I'm doing and not doing in a given yoga posture. There are books that aim to be more inclusive, like Mel Robin's book on the physiology of yoga--but I just get overwhelmed by that much information. This book helps me see the main muscles working in a given posture and the main reasons I might be having difficulty with that posture. Of course I would like even more--how can I strengthen or lengthen the muscles that I'm needing to employ in a given posture. But that is asking for too much and I think really requires work with a well trained teacher. This book is just the right size, user friendly and chocked full of information. The illustrations are remarkable, showing postures from different angles and reflecting the author's extensive study of both anatomy and yoga. I highly recommend it.

Essential reference guide, August 11, 2007
As a yoga practioner and teacher, I have always been in search for an easily understandable anatomy book on yoga-- and Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff provides that. Each asana (pose) that is explained shows the following:

- a beautiful illustration of the pose showing the muscles and bones that are used in the pose (joints and organs are shown some asanas too)
- the English and Sanskit name (along with the pronouncitation)
- Classification and Level
- Joint Actions
- Working (muscles being used)
- Lengthening (muscles being stretched)
- Obstacles and Notes (mucscles, bones or joints that may hinder the yogi to coming into the pose, and provide helpful hints to overcoming that)
- Breathing (suggestions on how to use the breath and where to direct the focus of the breath)

Leslie Kaminoff explains many of the most commonly practiced asanas--including standing, sitting, kneeling, supine, prone and arm support poses. There is also a chapter on the breath and another on the spine.

My complaint is that the muscles mentioned in the text weren't completely identified in the illustration. For example, if there are 40 muscles involved in the pose, only 10 or less are pointed out in the illustration. This can get slightly frustrating because unless you are an anatomist or physical therapist, I do not memorize all the muscles, bones and joints and their placements. It may be asking too much to show each and every muscle mentioned into the drawings, so I refer to another book, Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain for reference (this book provides a breakdown of body parts and the muscle groups). But nevertheless, the illustrations are invaluable in providing a deeper understanding of the pose.

Overall, this is the best anatomy book on yoga I've read so far. I have read H. David Coulter's Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, and a book as thick as the bible is sure to overwhelm. Yoga Anatomy provides a fairly easy-to-understand format, however it is not for newbies. This book is more for serious yogis and teachers who already have a basic knowledge of anatomy and would like to learn more.

After the first two chapers, it's a great resource., January 26, 2008
This was assigned to me as a required resource for Shala (Yoga Teacher Training). Having no background in anatomy, I am really struggling to tie the written descriptions in the first two chapters to the illustrations. Perhaps there is an assumption by the author and illustrator of a certain level of anatomy knowlege that this reader doesn't posses. I find that the illustrations of the thoracic cavity (lungs, central tendon, diaphram) and the spinal column (discs, tendons, vertebrae) more confusing than helpful. I needed to consult with my Shala yoga instructors and 3 different anatomy books to understand what the author was trying to teach me. Chapter two is no better. The illustrations of the spine, tendons, discs are all superbly drawn, yet don't quite sync up with the written text if you're a newcomer like myself.

After these two chapters, it's a great resource. As the other reviewers have stated, the illustrations of the muscles used during different asanas are right on and quite helpful. This is a resource I'll keep and use again. However I'd like to see the first two chapters revised so the illustrations are presented better for the novice.

Yoga Anatomy for the Rest of Us!, October 25, 2007
Rest assured, you can relax and breathe easy as you meander through the pleasant pages of this book! Other great books connect yoga and anatomy, including the highly regarded titles, Anatomy of Yoga, by H. David Coulter, and The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga, by Ray Long. However, Yoga Anatomy is so user-friendly even those of us who drift off during yoga anatomy workshops can enjoy absorbing the wisdom in this book.

There were no anatomy books specifically designed for yoga teachers when I studied anatomy at the Iyengar Yoga Institute in San Francisco in the `70s. I was already overwhelmed just learning how to place my feet in Triangle Pose and could not get my head into the daunting standard anatomical textbooks used at the time. If this book had been available, I might not have gotten a D in anatomy!

The beautiful illustrations by award-winning medical illustrator Sharon Ellis are based on photographs of various models. As others have mentioned, some perspectives illustrated are quite unusual because they were shot from underneath. The book shows a photograph of a photo shoot where the model is balanced in Crow Pose, on a long piece of plexiglass secured between two ladders. The photographer is lying on his back on the floor, shooting the pose from below.

The sight of this photo prompted me to do something I have not done in 30 years of practicing Downward-Facing Dog. I placed a sturdy mirror, one foot wide and four feet long, in the center of my yoga mat. I went into downward-facing dog in such a way that my hands and feet were pressing on the mat, and I could see the pose reflected in the mirror. I turned to the book, and there was a picture of the view I had just seen in the mirror.

I am fond of telling my students to turn the pages of yoga books sideways and upside down so that they can better see the connection between the various poses. The views shown in Yoga Anatomy make this concept crystal clear and help you see yourself and your students with X-ray eyes. Yoga Anatomy is definitely an essential resource that will illuminate your practice for years to come!

Suza Francina, author, The New Yoga for Healthy Aging, The New Yoga for People Over 50, and other books. www.suzafrancina.com

a missing link has been found, August 23, 2007
excellent book... well-organized by asana. first book i have seen that applies so clearly and crisply per pose: alignment, detailed notes on anatomy involved, joint & limb actions, muscular actions, risks, levels of difficulty, notes, sanskrit translations, and crisp drawings based upon photographs from multiple angles. primary focus approached via breath and the spine. this is a treasure trove and not a million pages either - each pose is one to three pages - digestible in mini-sittings and at a glance.

Every yogi should have one, July 9, 2007
This is a great book, thorough & easy to read, with wonderful illustrations. Leslie Kaminoff has a wealth of knowledge to offer: knowledge of the body, of the dynamics of the breath, and of the asanas. This is the kind of book that instructors & practitioners alike should own for reference. The breadth & depth of the material is amazing.

An excellent work on yoga anatomy for a very reasonable price!, December 11, 2007
Yoga anatomy is a detailed work on how the various yoga asanas impact us at an anatomical level. For a variety of standing, sitting, kneeling, supine, prone and arm support yoga poses the key anatomical structures, joint and limb actions, working and lengthening of muscles and breathing involved in the pose are described. The obstacles to getting into the poses are also described. I found this to be extremely useful. The diagrams are detailed and by looking at it one would know what muscles and joints are involved in the yoga posture. Getting into a posture is not very difficult for many; but the question is if they are doing it the right way by involving the right muscles and joints. For example the book clearly mentions that in Uttanasana (standing forward bend) hip flexion is the main joint action but if the hamstrings are tight then spine flexes to compensate for it. By being aware of this fact, one can focus on flexing the hip and correctly get into the pose without flexing the spine much. By being aware of the correct muscles groups/ joints my yoga practice has benefitted immensely. My hip has opened easing pressure on my spinal muscles and my back pain has eased considerably because of that. For some poses, the book does not pictorically depict all the muscles mentioned in the description. The book talks about latissimus dorsi lengthening in Utkatasana but the illustration does not show that. Overall, this is a great book for a very reasonable price!

Yoga Anatomy, August 28, 2007
This book is a great tool for yoga teachers and anyone wanting to further their knowledge of yoga and anatomy. The drawings are incredible. The notes accompanying the drawings are exactly what I need to deepen my understanding of yoga anatomy. The layout for each asana is clear and easy to understand with everything I would want to know about that posture. The text about the Breath in general is thorough. The text about the breath in each posture is not something I have found in other texts. What an incredible resource!! ... Read more

Editorial Review

When Thomas Edison began wiring New York City with a direct current electricity distribution system in the 1880s, he gave humankind the magic of electric light, heat, and power; in the process, though, he inadvertently opened a Pandora's Box of unimaginable illness and death.

Dirty Electricity tells the story of Dr. Samuel Milham, the scientist who first alerted the world about the frightening link between occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields and human disease. Milham takes readers through his early years and education, following the twisting path that led to his discovery that most of the twentieth century diseases of civilization, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and suicide, are caused by electromagnetic field exposure.

Dr. Milham warns that because of the recent proliferation of radio frequency radiation from cell phones and towers, terrestrial antennas, Wi-Fi and Wi-max systems, broadband internet over power lines, and personal electronic equipment, we may be facing a looming epidemic of morbidity and mortality. In Dirty Electricity, he reveals the steps we must take, personally and as a society, to coexist with this marvelous but dangerous technology. ... Read more

Reviews

Brilliant and imperative reading for everyone!
"Dirty Electricity" is a slim but power-packed book by one of the country's most noted epidemiologists of the last 50 years, Samuel Milham, MD, PhD. The book explores and exposes the dangers posed by the continual and increasing "electrification" of the society since the 1930s and 1940s, and its direct association with the surge of modern diseases of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries: including cancers, heart disease and diabetes.

The approach of the book is a successful blend of biographical anecdotes and research findings that only a scientist of Milham's standing-- with over one hundred published papers concentrating on the adverse impacts of manmade electromagnetic radiation exposure on both workers and the general public-- could have written. The style is straightforward, informative and deceptively easy to read. And this is real tribute to the scientist/author successfully tackling a very important and extremely relevant subject that is too often made unclear or over scientifically detailed for the average reader.

As a result, the book lends itself as not only an excellent introductory primer for members of the general public starved for accurate information on this most pressing environmental issue of the day-- that directly relates to the ongoing health problems surrounding the continual saturation of power lines, cell phones, computers and compact fluorescent lights among the population-- but also serves an excellent read for those already grounded in the subject and who are looking to fill in details to be even better informed.

Included among the research highlighted in the book is a brilliant study revealing the development of childhood leukemia in the society, which Milham was able to show as being associated with the increased "electrification" of residences in the United States, beginning around the 1930s and 1940s.

While showcased is a recent study of multiple cancers among a teacher population in a California middle school that Milham was able to link to abnormal electric voltages-- "dirty electricity"-- being emitted in the wall wiring of the school, and serves as a sobering and chilling warning of similar incidences almost certainly being played out and being unreported across the rest of the country.

This highly recommended book should be read by anyone within the U.S., or outside it, who is interested in preserving and protecting his or her health, because it relates to the current health issues surrounding the ever increasing silent and adverse impacts of manmade electromagnetic radiation sources that are, and will continue to be, at the heart of the this and other nations' health debates from this point forward.

G. Friedman

Insightful, informative and entertaining!
Dr. Sam Milham shares his experiences about his life and the work he did as an epidemiologist and medical doctor. He describes how, when, and why he did his research and in the end the reader learns about electromagnetic fields, dirty electricity and the other forms of electrosmog to which we are increasingly exposed. Dr. Milham shows how the increase in childhood leukemia and the diseases of the post-industrial age (depression, suicide, heart disease, diabetes and cancers) are associated with electrification. While we are unlikely to give up using electricity and our wireless toys, we can certainly learn to use them more safely. By reading this book you will learn how to protect your health and the health of those you care about. Although this topic can be quite technical, Dr. Milham's style is easy to read and to understand. His research papers are provocative and he has been proven to be correct time and again. Sam Milham should receive a Nobel Prize for his research and his discoveries as he was among the first to document the biological and health effects of electromagnetic pollution. This book is a must read!

Dr. Magda Havas, Trent University, Canada

It's about time!!
I'm so happy that Dr. Milham has written this book! People have no idea what EM Fields cause. It's about time that the world gets an idea what's happening.

The Most Important Book of the Twenty-First Century
Dr. Milham has published seminal papers over the 40 some years of his career as an occupational epidemiologist. He has received international recognition for his work, winning the highly prestigious Ramazinni prize for his pioneering work on the risk of cancer from occupational exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMFs).

But this book surpasses all of his previous work. It certainly is, in my view, the most important book yet published in our new century. He convincingly shows that a set of diseases, the "diseases of civilization" (cancer, Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, asthma, type 2 diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis and depression) is the result of the exposure to EMFs, though not necessarily the only cause.

The book begins with a wonderful rendition of how as a medical doctor he became entranced with epidemiology. He give a brief overview of his experiences in medical school and his success as a young doctor, particularly as his mentor Gilbert Beebe taught him to do, "listening to patients, if properly questioned, would always tell the doctor the diagnosis."

He tells story after story of how he was able to detect a health problem that no one else had seen. For example, when his infant daughter became quite ill. He diagnosed her with a strep infection (as any doctor would have likely done) but he went beyond the obvious. He checked with his neighbors and discovered that the community was in the middles of a milk-borne strep infection, which in his words was a "clear example of a public health failure." It was this, and many other similar examples, that brought him to epidemiology.

He shows that the same skills that he brought to his medical practice when he became an epidemiologist MD. That is, as an epidemiologist, as he had been as a practicing doctor, he looked beyond the obvious. It is the continuous application of this skill that resulted in his wining of the Ramazzini prize. This book is about how he came to the understanding that dirty electricity is a hazard, yet a hazard, if recognized by society that can easily with little to no expense be mitigated such that we can continue to live with the benefits of electricity and substantially eliminate the diseases of civilization.

Everyone concerned about health issues beyond contagious diseases should read this short and highly readable book, then each reader should pass on to their friends, what an important book Dirty Electricity is.

Great, eye opening book
My father first read this book and liked it so much, he went out and bought 20+ copies, handing them out to everyone he knew and cared about, including me. I wish there were more people in the world like Samuel Milham (the book's author). He presents a very valid case and good research on how dirty electricity is a silent killer, and yet a problem that could be so easily solved. My wife, who is a school teacher in California, has long noticed that cancer rates among school teachers are much higher than average. This book finally explains why. It also gives very practical advice as to how to prevent or reduce exposure to dirty electricity. The book is well written and a quick read-- I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

Amazing book by an amazing trainer, December 1, 2010
As someone who has penned several fitness books (including the Ultimate Dumbbell Guide and The Body You Want in the Time You Have) and has written about exercise for 17 years, I can say without question that Pat is one of the true--and few--pioneers in the 'no-spin, tell it like it is' approach to fitness and exercise. I rarely praise celebrity trainers because many that are 'known' really aren't as wise when it comes to fitness...they are simply admired for their client list. In Pat's case, there's a reason A-listers turn to him...his methods are sound, true and effective. Keep up the great work Pat... and thank you for producing one of the few books out there that definitely delivers the results that a reader would hope to expect.

Myatt Murphy ... Read more

Editorial Review

Over 1 million copies sold! With new exercises, additional stretches, and more of Frédéric Delavier’s signature illustrations, you’ll gain a whole new understanding of how muscles perform during strength exercises. This one-of-a-kind best-seller combines the visual detail of top anatomy texts with the best of strength training advice.

 

Many books explain what muscles are used during exercise, but no other resource brings the anatomy to life like Strength Training Anatomy. Over 600 full-color illustrations reveal the primary muscles worked along with all the relevant surrounding structures, including bones, ligaments, tendons, and connective tissue.

 

Like having an X-ray for each exercise, the anatomical depictions show both superficial and deep layers and detail how various setup positions affect muscle recruitment and emphasize underlying structures. New pages show common strength training injuries in a fascinating light and offer precautions to help you exercise safely.

 

Author and illustrator Frédéric Delavier is the former editor in chief of the French publication PowerMag. He is a journalist for Le Monde du Muscle and a contributor to Men’s Health Germany and several other strength training publications.

Reviews

==Lots of Strengths==, January 8, 2008
With over 450,000 copies sold, this book is arguably the best book of its kind. What's it useful for? Mainly to help the reader (from the weekend athlete to the athletic trainer to the professional bodybuilder) figure out what exercises work what muscles.

It's neatly divided up into sections (arms, shoulders, chest, back, etc.), so all you really have to do is flip to one of these sections and it will have detailed pictures of various exercises and exactly which muscles are involved.

A great reference to keep have around, I give it five stars easy. Readers who lift weights regularly might also be interested Treat Your Own Rotator Cuff to avoid shoulder problems a lot of lifters eventually get.

Execllent Anatomical Reference for Weight Training, July 18, 2002
This book is an excellent weight training reference for insight into the anatomy of the major muscle groups, and the exercises best suited to train specific muscles.

The book is broken down into seven major muscle groups: arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, and abdomen. Within each muscle group are multiple exercises, each comprised of detailed anotomical illustrations, instructions on performing the exercises, and key information such as variations (for specific focus on particular muscles) and warnings (to aviod injury).

Using this book, one could easily select a variety of exercises to build a total body workout program. The selection of exercises also allows for some routine variation to keep one's workout from getting stale.

The illustrations are of an exellent quality, as are the materials. The pages are of heavyweight paper, with a semi-glossy finish.

Although I rated this title highly, I did so with the understanding that it suits a very specific purpose, and is not a general purpose introduction or guide to weight training. This is an ANATOMY REFERENCE, specific to selected weight training exercises. It does not contain any other information concerning weight training, diet, exercise, etc. In fact, there is not even a brief introduction by the author, simply the reference material itself. But, in terms of its intended purpose, it is an excellent reference. If you already have some sort of "Bodybuilding Encyclopedia", you probably already posess much of the information contained in this title. Having no interest in the history, self-promotion, and general testosterone driven attitudes of many of those types of titles (as well as the phonebook sized package), I much prefer this concise book as an exercise reference.

very useful !!! excellent, February 5, 2004
Lots of good info. However, it is an anatomy book so the information is limited to anatomy. This book shows you what the involved muscle does during a specific exercise. This book will not teach you how to work out, and has no info on diet or nutrition. If you are a beginner you may want to start with a different exercise book. If you already work out and you need to know which exercise hits which muscle and how, this is the book to get.

New 3rd edition - with red cover - is even bigger and better!, March 26, 2010
Frederic Delavier's stunning Strength Training Anatomy (Sports Anatomy Series) is an essential resource for any strength training enthusiast. While others have tried to mimic Delavier's incredible illustrations of muscle performance during strength training, no one comes close to capturing Delavier's level of detail and style. The pretenders either deliver sterile computer models or come off as second rate approximations of Delavier's unparalleled artwork.

One look and you'll be sold. The cover touts selling over a million copies of Strength Training Anatomy and its been the best selling strength training title at Amazon year-in and year-out.

This newly released 3rd Edition packs even more information on strength training, sport injury and prevention, and now adds material on stretching/flexibility for the first time. At 192 pages, this edition is 50% longer than the original 2001 publication. It now contains over 600 full-color illustrations.

Believe the hype - this is a FANTASTIC resource! Highly recommended!

Excellent strength training resource from a company with top-notch customer service, March 24, 2010
I bought the 2nd edition of this book well over a year ago when I was on a working out kick. Unfortunately life got in the way and I stopped going to the gym for several months, and even when I started back I only dabbled with cardio workouts. About 4 months ago I started back on weights and dug out this book. Prior to that I hadn't opened it. The book as it turns out had serious printing issues, making much of it unusable. It was long past the time frame in which I could have returned it to Amazon so I contacted the publisher, Human Kinetics, instead. Their customer service was excellent! They were aware of a small number of mis-prints that fit my description and were more than happy to replace it. The CS person asked if it would be ok if the replacement was delayed a few weeks until the 3rd edition was available which greatly pleased me. I received the new book about a week ago and it was in perfect condition. Many thanks to the HK folks for their fine customer service!

For those that don't already know what's in this book let me explain in detail. Everyone has seen the anatomy posters on the gym walls. The individual caricatures on the posters display a cut-away model of the human body sans skin. It highlights a muscle or group of muscles and then shows you an exercise that you can use to work that specific muscle. There usually isn't much more detail than that. Text is minimal. This book is at it basics a book version of those posters. However this book goes much, much further. The caricatures for individual muscles and muscle groups in this book usually have multiple exercise options. Text in this book explains in detail how to properly perform the exercise. It also provides useful tips on how to slightly alter the exercise to accommodate common injuries (ie, turn your wrists this way to not engage a torn wrist flexor). There are several pages of guides and background information on how to avoid certain injuries such as not fully extending your arms when doing curls to avoid tendinitis down the road. As another example the book goes into detail on how and why crunches should ALWAYS be performed with an inward curving spine (ie, fetal curve). This is to minimize the usage of the Psoas Major & Minor hip flexors and avoid the back injury they can cause. There are several excellent section of pure information in this book. The caricatures in this book are truly excellent. The artist did a fantastic job positioning and drawing the body to emphasize exactly what the reader needs to see and understand. The 3rd Edition also adds text on proper stretching among other things.

I highly recommend this book to every single person lifting weights at all levels. I've shown the book to friends, coworkers and people at the gym. I've even sung its praises to complete strangers in checkout lines and restaurants. I can't say enough good things about it. The only negative thing I can think of (more of a wishful thinking thing) is that it's only available in paperback. I wish it was also available as a hardback. Taking this to the gym with you will wear it out eventually. Of course for its low price replacing it is inexpensive. It's an excellent resource.

A Must-Read if You Lift Weights, July 30, 2006
I'm very impressed with this useful book. I've lifted weights for a long time and I appreciate knowing how best to work certain muscles. I also like to do lifts that are easy on former injuries but still work the muscles. This is a perfect book for that.

Knowing what muscles your exercises use is critical to someone serious about gaining strength and building muscle. This book has those answers and is very easy to read and understand.

The book is the best one for both men and women. The author's book for women only deals with the lower part of a woman. News flash . . . we have an upper part too. And furthermore, we care about it just as much as our butts and thighs.

This books covers it all and also has drawings of women as well as men. It's really a great book and if you lift weights (and you should) this book is something you really should have.

It gives you instructions for all of the exercises you'll need and it shows exactly what muscle groups or muscle it works. It helps you avoid injury as well.

A great book. I highly recommend it to both men and women.

Great learning tool, July 6, 2002
I bought this book because it's hard to find a strength training book that isn't full of oversized bodybuilders talking strictly about building HUGE muscles. This book is perfect for the average person who just wants a scientific explanation of which muscles do what and the proper strength training technique to use for each. I found almost all common exercises included, and they are easily organized by body part.

Not very useful, January 28, 2003
Propably the first thing you notice when you open the book is quality. The paper is thick and glossy and the quality of printing is good. The pictures are beautiful, and it's easy to find exercises for a certain muscle group.

Then the bad news: While the pictures look great, on many occasions they are too detailed, to the point of being unclear. Every exercise is given a full page (two pages on some occasions). But the majority of a page is filled with large drawing of the exercise, with the stressed muscle groups shown. The performance of a given exercise is given far less detail, on some occasions only a few lines of text. I think it would be far more benefical to give more detailed explanation of correct performance and/or common mistakes, and print the picture a bit smaller.

The exercises in the book are divided on seven sections, based on which muscle group they mainly stress. This is OK, but the division of muscle groups is a bit odd. There is a separate section covering exercises for buttocs, but at the same time all other muscle groups in the leg are combined as "legs". It would be more reasonable to combine buttocs with quads, or thights, and give calves a separate section.

There are about 110 different exercises, and variations on some exercises. The selection of exercises is a bit odd in my opinion. For example, there is a page on seated calf raise (on a machine), and the author advises that as a variation you can do the exercise without a machine, using a barbell across your legs. Then, on the next page that very same exercise is presented as a separate exercise! And there are some basic exercises missing, like toe presses on leg press machine, for example.

Perhaps the main problem of the book is that it doesn't expalain the muslce mechanics at all. It would be great if the kinesiology of given muscle group would be explained at the beginning of each chapter, but there is no explanations at all about what a given muscle does, and how it affects the whole body. For example, the book says that seated calf raise targets the soleus, but there is no explanation what this means in practice. And there is no explanation which exercise I sould use if I wanted to emphasize the outer calf, for example.

As a conclusion, I would say that in certain circumstances this book can be a valuable asset, but you can't use it by itself. You need to have some books on kinesiology, and some books which describe the correct performance of each exercise in detail.

Indispensable!, December 12, 2002
I buy lots of fitness and strength training books, and this one is by far the best I've purchased. The book may look small, but it provides an extensive listing of exercises and includes tips about variations that will change how you work each muscle. This is important for a couple of reasons.

To maximize your gains in the gym, you have to constantly change your program so that your body doesn't hit a plateau. Regularly incorporating new exercises will also keep you from becoming bored with your workout. This book will show you how using a rope attachment with the pulley works a different part of the triceps as opposed to doing bench dips or doing a kickback. Also, the illustrations show you the auxiliary muscles that are recruited during compound movements like presses and deadlifts.

At first I was worried that the book might be too much for me to absorb, but it's not because the author does not get overly-technical with the explanations. The text is concise, yet thorough, and the pictures are highly detailed.

This is a wonderful reference book, and I highly recommend it.

Visually engaging and concise, February 19, 2005
This book has been very helpful to me in free weight training to validate if I am concentrating on the correct muscles in an exercise. The presentation is colorful, rich and engaging. This is the only exercise book I have seen that approaches the weightlifting body from the inside-out. In addition to the terrific musculature and skeletal diagrams on each page, the exercises are explained briefly but in sufficient detail with pointers for what to do and not do. The most popular exercises are presented here, organized by major and minor muscle groups.

This is not another encyclopedia full of exercises (though I find those helpful too). This book helps make you more aware of your muscles so you have another way of visualizing correct form in an exercise. The diagrams depict both men and women in a realistic way so both genders can benefit from the book. However, Delavier has another edition of this book showing other exercises popular with women.

I work out at home so without the benefit of trainers or other experienced lifters around me, I have found this kind of info invaluable. Make yourself a smarter lifter and get this book for education and reference into the future. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Often imitated, never duplicated.

• New! Lay-flat binding makes coloring easier.
• New! 8 plates have been added: Accessory Structures of the Skin,Temporomandibular Joint, Upper Limb: Shoulder (Glenohumeral) Joint, Upper Limb:Elbow Joints, Lower Limb: Male and female Pelves, Lower Limb: Sacroiliac and Hip Joints, Lower Limb: Knee Joints, Somatic Visceral Receptors.
• New! 7 additional sections: Skeletal and Articular Systems, Skeletal Muscular System, Central Nervous System, Central Nervous System: Cavities and Coverings, Peripheral Nervous System, Autonomic Nervous System, Human Development.

Wynn Kapit is the designer of the The Anatomy Coloring Book, The Physiology Coloring Book, and The Geography Coloring Book. Mr. Kapit received a B.B.A. and an L.L.B. from the University of Miami and an M.A. from the University of California, Berkeley.

Lawrence M. Elson, Ph.D. is a clinical and forensic human anatomist who taught at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the University of California Medical School at San Francisco, and the City College of San Francisco. Dr. Elson is the founder and president of Coloring Concepts, Inc., and the director of graphic and textual content of its several publications. ... Read more

Reviews

A Great Anatomy Aid -- A must for med students, June 29, 2000
This book is the best reference on the human body I've found! It focuses individually on each system, with large ready-to-color pages. This book list all bones and muscles in the human body (in the drawings, too) and reveals their locations. It goes into extreme detail about everything, and shows a fetal circulation diagram, which I have had trouble finding in other books. This book lists the view names (anterior, posterior, superior, ventral, etc.) and gives a diagram. It even spends some time talking about cells and tissues, with a colorable diagram of a cell. This book is a MUST for med students, and would make a great reference book for physicians. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in human anatomy, for I sure am enjoying it. Also check out "The Physiology Coloring Book, 2nd Edition". Note:For this book you should have a good supply of quality colored pencils, probably about 30, including gray and black.

Great supplement for any anatomy course, June 21, 2003
I am using this book as a study tool for my Gross Anatomy course. Anyone who has taken an anatomy class can tell you that color-coding structures is one of the most helpful ways to remember them. There are drawings of bones, muscles, joints, organ systems and explanations of virtually everything that could possibly be covered in an anatomy class. The drawings are excellent and most of the features of the bones are labelled as well. This was very helpful to me since I had to memorize virtually every tubercle, ridge, groove, or other protuberance on every bone of the body. When I had trouble with the skull because the drawings in my class notes were horrible, the drawings in this book were much clearer and helped out a lot. If you are taking an anatomy class, this is a smart and relatively inexpensive investment that will help you remember everything better.

The most learning enriched coloringbook you'll ever find!, October 13, 1999
I'm an 11th grader attending Norwich Free Academy currently taking AP anatomy & pysiology. This is one of those books, not required, but extrememely useful for surviving anatomy. With all the memorization, the coloring and written out labels w/ definitions, helps your out class grade so much. The visuals are so graphic and precise I find it has helped maintain a high gpa in the course. I would recommend this book for highschool & college anatomy students as well as for anatomy teachers. When the teachers print out the different coloring pages to assign for hw, as silly as it sounds, it infact helps w/ the whole physical concept. It is also a great break in between attempting Uconn Chemistry problems and reading about a bunch of dead guys in AP history. =P

A Must Have for Students of Anatomy, Massage, etc., September 8, 2001
Just when you thought they couldn't improve on the original, they keep making it better. The third edition contains all the strengths of the first two editions with dynamite new additions that will help all students of anatomy. Go down to your local hobby shop and buy the biggest set of felt tip pens you can find. After the book is colored, it should be kept as a quick reference book. You color the labels to match the illustrations, so it's easy to look back and spot the name of the muscle, bone, organ, etc. Make sure to read the section on HOW TO USE THIS BOOK before you begin coloring.

As the owner of a massage therapy school, we use this book and Salvo's Massage Therapy: Principles and Practice as our two main texts. It is incredible for those who are visual learners. We highly recommend it.

Great - Wonderful Learning Tool for Students, November 14, 1998
I am an undergrad Pre-Med student, and I found that working with this book was a valuable resource for helping me to learn the parts of the body that I need to know. This book is laid out very well, and in addition to the outlines of the structures, provides brief summaries of their functions. I don't really know why this book helps ingrain the anatomy in one's brain, but my whole class purchased this book and we have found it extraordinarily helpful!!!!!!!

Could it Get Any Better!, August 16, 2006
I am a doctor now, but i used this book when i was a medical student and i thought it was great.

Some people may say it does not have a lot of detail. But i thought the annotations were pretty detailed. And i had the 2nd Edition!

There is no way you can know all that is in this book and NOT get a good grade on your anatomy final!

The only down side, its a bit time consuming, all that colouring takes time. SO use it WITH your course work. Dont wait till you are close to exams, because you wont have time.

To tell you how much i loved this book, i bought a copy of the 3rd edition for a friend of mine who is starting med school in september!

BUY IT!!!!

An excellent tool for visual learners, October 21, 2002
This is a workbook I'd reccomend for any student of Anatomy. I make a point to get a new copy every three to four years and color through it just to review and stay fresh. I am studying massage Therapy now, and first used this book six years ago when I was thinking about going into massage therapy or physical therapy since I knew I would need this(if you're wondering why the long length of time, just getting money together for school).

The knowlegde of the muscles, thier attachemnts, origins, and actions have stayed fresh in my mind for years so that going through A&P was much easier for me than for my classmates. While the bones and muscles were my main interest, I aquired a good working knowledge of the rest of the body from this book along with my textbooks.

This book is great for anyone even thinking of a medical profession, or artists needing a better understanding of how the body is put together. I have known a few people this book didn't help, but this was because they were not visual learners, but this is great for anyone who learns visually.

Excellent adjunct for anatomy, August 17, 2001
The beauty of this book is that it's appropriate for all ages--it's detailed enough for a 1st year med student (especially for the summer before you start--it takes too long to color during the semester), and if you're a visual learner, you'll probably find it a better tool than just any old textbook. The text accompanying each picture is probably too much for a high school student, and maybe just enough for a med student, but it's a good starting point no matter what your level.

Jennifer, a nursing studern, August 10, 2001
This is a great book. Being that anatomy consists of being a visual learner, utilizing the guidelines in the book to color in the different aspects of anatomy is exteremely helpful. The diagrams are very detailed with excellent descriptions. I used colored pencils, they are a lot less messy and enable detail.

Best way to learn, April 13, 1999
I am a massage therapy student and this is the great way to learn all the insertions of each muscles. It even has general information about each muscle group. Coloring is not only fun, but this really does sink in. How else can you learn all the names? ... Read more

Editorial Review

Richard Dawkins' brilliant reformulation of the theory of natural selection has the rare distinction of having provoked as much excitement and interest outside the scientific community as within it.His theories have helped change the whole nature of the study of social biology, and have forced thousands of readers to rethink their beliefs about life.
In his internationally bestselling, now classic volume, The Selfish Gene, Dawkins explains how the selfish gene can also be a subtle gene.The world of the selfish gene revolves around savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit, and yet, Dawkins argues, acts of apparent altruism do exist in nature.Bees, for example, will commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, and birds will risk their lives to warn the flock of an approaching hawk.
This 30th anniversary edition of Dawkins' fascinating book retains all original material, including the two enlightening chapters added in the second edition. In a new Introduction the author presents his thoughts thirty years after the publication of his first and most famous book, while the inclusion of the two-page original Foreword by brilliant American scientist Robert Trivers shows the enthusiastic reaction of the scientific community at that time. This edition is a celebration of a remarkable exposition of evolutionary thought, a work that has been widely hailed for its stylistic brilliance and deep scientific insights, and that continues to stimulate whole new areas of research today. ... Read more

Reviews

A Classic of Popular Science, January 27, 2003
More than a quarter-century after its first publication, Richard Dawkins's "The Selfish Gene" remains a classic of popular science writing. This edition includes two new chapters as well as extensive endnotes that do much to perfect the original text and correct the few mistakes that were found in it. "The Selfish Gene" is explicitly directed at the layman, and absolutely no knowledge of biology is assumed. While this presents a danger of boring readers (such as myself) who are already familiar with DNA and meiosis, the colorful metaphors Dawkins uses throughout the book do much to keep the reading engrossing and entertaining.

After a lengthy exploration of basic biology, covering topics such as DNA and the origin of life, Dawkins introduces the gene-centered view of evolution that has long been textbook orthodoxy. Dawkins uses the remainder of the book to look at various types of animal behavior in an effort to convey some general conclusions and tools to help the reader understand evolution and natural selection. Much of his effort is devoted to explaining behavior in terms of the 'selfish gene' - especially social behavior that has long been held to have evolved 'for the good of the species.' Dawkins shows that how fundamental axiom of natural selection (that the genes best at surviving and reproducing will eventually spread through the gene pool) leads directly to the selfish gene and the behavior exhibited by nearly all animals (humans being the prime exception).

Many of Dawkins's metaphors have caused raised eyebrows - one outstanding example is his characterization of living things as "lumbering robots" built to protect the genes that hide in them - but the metaphors are always (eventually) brought under control. The title is one such metaphor that has often been misunderstood by superficial analysis. The 'selfish gene' is simply a gene that does not aid others at its own expense. Such genes would be better able to reproduce and spread through the gene pool than those that did sacrifice themselves for others, and therefore completely dominate the gene pools of all species as a result of billions of years of evolutionary pressure.

I cannot hope to adequately summarize Dawkins's arguments in a mere review, so I sincerely urge you to read "The Selfish Gene" for yourself. I should warn that conservatives would probably not enjoy the book nearly as much as I did. Dawkins is an open secular humanist with socialist leanings, and is not worried about offending the delicate sensibilities of creationists and fundamentalists. This book should only be read by those willing to 'accept' the validity of natural selection and evolution; others would only waste their time. I would direct readers seeking a more scientific discussion of these issues to G. C. Williams's "Adaptation and Natural Selection." All others will most likely enjoy "The Selfish Gene" a great deal and finish the book with a new appreciation for and understanding of evolution and biology.

Excellent, simply excellent. Buy it. Read it. Recommend it., November 3, 1999
I must say this book is excellent. The concepts are explained in a way that makes them very easy to grasp. The metaphors are truly illuminating. Dawkins may be the best science writer I have ever read.

The people who gave him one star must have serious problems in comprehending simple logic. I read one review where the guy was criticizing Dawkin's for titling the book "The Selfish Gene". His argument was that genes being molecules could not be selfish. WELL NO DUH!!! The genes are not selfish in an anthropomorphic sense they just behave as though they were only interested in their own replication. And this behaviour arises because they descended from succesful ancestors that had the same behaviour. Even the word "behaviour" is not absolutely the best fit here. We could say the genes operate to maximize their replication.

But all that rewording is only necessary for people who cannot bring themselves to accept the stark true logic of Dawkin's book. To the rest of us once Dawkins has illuminated the concept its logical appeal is self evident. Nitpicking the semantics is pretty lame.

Fascinating, but at times I wish I could unread it., August 7, 1999
I wish I could rate this book at 5 stars and 0 stars at the same time. It is a fascinating book, very well-written, and it conveys a real sense of how life works on the biological level, how all sorts of diverse factors interact with each other to create an incredibly complex system (the evolution of life, in this case); it also just as vividly conveys a sense of how scientists come to understand these processes.

I started it many years ago at the suggestion of a friend, thinking I wouldn't find it very interesting, and not much liking the kind of philosophy of life that (on the basis of my friend's description) seemed to lie behind it. But only a chapter or two in, I was completely hooked, and wanted to read more Dawkins.

On one level, I can share in the sense of wonder Dawkins so evidently sees in the workings-out of such complex processes, often made up of quite simple elemental mechanisms, but interacting so complexly to produce the incredibly complex world we live in.

But at the same time, I largely blame "The Selfish Gene" for a series of bouts of depression I suffered from for more than a decade, and part of me wants to rate the book at zero stars for its effect on my life. Never sure of my spiritual outlook on life, but trying to find something deeper - trying to believe, but not quite being able to - I found that this book just about blew away any vague ideas I had along these lines, and prevented them from coalescing any further. This created quite a strong personal crisis for me some years ago.

The book renders a God or supreme power of any sort quite superfluous for the purpose of accounting for the way the world is, and the way life is. It accounts for the nature of life, and for human nature, only too well, whereas most religions or spiritual outlooks raise problems that have to be got around. It presents an appallingly pessimistic view of human nature, and makes life seem utterly pointless; yet I cannot present any arguments to refute its point of view. I still try to have some kind of spiritual outlook, but it is definitely battered, and I have not yet overcome the effects of this book on me.

Richard Dawkins seems to have the idea that religion and spirituality are not only false, but ultimately unable to give a real sense of meaning and purpose in life. Their satisfaction is hollow, empty, and unreal, in his apparent view, and only a scientific understanding of life can give a real, lasting sense of wonder and purpose.

I would question this. While I am not sure what (if anything) there is spiritually, I know that a scientific view of life cannot offer the slightest hope of life after death, and since we're all going to die and most of us don't want to, this is a crippling drawback to the kind of scientific vision Dawkins wants us all to have. If there is nothing beyond death, no spiritual dimension to anything, and everything is just a blind dance of atoms, I fail to see how this by itself can give one a real sense of purpose, however fascinating the dance that Dawkins describes - and it *is* fascinating; let there be no mistake about that.

Because of this, I have the curious feeling of dichotomy about Dawkins' book that it is certainly fascinating on one level, but that I cannot give even qualified emotional commitment to the outlook on life that seems to lie behind it. I would in the end rather have the hope of something wonderful and purposeful that only some spiritual outlook can offer, even though it may be a deluded fantasy, than the certainty of a scientific vision that eliminates any possibility of long-term hope, that condemns us to an empty, eternal death of nothingness in the end. This scientific view may be completely rational; but rationality is not the only important consideration to shape our outlook on life.

Anyone who has a narrow religious view of life, who is absolutely sure their religion is completely right, would be best off avoiding this book like the plague - it probably won't change their views, but they will quite likely get very upset and outraged. And anyone with an open-minded spiritual view had better at least be prepared to do a lot of thinking, and perhaps be willing to change some of their views, because this book *will* challenge almost any spiritual or religious viewpoint I can think of - whether it is of the open-minded or dogmatic sort.

Some critics of this book have found its reasoning unconvincing, its materialist reductionism too superficial and shallow. But, from my perspective, the problem does not lie here; the problem with the book is that it is *too* convincing, that it is *entirely* convincing. The book makes it very difficult to continue to believe in anything that contradicts its basic premise, but which might be more comforting, and might give a greater sense of hope and inspiration, and provide a real sense of purpose in life.

Such have its effects on my life been that, in my more depressed moments, I have desperately wished I could unread the book, and continue life from where I left off.

It has been said that each of us has a God-shaped hole inside, and that we spend most of our lives trying to fill it with the wrong things. I firmly believe that God-shaped hole is there, that we have inner longings of a wonderful sort almost impossible to describe in words. Whether a God exists to fill it, I do not yet know. But what I am sure of is that, as wonderful as Dawkins' view of nature and of life may be on its own level, it will not fill that God-shaped hole.

Enjoy the clear text but buy it for the content., December 16, 1998
Reading Yehouda Harpaz' review, I realized that some people have trouble understanding Dawkins' ideas, apparently because they would rather confine evolution to a limited area -- the biology of animals -- and keep it from applying to humans, most especially to our minds. I'd like to express some of the ideas in Dawkins' book to entice you and clarify these misconceptions.

1) The central thesis is that genes act as if their intention was to selfishly help themselves spread throughout the gene pool. This is not because they have the ability to make decisions or are capable of being selfish the way a person could. It's simply that those that happen to act as if they had wanted to spread do spread, and they do so at the expense of the rest. This notion of apparent design from natural selection is the keystone of neo-Darwinism.

2) The idea of analyzing evolution by looking at how each individual gene spreads itself in the environment of other genes is not only clear but illuminating, solving problems that the organism-centered approach cannot. Remember, an environment consists of whatever circumstances, objects, or conditions one is surrounded by. That means that, just as it makes perfect sense to say that other people form part of each person's environment, it is logical that other genes form part of a gene's environment. A gene competes with other alleles -- alternative genes at its locus -- and often does so by cooperating with genes at other loci, as per Dawkins' rowing team analogy.

3) It's not that Dawkins ignores neurobiology, but that he supports the new understanding that there is neither biological nor cultural determinism for behavior, but rather development based on epigenetic rules. In other words, Dawkins denies the Standard Social Science Model of tabula rasa human nature, replacing it with a less extremist stance that is demonstrably true. As Steven Pinker makes very clear in _How The Mind Works_, humans are intelligent not because we are free from the instincts that drive other animals but because of our ability to use the mental organs that implement our instincts to solve general-purpose problems.

4) Dawkins does not in any way restrict cultural transmission to imitation. However, as his interest is in its neo-Darwinistic evolution, not mere transmission or random change, he focuses on the units of replication -- the memes -- that are naturally selected among. This is particularly interesting since it opens up the way to understanding the coevolution of genes and memes, as E. O. Wilson explains in _Consilience_.

In summary, if you want to understand these issues, don't take Yehouda's word on this or even mine. Get the book and read it for yourself. Life is so much more interesting than anti-evolutionists would have you imagine, and Dawkins is so painfully clear that even the layman has to work hard to misunderstand him. He is, quite literally, a joy to read.

Read the book, not just the title, November 25, 1999
This book was first published in 1976, and instantly became one of the classics of popular science. It stands as the best available introduction to modern evolution theory for the lay reader.

Curiously, while the actual content of the book has been becoming more and more mainstream over the past twenty-odd years, the book itself has been acquiring a reputation for controversiality. My own feeling is that most of the critics cannot have ever read past the title. Dawkins makes it abundantly clear that the selfishness of genes is metaphorical. How anyone could have read the book and come away with the impression that Dawkins ascribes motives and attitudes to genes defies my understanding. The theories that Dawkins puts forward are utterly mechanistic, and entirely in accord with conventional genetics and molecular biology (which are indeed outlined quite clearly in the introductory chapters).

Another misunderstanding (now fortunately less common) is that Dawkins predicts the selfish behaviour of all animals. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, 'The Selfish Gene' attempts to show how the forces of evolution give rise to [a limited degree of] altruism when they would seem, at first glance, to promote utter selfishness.

Thought-Provoking and Well-Written, August 18, 2000
Richard Dawkins certainly has a genius for witty explanations of complex phenomena. "The Selfish Gene" is among the best and most fascinating books on evolution ever written (and remains so today!). Dawkins may not be the first or the only proponent of the selfish gene theory, but he's certainly the most eloquent and captivating.

If the intellectual aha! experience of seeing that selection works at the genetic level isn't enough, read the last few chapters, where Dawkins hides a brilliant idea everyone else would die for. It is here that Dawkins proposes the revolutionary idea of the meme, or the "unit of imitation" (p192 in my copy) - in other words, the replicator responsible for cultural evolution. Since he first proposed the idea, the meme meme has really spread far and wide, which is a testament to its excellence...this is a great example of reformulating an old idea in a new way and ending up with something radically different.

This is the book that first introduced me to evolutionary theory as a study in its own right, and I hope it will stimulate your mind as much as it did mine. I've been a big supporter of Dawkins ever since!

Intriguing Evolutionary Science with Misleading Metaphors, March 23, 2005
Richard Dawkins's book is, for the most part, what people say it is: lively written, intriguing, and an exposition of evolution from the "gene's eye-view perspective." I found it rather interesting to read this book and Dawkins's notion of viewing evolution from the gene perspective (by the way not, as many claim, a notion that was entirely his) can certainly open up much debate in biology and beyond.

I do have some concerns with _The Selfish Gene_, however, namely that the prose is a bit too "lively." Repeatedly, Dawkins reiterates that he does not want to anthropomorphize genes, granting them consciousness and a will. Instead, his metaphor of genes "building survival machines" and willfully acting to increase their own propagation is simply what Dawkins calls "the language of convenience." Moreover, with words such as "selfish" and "gene," Dawkins carefully defines these words to try and avoid trouble. He uses this language of convenience in order to keep the tone of the book light and to keep lay people interested.

While these definitions and metaphors may be "convenient" for Dawkins, they are also downright misleading. Despite the fact that he takes measures to warn us of his "convenient" language, I am not sure that the average reader is careful to make these distinctions and to translate his convenient language back into the language of disinterested evolution. When you engage someone in conversation about this book, what they remember is the image of these little genes, running around making "selfish" decisions in order to increase their own survival rate. By "selfish," of course, I mean a psychologically selfish decision, and not the unconscious "selfish" behavior that Dawkins redefines. If you don't believe me, just ask someone who has read it. Thus, we are right back at a Lamarckian view of evolution, with young children believing that if the giraffe just strains its neck a bit more, they will grow longer necks. If one does read this book, which I do recommend, he or she would be wise to keep a tight focus on Dawkins's use of metaphor in order to not be misled by it.

What interests me more, especially as a student of philosophy, is the degree to which people have viewed this text as a definitive doomsday device for religion, ethics, and morality. One can see the problems Dawkins has caused by reading the upset reviews on this website. I believe that this despair is wholeheartedly mistaken and arises from common misunderstandings about these issues. First, evolution does not necessarily kick God out of the picture (though, many may have to modify their definition of "God" in order to recognize it). Secondly, the truth of ethics and morality does not rely upon the existence of a "God." There are many ethical theories that do not make reference to the supernatural and philosophy has been hard at work crafting these theories for some time now. Thus, even if Dawkins's arguments are completely true, it still could be the case that there is a "God" and, even if there is no "God," there still are very good reasons for believing in ethics and morality. One need not, therefore, despair.

It boils down to this point: even if Dawkins's theory of genetic evolution is correct and the human body is merely a "survival machine" built solely for the continued existence of our genes, the fact that humans have developed into rational, conscious beings sets us apart in some ways from many other "survival machines." Thus, not only do we have the ability to rise above our genetic programming (as Dawkins suggests we might), but it could also be the case that our particular constitution morally requires it. I would recommend reading this book as a landmark work of popular science in the field of evolutionary biology. Just keep your hand on your wallet and make sure you don't get tricked into believing something Dawkins is not arguing for.

Pure brain candy, October 20, 2001
Dawkin's "The Selfish Gene" is a wonderful non-fiction book. It was a joy to read from cover to cover, and leaves the reader with revolutionary new insights into the evolution of nature and man.

The simple premise of the book is that self-replicating genes are what matter - bodies, and even minds, are tools they have constructed to further aid in their reproduction. "Altruistic" acts - acts that aid other replicating genes at the expense of the gene committing the deed, would gradually be removed from the pool. Some people object to this line of reasoning - and this book for having proposed such - fearing that it reduces man to selfish automatons. It does not, for two reasons that Dawkins discusses in detail.

The first is an analysis of game theory, drawn from Axelrod's "The Evolution of Cooperation". Dawkins soundly demonstrates that many apparently "altruistic" acts are actually a form of mutual cooperation, benefitting both parties. Dawkins shows that many of these cooperative behavior strategies would be expected to arise spontaneously in nature, and remain stable in the population after doing so.

Dawkin's second line of reasoning, dealing almost exclusively with humans, is perhaps the most revolutionary part of the book. According to Dawkins, humans have another type of replicator besides our genes - our ideas. Dawkins names such replicators "memes" ("memory + gene"). Dawkins dicusses the (dis)similarity of the replication of genes and memes, and how memes might well explain a great deal of altruism.

Overall, this was one of the most insightful and exciting works I have read in some time. I looked forward to the moments when I could set down and read another chapter, and was sorely disappointed when I reached the final pages. Highly recommended.

Classic science writing so good it's almost religious, March 13, 2001
"The Selfish Gene" is essential science literacy reading. It is the single clearest introduction to the concept of natural selection at the level of genes, the central concept in modern evolutionary theory. A classic of engaging and illuminating science writing that gets the point across. Maybe too well.

On the down side, the selfishness metaphor does seem to take many readers on a journey that Dawkins doesn't seem to intend, extending "selfishness" beyond the limited way it is used in the book, and even offering them some sort of alternate religion.

That's the power of a really strong metaphor, it tends to take on a life of its own. Dawkins begins to address that I think in his classic introduction in this book of the concept of "memes" as units of cultural replication akin to genes. That's an idea that has yet to be completely shaken out I think, as far as addressing the specific units that memes represent, and how generally and usefully we can model their propagation characteristics without reference to the specifics of the vehicles replicating them.

Thinking of genes as selfish sometimes distracts people from gaining a further understanding of the tremendous complexity of the evolutionary process, and all else that is also going on. That weakness however is more a side-effect of the tremendous strength of Dawkins' argument than any problem that can be faulted to him in this book.

There's also the technical issue of the gene's eye view of the world, which tends to dominate modern evolutionary thinking, because it is believed to dominate evolutionary processes. There are however probably some conditions under which other levels of selection make significant contributions to evolved characteristics. Dawkins doesn't go much beyond things like inclusive fitness and allusions to reciprocal altruism in explaining why some people and other organisms will sacrifice themselves (sometimes for strangers !), and why such a thing as a non-reproductive drone should be constructed by selfish genes. "The Selfish Gene" doesn't really address this in a satisfactory way.

Other authors, such as Elliot Sobel, Robert Wright, John Maynard Smith, and Brian Skyrms have explored these kinds of questions (regarding levels of selection in evolution) better. Also, for those topics, look into the excellent introduction to modern evolutionary thinking in "Sex and Death" by Sterelny and Griffiths, which gives a broader picture, though it lacks the focused clarity and near-relgious force of Dawkins' brilliant exposition of the selfish gene metaphor.

A classic, but nothing new here if you read the 2nd ed., October 1, 2006
My only complaint is that, unlike the 2nd edition, which greatly expanded on the 1st edition, including some very useful and clarifying notes by Dawkin's addressing much of the controvery his first edition created, this aniversary edition does not include any new material, other than a new forward. If you are interested in reading this book, a used second edition copy is as good as this one (skip the first edition -- lacks the last two chapters and Dawkins' comentaries).

The information in this book is worthy of five stars. It is the finest treatise on natural selection as the prime shaper of an evolutionary process to date. It clearly shows how a complex biological system (like humans) can arise from simple replicating molecules. It does not refute religious ideas of supernatural creation, but simply provides an alternative explanation via a natural biological mechanism. It isn't, as some think, ground breaking research -- as Dawkin's says himself, if is more a treatise of existing research. It's importance is in Dawkin's magnificent writing ability that bridged the technical fields of evolutionary biology and sociobiology to the layman. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Atlas of Human Anatomy uses Frank H. Netter, MD's detailed illustrations to demystify this often intimidating subject, providing a coherent, lasting visual vocabulary for understanding anatomy and how it applies to medicine. This 5th Edition features a stronger clinical focus-with new diagnostic imaging examples-making it easier to correlate anatomy with practice. Student Consult online access includes supplementary learning resources, from additional illustrations to an anatomy dissection guide and more. Netter. It's how you know.

• See anatomy from a clinical perspective with hundreds of exquisite, hand-painted illustrations created by, and in the tradition of, pre-eminent medical illustrator Frank H. Netter, MD.
• Join the global community of healthcare professionals who've mastered anatomy the Netter way!

• Expand your study at studentconsult.com, where you'll find a suite of learning aids including selected Netter illustrations, additional clinically-focused illustrations and radiologic images, videos from Netter's 3D Interactive Anatomy, dissection modules, an anatomy dissection guide, multiple-choice review questions, "drag-and-drop" exercises, clinical pearls, clinical cases, survival guides, surgical procedures, and more.
• Correlate anatomy with practice through an increased clinical focus, many new diagnostic imaging examples, and bonus clinical illustrations and guides online.

Reviews

The Gold Standard., December 2, 2003
This is a rather long review of the 3rd Edition.

Netter's Atlas of Human Anatomy has been considered the standard against which other atlases are compared. It really needs no introduction, so i'll just speak of the pros and cons of this edition compared to other atlases as well as to previous editions.

---Pros compared to other Atlases---

1. Drawings are in vivid "unrealistic" colors. This is in contrast to Grant's atlas, which takes a more "life-like" color scheme. I call this a pro for Netter because it improves contrast and greatly helps in finding and remembering the location of structures. McMinn's is a photographic atlas of dissections, which is great for the lab, but does not nearly cover the content that Netter does. I also find photographs harder to study from.

2. This is first and foremost, an Atlas. There are about 600 pages crammed with drawings. There is virtually no text apart from the labels. The illustrations are generally better, clearer, larger, higher quality, and more plentiful (showing many sections of the same area) than other atlases.

3. Labels galore. Initially some pages may seem intimidating because of the enourmous amount of labelling, but once you get used to it- it's really much better than not enough labels (ie. Grant's). Example: Much easier to find "Pharyngeal Recess" in Netter than Grant's.

---Cons as compared to other Atlases---

1. Expensive. Well, you get what you pay for. It's also gotten more expensive lately for this 3rd edition, very unfortunate. ICON publishing may have raised the price after they took over from Novartis.

2. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to carry two anatomy books: one for text and one for pictures. Grant's is better in this regard as it has "just enough" text to explain the drawings. As I said above, Netter doesn't

---Compared to Previous Editions---

A couple things are new in this edition. And only a couple.

1. About 8 surface anatomy plates at the start of every section done by a different artist. They're okay. Clearly can't replace a dedicated surface anatomy book.

2. New Xray, CT, MRI, etc. plates showing normal radiographic appearance. They're okay I guess, but really useless if you have a dedicated radiology text/atlas, or even if you use some websites.

3. Some labels and drawings were corrected to reflect current knowledge. The index has been significantly improved and expanded.

4. New version 3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy CDROM. Thank god. Finally they've left the medieval times and adopted 1024x768 res and higher quality pictures. Version 2.0 CD had an absurd and useless 640x480. This CDROM is now natively MAC/PC compatible, finally! (btw. Macs rock)

---Three Options---

It comes in 3 formats:

1. Soft-cover only. ISBN 1929007116 ($68.95)

2. Student Combo ISBN 1929007159 ($99.95): Soft-cover + _STUDENT_ edition of v3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy. There is a mistake on Amazon.com in this listing: The student-combo is NOT hardcover. I confirmed this with ICON Publishing and have reported it to Amazon.

3. Hard-cover + v3.0 Interactive Atlas of Human Anatomy ISBN 1929007213 ($129.95) I thought the Student CD-ROM would be a cut-down version of the full thing. It is NOT. The Student version is the full v3.0 PLUS 250 case-based USMLE style questions and Clinical Correlates. The CD-ROM is clearly improved over the previous versions, but owners of the book may not find any additional benefit as it is almost a straight rip from the book.

Please note. The hardcover and the CD-ROM are not available for individual purchase. They are only available in the 3 options listed above.

---Conclusion---

Owners of the 2nd edition won't find much new in this version. The hefty price is definately not worth an upgrade. However, for first time atlas buyers - this is clearly still the gold standard. I recommend buying the $99 Student Combo version w/ v3.0 Student CD-Rom if you can afford it (since you can't buy the CD-ROM separately later), otherwise go with the Atlas alone. The hard-cover is way too pricey for most students, and the exclusion of the USMLE questions further indicates that it's being marketed as a "Collectors Item" for graduates.

Cheers.

A MUST FOR FIRST YEAR MEDICAL STUDENTS!!!, August 24, 1996
I am the mother of a first year medical student. My daughter was at a loss in her first month at school - struggling with her Gross Anatomy Course. Our family doctor (he is actually a Neuro-Surgeon) suggested that I purchase Netter's "Atlas of Human Anatomy" swearing that he could never have gone through Anatomy it. I live in Malaysia and my daughter is studying in the Philippines. In both countries, we could not find this book! I found it right here at Amazon! The book was shipped by DHL and it has since been my daughter's bedside companion. She is still struggling with her Anatomy Course...but definitely this book of Netter has helped her SO MUCH. I have read through it myself and realized how difficult it is really to be a doctor. Atlas of Human Anatomy is a genius's work of art. Netter clearly defines the anatomical parts of the human body. Other reference/text books that are of great help to Anatomy students are: Grant's Atlas of Human Anatomy (which also has a Dissector) and Rohen & Yokochi's "Color Atlas of Anatomy" which is a photographic atlas of cadavers - a very good guide for practicals. Both books (Grant's and Rohen's) are found right here at AMAZON

Overrated, April 11, 2005
Netter's genius shines in the CIBA books, not on this atlas. It lacks fundamental correlations with what today's student must acquaint themselves with: MRI, CT, x-rays, and not to forget physical examination.
I guess the rave is all about only knowing this atlas, and also because older professors only know this atlas. I am not saying this is a bad atlas at all. All I am saying is that there are other choices that integrate information in a more meaningful way for today's medical student.
Our anatomy dissection group had Netter, Sobbotta, Grant's, Yokoshi's, and McMinn's atlases. We found Netter and Sobbotta to have "pretty pictures". Yokoshi had cadaver sections only, but they were executed by anatomy experts. If you followed it, you would get in trouble and section something you shouldn't (we become so appreciative of the human body's simmetry because of that). Same with McMinn's (and we also found some dissections not very inteligible, I might add). Students that displayed avoidance behavior towards dissection, and were more of the "exam cram" types favored Netter (that might also have been because of a lack of curiosity regarding other atlases). But we were not so, we stayed until late in the dissection room, only leaving when the night shift guard *made* us leave.
The atlas that truly delivered a nice view of anatomical *relations* between parts, and had dissections we could follow on the table, and that contained clear correlations with clinical and imaging information (part of our anatomy exam involved not only cadaver but x-rays, CT, and clinical topography) was Grant's Atlas of Anatomy. That was what we discovered trough trial and error. It costs a lot less than some other atlases, and it is underrated, but it delivers much more. But YMMV.

The finest clinical anatomy atlas available., September 15, 2003
Frank Netter's atlas compiles his paintings of every imaginable human body part, seen in various degrees of dissection, into one volume. Dr. Netter's talent for reproducing the facts of anatomy is exquisite and unquestionable. However, as one looks a little deeper, it becomes clear that Netter is in fact a guru of function as well. Nerves, outlined in an unearthly yellow, terminate on muscles they actually innervate. Tendinous insertions are always on the correct part of bony protuberances, and fiber direction is always carefully detailed. Any unusual functional variances, such as the dual sympathetic/parasympathetic function of Vidian's nerve, or such as the pulley effect on the trochlear nerve, are always painstakingly pointed out. Netter also excels in variation, presenting, for example, 11 normal variants of the cystic and hepatic ducts.

The alternatives are few and inadequate. Pernkopf is often cited as Netter's chief rival; his experimentation on living persons incarcerated in Nazi concentration camps forbids me from perusing his text, on ethical grounds. Grant's atlas is laughably inadequate by comparison, both in number and quality of the plates. And Gray's, the old standby, simply cannot measure up; Netter's bold colors and functional depictions are clearly superior.

Rohen and Yokochi, a photographic atlas, offers the advantage of being photographs of superb dissections, and therefore more like what one encounters in the anatomy lab. Some find it useful as a supplement to Netter's atlas. I also used Moore's textbook of anatomy; the plates, from Grant's atlas, are not so good, but the text can be used to expand and illuminate on the relevant plates in Netter's, and the text is well written and clear. I found it indispensible to read a little bit about what I was looking at, the night before an anatomy lab.

I have also lent my Netter to several artists (sculptors and painters,) all of whom found it to be quite useful.

If you have any interest in human anatomy, then, you need a copy of Netter today!

1st year med or dental student? You MUST get this atlas!!, December 20, 2000
I just finished my first semester of medical school, which included gross anatomy, and I can't emphasize enough how incredibly helpful Netter's atlas was! At the beginning of the semester we were told that we would learn about 3500 new "terms" over the course of the semester. This number is overwhelming, especially when you consider that one "term" may be something as long as "extensor digiti minimi brevis muscle" or "anterior superior pancreatoduodenal artery." Over time and with Netter's help, anatomy came together for me (and my classmates, who also use Netter's atlas religiously) and began to make sense.

The illustrations that Frank Netter has produced as very clear and easy to understand. I appreciate that he tends to devote entire pages to a single entity, such as just arteries, or nerves, or lymphatics. This is enormously helpful when you are trying to visualize how a system (i.e., circulation) works together. However, Netter also includes numerous (color-coded!) illustrations showing how these systems all interact. We all began to wish that our bodies were also "color-coded," but that's life.

In conclusion, don't let anatomy scare you! It is overwhelming but very manageable with Netter's help. Look over this atlas every day after class and lab, highlight it like crazy, and review it whenever you can. It works! I recommend it to people whenever I can.

SUPERB NEW THIRD EDITION (2003), April 11, 2003
I have used the second edition of this beautiful atlas for several years. Now I have acquired a copy of the new, revised, and improved third edition published in 2003. It has not disappointed me. I highly recommend it.

The third edition is longer by at least 60 pages, and the pages devoted to each body region are now color-coded for quick access.

Each section devoted to a body region now begins with a surface anatomy plate. In addition, a significant number of normal radiographic images are included.

In the foreword, Consulting Editor John T. Hansen states the following:

"We balanced the addition of new surface and radiographic plates largely by eliminating several plates that contributed little to the quality of the [Second Edition]. Several plates from The Netter (formerly CIBA) Collection of Medical Illustrations were added and several plates were altered slightly to correct anatomical errors consistent with our current knowledge.... Finally, the References and the Index have been updated.

"The anatomical terminology is consistent throughout the Atlas and conforms to the International Anatomical Terminology (Terminologia Anatomica) approved in 1998 by the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists. Common eponyms are retained parenthetically, and the leader lines and labels have been checked, and where necessary, corrected to ensure their accuracy."

An excellent reference and a delight to read.., August 25, 2000
The late Frank Netter has done us a great service in producing this classic. The paintings are just right. What impressed me was how well some of the labeling is done. For example, Plate 318, showing the blood vessels in parenchyma of the kidney, is dense with notations. Yet one does not get lost between the body part and its label. I much prefer this atlas to Pernkopf's work. To get the most out of this book, get Gray's Anatomy, the 38th British Edition (none other please !!!!), as a reading exercise followed by a "viewing" in Netter's book. Truly a gem.

Best for studying for tests at home, not as a dissection atlas., October 15, 2007
This review is from the perspective of a first year medical student in Gross Anatomy. I own both Atlas of Human Anatomy: With Netteranatomy.com (Netter Basic Science) and Grant's Atlas of Anatomy, and what I've found is that they really cannot be compared. They are both 5 stars if you use them properly.

Grant's Atlas shines when it is in the dissection room with you. The drawings are more realistic, and more often than not muscles are reflected out of view rather than being omitted completely (Netter). While this is indeed more realistic and allows you to see more muscle relationships, it slows down studying because of the more complicated mess you see before you. Therefore, it's best used in the lab when that complicated mess is EXACTLY what you are seeing. In all fairness, there are little schematic drawings that simplify important muscle relationships. It also comes with a CD with the images from the book allows you to turn off the labels and quiz yourself. There are also about 100 USMLE style anatomy questions.

Netter's atlas shines for at home study away from your cadaver. It is more high-yield than Grant's atlas and makes for easier and faster learning. Grant, because of its thoroughness and more realistic perspective, can be a little bit of a chore to get through when cramming for a test. Netter said himself that he tried to find the balance between simplification and realism, and I personally think he did an outstanding job. I can study any of his diagrams and quickly see the most important relationships between muscles, arteries, veins, nerves, and bones. Ultimately, I would learn more using Grant's Atlas, but Netter is best when you are pushed for time. One thing I didn't like at first was that, unlike Grant's Atlas, Netter's doesn't have any text or tables. Then I found out that they were all on www.netteranatomy.com, which a pretty nice website that in my opinion give Netter's Atlas more value.

So, in short, Grant's atlas and Netter's atlas are both excellent. Each can stand on its own, but they really do compliment each other a lot for being direct competitors; Grant's is the best while dissecting, and Netter's is best for studying for exams and the USMLE.

EDIT: Also keep in mind cadaver atlases (Color Atlas of Anatomy: A Photographic Study of the Human Body (Color Atlas of Anatomy (Rohen)) and Atlas of Clinical Gross Anatomy) that could serve as a substitute for Grant's atlas, but not really for Netter's. I hear the Thieme Atlas of Anatomy, a three-part set, beats Netter's in "every" way, but I haven't used them.

Can you imagine that the pictures drawn by Netter are far much clearer than what we saw during dissections?, June 4, 2006
I remembered that when we did dissections in the anatomy class throughout the anatomy classes of the 1st 2 years, one student per table (who do not want to touch the corpse) would be responsible to bring and hold the Netter for the entire lesson. Netter really helped us a lot! I have browsed many other anatomy atlas and have not yet found one that is better than Netter. Although some atlases contain real pictures, they are not as clear as that in Netter! I can say, "Netter + Moore" is the golden combination for anatomy!

When I studied neuroanatomy after finishing the anatomy, Netter still helped me a lot!

Netter rocks!

As a massage therapist, I LOVE this atlas of anatomy!, November 2, 2004
I could not WAIT to get this book (3rd ed.) and when I did I was NOT disappointed! Since I am not a doctor, I am not concerned with comparing other features found in other atlases. I was and still am ONLY concerned with being able to find elusive muscles. This text does it. I agree that the binding of the softcover version is less than desirable, however the illustrations are phenomenal! I intend to use it in my quest for national certification, then as a client reference in my office. I feel the bright colors achieve distinction of different muscles, and I appreciate the various views of the same muscle. This helps to clarify the text we used in school ("Trail Guide to the Body" 2nd ed.). EXCELLENT lifetime investment! ... Read more

Editorial Review

This download is a free sample chapter from Breakthrough! How the 10 Greatest Discoveries in Medicine Saved Millions and Changed Our View of the World (ISBN: 0137137486) by Jon Queijo. Available in print and digital formats.

Read the following excerpt from the Introduction:

It's tempting to start right off with an apology for the word "breakthrough," a word that—depending on your point of view—can be as tedious as an overhyped headline or seductive as a brightly wrapped gift. Either way, it's hard to resist wondering, What breakthrough? A cure for cancer, an easy way to lose weight, the secret to living forever? But this isn't that kind of book, and apologies seem unnecessary when you're talking about the ten greatest breakthroughs in all of medicine. Sadly, none involve easy weight loss or living forever. However, all are arguably more important because they meet three essential criteria: 1) They saved, improved, or reduced suffering in millions of lives; 2) They changed the practice of medicine; and 3) They transformed our understanding of the world. That last item is too often overlooked. All medical "breakthroughs" profoundly impact health and how physicians work; far rarer are those that open our eyes to a fundamentally new way of seeing the world, giving new meaning to not only such questions as, Why do we get sick, and how do we die? but also, How are we put together and what connects us to the rest of nature?

Each of these ten breakthroughs came at a time in history when they struck humanity like a thunderbolt—a jolt of awakening followed by a palpable rise in human consciousness.

To continue reading, download this free preview of the Introduction & Chapter 1. The full book is also available for sale.

Reviews

Needs the hand of a good editor, March 27, 2010
Very early into the first chapter it became clear to me that the subject matter is very interesting but it needs a good literary editor to fix dubious sentence structures and incorrect word use.

Beware-I suppose you get what you pay for with the free book, March 5, 2010
The free e-book only includes the introduction and first chapter of the book. While I agree you get what you pay for I wish Amazon would say that in effect they are offering a sample instead of the full book as the description implies.

BE AWARE - this is just a 1 chapter review, March 5, 2010
Beware. Even though the title for this does not indicate it this is just one chapter of the book. If a book is just a sample then it should state it is just a sample. The way this was presented (ie save $24.99) you would think it is the full book. So if you think you are getting a full book for free YOU ARE NOT. Please authors be real with your descriptions. I would have written a much better review if I have been fully aware that this was not a full book

BEWARE: This page is designed to rip people off, November 16, 2010
I clicked on 1 click ordering from this page thinking that I'd get the free chapter for a limited time and my credit card was charged 9.99 for the whole book. I don't know who set this page up but it is designed to trick people into buying the book without realising it. Amazon should shut this page down. This page shows very very bad faith.

ONE CHAPTER DOTH NOT MAKE A BOOK!!!!, March 7, 2010
THIS IS JUST ONE CHAPTER OF A BOOK. When I saw it on the cover, I thought that maybe all the first pages to the chapters look like this and surely Chapter 2 etc. would follow right on. Wrong!!!! Where do we now get the rest of the chapters and by that time maybe we have lost interest? I LOVE my kindle, but this is not good enough and I was looking forward to enjoying this book! p.s. Don't say you should be happy it was free, I had to pay $2 for the pleasure of it!
Beware, is right. Kindle advertises this the same as when you buy any other kindle books with: You can read your kindle book ......
I am shocked that my beloved kindle supplier can lead me down the garden path like this. Call it a sample, not saying you save so much.

Extrememly Interesting, March 16, 2010
This book sample is clearly marked that it is only the introduction and chapter one. I think it is unfair to the author for readers to rate a book as one star simply because they aren't given the whole book free. The previous comments, & reason for them, does not speak well for the quality of person using Kindle. I found the preface and Chapter one very interesting, and in of itself I learned a lot. I would like to read the whole book. It was very well written, and easy for the layman, yet not so simple that my physician son might not enjoy it.

State that it is a sample., March 7, 2010
Started to read but realized I was half way through with the book in just a few minutes. Did not know that this was only Chapter 1 when I got it.
If I had known that I Would not have downloaded it.

KINDLE TEAM HEADS UP STANDARDIZE THE WAY SAMPLE BOOKS ARE PLACED ON AMAZON.

I NEVER PURCHASE SAMPLES. PERIOD.

Don't bother, March 11, 2010
Only first chapter. it now states that on the title but it didn't when i downloaded it. Amazon should delete the book and ban the author as a warning to other Authors to not con readers.

free preview; not a free book, March 8, 2010
I don't see much difference between getting a free chapter and the free preview we're all entitled to on all books, except this way is a little more sneaky. I see that the title now says it only includes Chapter 1. I don't know if they added that recently or not, but I thought I was downloading the whole book at first.

This book might be very good - the writing does not seem to be "dry," but beware that it is not free for the entire book. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Why are women more verbal than men? Why do women remember details of fights that men can’t remember at all? Why do women tend to form deeper bonds with their female friends than men do with their male counterparts? These and other questions have stumped both sexes throughout the ages.

Now, pioneering neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, M.D., brings together the latest findings to show how the unique structure of the female brain determines how women think, what they value, how they communicate, and who they love. While doing research as a medical student at Yale and then as a resident and faculty member at Harvard, Louann Brizendine discovered that almost all of the clinical data in existence on neurology, psychology, and neurobiology focused exclusively on males. In response to the overwhelming need for information on the female mind, Brizendine established the first clinic in the country to study and treat women’s brain function.

In The Female Brain, Dr. Brizendine distills all her findings and the latest information from the scientific community in a highly accessible book that educates women about their unique brain/body/behavior.

The result: women will come away from this book knowing that they have a lean, mean, communicating machine. Men will develop a serious case of brain envy. ... Read more

Reviews

Disappointing for many reasons, September 3, 2006
I really, really wanted to like this book. I've studied cognitive, perceptual and developmental neuroscience for 25+ years, and I'm also a clinical psychologist. I've been interested in gender differences for just as long. I teach undergrad and grad courses on neuroscience, cognition, emotion, behavior, learning, and sensation and perception. I make a point of covering what is known about sex differences. I think the issues are really important and I've found that it is very important to get facts right because this controversial issue is a lightning rod for anger, frustration, tension and malevolent personal biases. My strong belief, shared by many, is that competent clinical psychologists and other clinicians must work hard to understand and manage their gender biases in order to manage "counter-transference" and help their clients. I know what good science is, including good neuroscience, good cognitive science, and good clinical psychology. There are plenty of women who conduct high-quality research on mind and brain, and make huge contributions. I've witnessed this personally, repeatedly. Over the years, I've worked for and with a large number of women, and I've trained a fair number too. Among first rate scientists and scientific thinkers there are plenty of women. I imagine that they will be just as disappointed in this book as I am.

Some observations:

1) The author begins the book by emphasizing her credentials and her influences in the acknowledgements section. The academic pedigree is impressive: UC Berkeley, UCSF, Harvard Med School, Yale Med School, University College, London. She thanks a long list of great scientists, teachers and students who have influenced her thinking. It is an impressive collection of names and places. By implication, the author would seem to be a rare expert who has learned from the greats. So please note: Many of the great scientists listed here are alive. But how many of these people have endorsed the book? Unless I'm mistaken, none of them have endorsed the book. I read a mostly positive review of the book by Deborah Tannen, but it seemed a bit guarded. I didn't find an endorsement from the renowned gender researcher, Eleanor Maccoby, who reportedly critiqued drafts of the book. It appears that researchers who have dedicated their lives to science and the science of gender have remained silent about this book.

2) The author consistently confuses neural structure (brain) with psychological function (mind, mental performance, emotions, behavior). This is a huge error. The author is extraordinarily fond of citing functional gender differences. She'll talk about differences in verbal output, memory, eye contact, thoughts about sex, emotions, divorce initiation, aggression, chilhood behaviors, etc. She'll say these functional effects are in the brain, repeatedly. Good scientific thinking doesn't confuse these things. Part of the work is to measure sex differences in the brain (e.g., anatomy, physiology, chemistry). A completely separate part of the work is to measure psychological variables (e.g., behaviors, cognitions, emotions, perceptions). The third, most essential part, is to discover true correlations between structure and function. Many of the most egregious and elementary errors of cognitive neuroscience occur when researchers attempt to localize psychological functions inside brain regions or chemicals. All good neuroscientists understand this, but it is a tricky issue. One of my mentors, Davida Teller, spent years contemplating the issues surrounding "linking" hypotheses, while many great neuroscientists have struggled with this third part (Robert Efron, Steve Kosslyn, Georg von Bekesy, Gustav Fechner, and on and on and on). The author's disregard for this elementary issue is an obvious felony in my book.

3) There are PLENTY of good popular and scientific books and articles on gender differences. Take a look at the work of the eminent cognitive psychologist, Carol Tavris. She has written a scientifically-informed classic, "The Mismeasure of Woman", along with numerous other excellent articles and books. Or familiarize yourself with scientist Janet Hyde, who has recently authored a college text on gender differences. Tavris, Hyde and others aren't impressed by data suggesting massive biological differences in most mental functions, especially if the claim is that these differences are innate. Among the people who DO believe in significant gender differences, take a look at authors like Judith Hall and Leslie Brody. Scientists have studied these issues carefully since Maccoby's heyday. Compared to other sources, "The Female Brain" so simplistic and biased that it seems like a step backward. The current treatment seems dumbed-down and distorted to me.

4) The book felt like an advertisement for certain drug treatments, including controversial hormone therapies and the anti-depressant drug Zoloft. There's no doubt that the author has expertise in these areas, and most of her scholarly work is in these areas. And she spells out clinical issues and controversies in informative ways. One gets the impression that she's worked with many women clinically, and added value and comfort to their lives. I can believe these things. But I'm also aware of the rewards for towing the drug company line. Scientists and clinicians get perks for doing this. Beatrice Golomb, one of the most brilliant and courageous scientists on the planet, has discussed how these conflicts of interest compromise the quality of medical care and research. My radar went up when I kept reading about Zoloft. Zoloft is a popular antidepressant but just one brand out of many SSRIs (e.g., Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Lexapro). Why emphasize Zoloft?

5) The book indulges in male bashing. That becomes immediately evident on the book flap: "Women will come away from this book knowing that they have a lean, mean communicating machine. Men will develop a serious case of brain envy." Oh really? The negative comments toward men are especially evident in the first third of the book. It seems like the author wants to take men down a few notches to make women feel good, if I'm not mistaken. I felt especially sad as the author discussed infants' facial gazing. She cited and over-interpreted research on facial gazing, projecting her issues onto her own son, who didn't gaze much at her face. I can say, having spent many years observing infants' looking behaviors, that infant boys are generally intrigued by faces, especially mothers' faces. If there are sex differences, they do not jump out. And if there are measurable differences, how does the author know that these things are innate? (on to the next felony).

6) The author is happy to attribute gender differences to inherent, inborn brain differences. Making that leap so quickly is another "felony." This is big, complicated issue that has attracted much attention from philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists. There's a whole field of behavioral genetics that struggles with the nature-nurture issue in sophisticated ways. The author claims to be aware of these things, but doesn't communicate this in a convincing way. She seems to have missed key points regarding environment and socialization. In doing so, she also seems to miss the enormous pioneering contributions of neuroscientist Marian Diamond. Diamond did much to demonstrate the relationship between brain and environment.

7) The author says a minimum amount about the large individual differences that characterize people. She acknowleges within-group variability, but always "finds ways around" these things. She prefers to focus on average differences, and this adds to the dangerous reinforcement of stereotypes. Many human abilities are distributed along a continuum, independent of gender, but the author emphasizes dichotomies. It is dangerous to pidgeonhole people into "the" female mind and "the" male mind.

8) Why is this book called "The Female Brain"? Just 2 years ago, Darlington published a book with the same title. And it really did cover structural and functional brain issues.

So that's my less than positive take on this book. The value of the book comes from its discussion of some specific clinical issues. But in a nutshell, it offended too many of my sensibilities regarding cognition, neuroscience, and the psychology of women.

The "More Likely to Be Killed By A Terrorist Than Marry Retraction" Award to This Nonsensical Book, September 26, 2006
I have created an award, named for the 1986 Newsweek story that told a generation of smart women that they were more likely to be killed by a terrorist than marry after thirty, which Newsweek retracted this year after all the damage had been done."The Female Brain" by Louann Brizendine is the first winner of the award.

Here's why:
In The Female Brain, Brizendine, a San Francisco Bay area psychiatrist, who runs a clinic she started to help women who think their mental problems are caused by their hormones, describes the life cycle of a contemporary American educated, neurotic, urban, privileged professional in a culture in which science is just another option, as if she had discovered Lucy, the mother of all mankind. Behavior familiar to many of us only from the wonderful bad Heather literature is presented as hard-"wired" into the female brain. Brizendine's description of the hard-"wired" cervix and brain-softening, uncontrollable urge to mate with one's newborn baby, which makes wholesale desertion of the work place is as irresistible as the law of gravity, is the closest thing to soft porn I've seen emerging from the San Francisco Medical Center in a long time. For the many women who would find Brizendine's transparently autobiographical description of the stages of a woman's life almost entirely unfamiliar, the possibility that the book is false seems immediately obvious. If it were true, The Female Brain would be a scary book indeed. But of course it's not.

Insecure readers might coubt their own sanity when reading the thing, because the short book is supplemented by mind-numbing pages of citations to scientific journals. But happily as far as I know the articles Brizendine cites bear essentially no relationship to the propositions in the text of the book. As the only real academic to look at it reveals, she might as well have cited to passages in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." The methodology is the all-too-familiar incredible assertions supported by a Million Little Pieces of unrelated footnotes.

"Science" books with faux citations are a problem. But perhaps a worse problem is that not a single book reviewer in the country took the time to go to the local university library and see whether Brizendine's "sources" actually said what she said they said. Even Robin Marantz Henig, of the staggeringly self-justifying, endlessly publicly edited and allegedly tansparency-seeking New York Times, was content to whimper that the closed sourcing of the scientific journals Brizendine's cites made it impossible for her to check their truthiness. The insurmountable barrier of a (no transfer) subway ride from the Times offices in Times Square to the Columbia University library was apparently too much for this dauntless investigative reporter from the Newspaper of Record.

Blessedly, Mark Liberman, the Trustee Professor of Phonetics, Department of Linguistics and Professor, Department of Computer and Information Science, at the University of Pennsylvania, was intrigued enough by Brizendine's unlikely assertion that "A woman uses about 20,000 words per day while a man uses about 7,000" to try to run down that one building block of her Mars/Venus "neuropsychiatry." He reports on his blog first, that there was absolutely no legitimate source whatsoever for the factoid and speculating that some marriage counselor must have made it up, then, that metasurveys revealed no such thing, and finally, doing his own test found that men use more words than women do!

Alerted to the possibility that Brizendine might have made it all up, and his appetite whetted by the confessed public failure of the avatar of all the news that's fit to print, Liberman rummaged among his books and fired up his online university library system and investigated the citations for Brizendine's assertion that "studies indicate that girls are motivated -- on a molecular and a neurological level -- to ease and even prevent social conflict."

Here's what he found:

"My summaries of these articles, in the context of Brizendine's claims [that studies indicate girls are motivated on a molecular and neurologicallevel to ease and even prevent social conflict]:

1. Jasnow 2006: Nothing here about social conflict avoidance or preserving relationships or humans of any sex.
2. Bertolino 2005: Nothing here about social conflict or preserving relationships or teenagers of any sex.
3. Hamann 2005: Nothing here about social conflict avoidance or preserving relationships or teenagers.
4. Huber 2005: Nothing here about sex differences, about social conflict avoidance, about preserving relationships, or about humans of any age or sex.
5. Pezawas 2005: Nothing here about sex differences, about social conflict avoidance, about preserving relationships, or about teenage girls.
6. Sabatinelli 2005: Nothing here about sex differences or social conflict avoidance or preserving relationships.
7. Viau 2005: Nothing here about social conflict avoidance or about preserving relationships.
8. Wilson 2005: Because Penn lacks a subscription to this journal, and I was unwilling to pay $30 for a 7-page article, I'm not sure about the details. Unlike the other articles cited, it does have something to do with social interaction, but there's apparently no direct relevance to social conflict avoidance or preserving relationships.
9. Phelps 2004: Nothing here about social conflict avoidance or preserving relationships."


Inspired by Liberman, I did a little snooping into the vita of the self-proclaimed UCSF Professor and found that she is in fact not an academic professor, but a clinical professor, running a clinic she herself founded treating women's psychiatric problems from a hormonal standpoint, at $180 a session.

Now clinical professors do good and important work in many institutions, but this does mean that she has not had to undertake and meet the rigorous competition for an academic position at a leading medical school. Just as well. During her fourteen years as a "Professor," prior to the 2006 Terrorist Retraction Prize winning "Female Brain," Brizendine was an author on exactly seven papers, the most recent one published four years ago in 2002. According to PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health, which is cited on Brizendine's own academic bio webpage, she was not even the first named researcher on any of the seven. Just to put her accomplishments in context, her colleague in the psychiatry department at UCSF, Associate Professor Steven P. Hamilton, has published twenty-four papers since 1994, first listed author on eleven.
I guess it depends on what "pioneering neuropsychiatrist" is . . . is.

A quick web search for other Brizendine contributions to medical science turned up report that she told the audience at a fund-raiser that "the World Health Organization has projected that by 2003, depression will be the number one disease in the world, surpassing diabetes, heart disease and others." I guess it depends on what "number one disease" is, but I would be surprised if the WHO thought depression was a worse threat to human well-being than, say, malaria or AIDS.

The book stores are full of loony books that look at first glance like science, so it is probably too much to ask that the publisher withdraw its endorsement of The Female Brain, as publishers did in the cases of the fake memoir "A Thousand Little Pieces" and the plagiarized "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life." But I venture to guess that if a book about anything except why women should behave in old-fashioned and traditional ways contained this staggering percentage of misrepresentation and error, someone beside a blogging linguistics professor would have picked it up long ago.

And so, to Louann Brizendine, that self-described pioneering neuropsychiatrist of no apparently significant academic publications and false or unrelated data points, the First, Annual "More Likely To Be Killed By a Terrorist Retraction Award" for 2006.

Readers who are not critical thinkers will enjoy this book, June 14, 2007
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I bet you didn't know these facts:

(1) "Men use about seven thousand words per day. Women use about twenty-thousand."
(2) "Girls arrive already wired as girls, and boys arrive already wired as boys."
(3) "Men are on average twenty times more aggressive than women."
(4) "Girls are motivated--on a molecular and neurological level--to ease and prevent social conflict."
(5) "85% of twenty- to thirty-year-old males think about sex every fifty-two seconds and women think about it once a day--up to three or four times on fertile days."
(6) "Men pick up the subtle signs of sadness in a female face only 40 percent of the time, whereas women can pick up these signs 90 percent of the time."
(7) "65 percent of divorces after the age of fifty are initiated by women."

These seven facts are some of the interesting information that you'll learn in this book by Louann Brizendine M.D., a neuropsychiatrist at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and founder of the Women's and Teen Girls' Mood and Hormone Clinic.

The thesis of this book is that the female brain sees the world differently and reacts differently than the male brain in every stage of life from newborn to old age. A women's behavior is radically different from that of a man due to mainly hormonal differences. This book is quite easy to read and, in fact, reads like a novel.

However, I found the book to have minimal neuroscience (as suggested by the book's title). It was comprised mainly of anecdotes (some autobiographical) that exaggerate the differences between women and men thus reinforcing gender stereotypes. As well, I found many contradictions throughout. In places of her book, Brizendine is also surprisingly na�ve.

When I was reading this book, what struck me was the exactness of some of the facts the author presents (such as the seven presented above). So I decided to search on the Internet for other reviews of this book from mainly scholarly sources. The avalanche of negative information I found was astounding!!

A major problem concerned her extensive endnotes.

From reading this mass of negative information, it seems to me that Brizendine is attempting to present an authoritative voice to impress despite what the authors say in her numerous endnotes. That is, her supporting citations don't support her claims. If you couple this with Brizendine's impressive academic credentials (highlighted especially in the book's acknowledgements section and inside back flap), then most people, unfortunately, accept everything she says at face value. (By the way, the seven "facts" above are not supported by Brizendine's citations.)

I was intrigued by this so I checked out Brizendine's brief biography on the book's inside back flap. A piece of information that intrigued me states that "She has written in professional texts and journals." What I wanted to know was how many professional research papers she has written in. Again from searching on the Internet I found she had written exactly 7 research papers in collaboration with others and she's not the first named author in any of the seven. (To put this in context, her colleague in the Psychiatry Department at UCSF, Associate Professor Steven P. Hamilton has published 24 papers since 1994 and is first listed author on 11.)

For a "pioneering neuropsychiatrist," (honest, this is what it says on the book's inside front flap) she has a poor research paper publication rate.

At the beginning of her endnotes and references section, she states in a preamble the following:

"I have gathered the work of many scientists in various disciplines in order to arrive at this understanding of the female brain."

From my understanding of this quotation, she used only the work of only scientists to establish her claims. However, in her references are works authored by Allen Pease and Allan Garner. These people are not scientists!!

Also, in this preamble she calls everything she has written in her book a "theory" (a collection of general principles that is put forward as an explanation for a set of known facts and empirical findings). I found her theory to be quite rigid since she doesn't allow for or explain any exceptions (there are many) and this undermines her entire theory. Yes, men and woman's brains are different but within each gender, you'll find a wide range of behavior. To ignore this fact as Brizendine does is to present a very narrow view of human experience.

I have to agree with an October 2006 article in the publication "Nature" that was entitled "Psychoneuroindoctrinology" (a pun on the word pyschoneuroendrocrinology) which states that this book "fails to meet even the most basic standards of accuracy and balance," "is riddled with scientific errors," and "is misleading about the processes of brain development, the neuroendocrine system, and the nature of sex differences in general."

Finally, I should explain my rating for this book. The majority of those who are not critical thinkers will probably give this book 5 stars. The majority of those who ARE critical thinkers will probably give this book 1 star. My rating is the average of these two extremes.

In conclusion, those readers who are not critical thinkers will probably thoroughly enjoy this book. Critical thinking readers will probably have the opposite response!!


{first published 2006; acknowledgements; the female brain (a human brain diagram with captions); cast of neuro-hormone characters (list of hormones with descriptions that affect a woman's brain); phases of a female's life (chart); introduction; seven chapters; epilogue; main narrative 165 pages; 3 appendices; notes; references; index}

XXXXX

Excellent, highly readable with particularly good sections on sexual behavior and bonding, August 17, 2006
When I first picked up this book I was a bit put off because there were some comments that weren't particularly complimentary to men that seemed unfair and biased. However, the overall tone of the book was good and I was able to overlook the occasional comment that seemed a bit "off" with respect to holding a balanced position on the genders. Other reviewers have also commented on this from their perspectives, so I won't elaborate any further. You can read these reviews for yourself.

This was a difficult book to put down because it used stories to illustrate the different stages of a woman's life and the physical correlations to her behavior. At the same time, it painlessly introduced important information about the brain, hormones and how these are connected to behavioral changes in a woman's life. While this exploration was not comprehensive, it was useful, concise, understandable and well-suited to a non-professional audience.

This title also contained a lot of similar information on men and I found this information to be more than a superficial smattering. I wouldn't say the book is titled incorrectly, but don't be misled that it only includes information about the female brain. It contains lots of good content on the male brain as well.

The chapters that most grabbed by attention were on the teenage years, developing trust and sexual behavior. These sections brought in a lot of good references from a variety of sources including evolutionary biology, anthropology and neurobiology. Since the author was presenting her own unique perspective as a clinician, she did not bring in a lot of other significant research. This is a legitimate criticism. However, this is a very complex area and I found that the information was an excellent introduction to a vast body of research.

For the average layperson, the mixture of science, story and the implications of these facts to everyday life is perfect. For the scientist or other technical audiences, it may not have enough meat from an information standpoint, but the story and interweaving of different threads of research makes the book very engaging for anyone including a professional.

By education, I was trained early in my career as a biologist and biochemist. Later, I went on to study psychology. I had difficulty putting the book down and it flowed like a good novel in terms of the writing. The organization of this book was well thought out, particularly the way that different research findings were presented to support the author's argument without interrupting the flow of the story.

For many people who haven't read David Buss or anthropology, the insights on short and long term mating strategies will be an eye opener. I also liked the cross cultural references to support her arguments that certain behaviors appear to be due to shared neural architecture rather than cultural influences. There is a lot of controversial content here that is good food for thought.

The author tells the story of the human brain concisely with the impact of a good novel. This book is worth owning for anyone who wants to understand women better, how they change over the years and how female psychology correlates to development and physiology. As you go deeper, however, you will find that this book may not be comprehensive enough.

I didn't find this book to be overly reductionistic. It looked at the impact of physiology on behavior, but it didn't reduce behavior to physiology. The only bias that was sometimes annoying is the implication that men were somehow "less than" rather than "complimentary to" women. This bias wasn't usually glaring, but I felt it was often present.

This book has become somewhat controversial, but that doesn't change the fact that it includes a lot of great information and puts it in the hands of the average person. If you are really serious about this area, I would pick up additional books to compliment this author's unique perspective. While I didn't necessarily agree with everything that Dr. Brizendine said, I certainly benefited from engaging with this book and sparked my curiosity to know more about certain areas of interest.

If you are considering buying this book, I think it's important to remember it was written by a clinician and not a research scientist. The value of the material is based on ONE physician's experience over her career. She is presenting a mixture of research material and her own opinion. If you are clear about this, I think you will enjoy it.

This is clearly a book for a GENERAL AUDIENCE. I believe this author wrote from a sincere place and I don't fault her for writing from a first person perspective. Like a good historical novel, this book captures the essence of the subject, but does sacrifice some accuracy in the process. If you are looking for more hard science, you may find something else more to your liking.

Some books on related topics that I enjoyed were the Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel (general book on how the mind develops apart from gender differences), Emotional Intelligence (Goleman) and various gender-related titles by Carol Tavris. (The book by Carol Tavris on Anger is not directly related to this topic, but it is excellent as well.)

I also like the work of Antonio Demasio on the mind-body relationship, role of emotions and the development of consciousness. There is some speculation and a fair amount of first-person perspective in his books too, but they are quite good overall and he is a neurologist with good credentials. THE FEELING OF WHAT HAPPENS is the most dense title and LOOKING FOR SPINOZA is probably the most accessible.

If you want a more controversial and provocative read, PHILOSOPHY IN THE FLESH talks in-depth about the embodied mind from a cognitive perspective. There are also many good books out there on gender differences and they are referred to in other reviews including the spotlight review above. In short, if this is an area of interest, you need to read a broad array of material because I don't think any one author has a monopoly on the truth. The differences between men and women are mysterious and with over a quadrillion synaptic brain connections to consider, I doubt the full picture of brain gender differences will emerge anytime soon.

Before you consider buying this book..., September 30, 2006
... please read Dr. Mark Liberman's critique of its scholarship, which recently appeared in the Boston Globe. I also work in academia, and am galled by Dr. Brizendine's sloppy research and dismayed that the publisher did not do more fact-checking before agreeing to publish her book.

"The Female Brain" does have a nice, breezy style common in many pop-science works; Dr. Brizendine writes well. This makes it all the more unfortunate, however, that she bases many of her arguments on "facts" and statistics that are not backed up by scientific literature.

Sadly, this is yet another in a long line of books that trumpet the neurological basis of gender differences with little attention to the complexity of the issues. Yes, innate gender differences almost certainly exist, but the truth is that we don't yet know enough about how the brain works to really tease out such differences. I am always disappointed when authors, especially scientists, gloss over these difficulties in an attempt to draw more attention to their work. I realize that it's more exciting to claim "I know how the female brain works! Women think this way!" rather than to admit that one has some preliminary findings and hypotheses about male vs. female tendencies, and that individual differences are often greater than male vs. female differences. But it's also disheartening to think that many people will believe Dr. Brizendine's claims without realizing that they are principally overgeneralizations, peppered with outright inaccuracies.

Pretty Good, August 14, 2006
This is a book that I would highly recommend to any woman going through big changes in her life, be it pregnancy, menopause, or what have you. It would also be useful for men (such as myself) who find themselves downright puzzled by what can often seem like the completely random, unpredictable behavior of the women in their lives.

The book as a whole is chock full of interesting information about how exactly the female brain works. To my objective, logical male brain, Dr. Brizendine is at her best when she's discussing science and experimental evidence. Unfortunately, she often lapses into anecdotes that seem to try their hardest to portray men in a rather poor light, particularly in the opening chapters of the book. She usually brings us back to reality by citing empirical evidence that backs up her antidotes, but for the first few chapters of the book Dr. Brizendine reminded me of the little league umpire who calls a fair game, but openly roots for his kid's team and occasionally boos the other team. I almost put the book down after reading Dr. Brizendine's admission that she was disappointed in her infant son's inability to respond to facial expressions the way a friend's infant daughter could. (I hope Dr. Brizendine was watching her now-teenaged son's expression when he read that particular passage.)

Luckily, Dr. Brizendine soon abandons the "women good, men bad" undertones of the first few chapters. So fellas, grit your teeth and soldier through the first few chapters - the rhetoric eventually dies down, and some good, fascinating information takes its place.

File in Fiction, not Science., July 3, 2008
The problem with this book is that Brizendine actively misrepresents research and uses numbers that are basically made-up. Her "science" doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

For instance, on differences between male and female speech patterns she claims that women speak three times more words than men in a day, and speak almost twice as fast. In fact, no reliable studies had been done when the book came out. Prompted by the book, somebody actually bothered to measure, and it turned out that men and women speak about the same number of words, and men speak (very slightly) faster. You can get details about the studies from the excellent blog LanguageLog, which reports on real linguistic science. Google for the post titled "Gabby guys: the effect size".

In sum: This book should be filed in the Fiction section, not the Science section.

Not the way we might like it to be but the way it is, August 7, 2006
I have the sense that Louann Brizendine would perhaps like to have discovered a somewhat different picture of the 'female brain' than the one she reveals in this book. A strong feminist her researches, and above all the cumulative scientific evidence she brings here point to strong differences between the 'female' and the 'male ' brain.

The first is, that the female brain is an 'eight- lane superhighway' when it comes to the emotional life, while the 'male brain'is a narrow path in the forest. Women are a lot better at empathizing and understanding others than men are. Men on the other hand are more preoccupied with specific, external tasks. Women care about intimacy.Women think about sex every couple of days or so, and men every hour of the day. Women talk a lot more than men, and receive a great 'high' in doing so.

In one of the interviews for the book she explains the basic Learning differences between the sexes.

"Girls, develop language skills earlier than boys do; boys develop visual and spatial skills earlier than girls. By 2 1/2, many girls are actively choosing not to play with boys, not for any cultural or sociological reason but because boys have not yet grasped the concept of verbal give-and-take. Boys, with their faster-developing spatial skills, are more likely to gravitate to building blocks and train sets and physical activities that require minimal verbal interaction. "

She says that the skills tend to level out in high- school age and strongly recommmends that girls be given at this age intensive scientific training as a way of catching up with what boys have been accumulating previously.

Perhaps however the most important aspect of the book relates to Brizendine's work as psychiatrist. Her understanding of the hormonal and physiological forces at play in various stages of the woman's life enable her to find answers in specfic cases which have in the past been overlooked.

It is this therapeutic rather than polemical approach to the female brain, and its special qualities which makes this such a highly recommended work.

Excellent Step Towards Correcting Political Correctness!, August 2, 2006
Many years ago I read a book focusing on the complexity of the human brain - all the chemicals and enzymes involved, and the impact of various shortages or overages. That book convinced me that there are scientific bases for claims that various groups are different; unfortunately, the PC police then took over. "The Female Brain" moves us back towards science-based fact-finding.

Brizendine begins by pointing out that while male brains are about 9% larger (even after correcting for body size), they have the same number of cells as female brains. Thus, size is not a meaningful difference between the sexes. However, she also tells us that there is a 2:1 ratio of depression in women vs. men, and that this differential doesn't appear until puberty - thus, chemistry does seem to be an important distinguishing factor. Further, new tools such as PET and fMRI have since documented an astonishing array of differences between men and women. Examples include different brain sensitivities to stress and conflict, use of different brain areas to solve problems and process language, etc. Women have 400% more neurons then men in the brain centers for language and hearing; men have 2.5X brain space devoted to sex, as well as larger centers for action and aggression.

As for the claim that women do less well than men in science and men (eg. Larry Summers, at Harvard), Brizendine asserts that the abilities are the same, but that estrogen causes girls to lose interest in pursuits that require more solitary work. Because of their larger communication centers, girls grow up to be more talkative - using an average 20,000 words/day, vs. 7,000 for men.

"The Female Brain" examines male-female differences over a human's life-cycle. Menopause brings other changes - less interest in sex, and greater anger (65% of divorces over age 50 are initiated by women).

Bottom Line: "The Female Brain" is a great step forward. It is an easy read, with plenty of objective documentation in its end-notes.

Light on science, heavy on anecdote and pro-drug message., August 17, 2006
I just finished reading this book to help me understand the females in my life. I'm a XY chromosomal type.

Things I liked:

1. simple chronological development of changing hormonal, structural, and social aspects surrounding the female brain through life stages.
2. modern comentary on menopause, fertility, career, and relationships related to female hormones and brain development.
3. different perspective of woman than "Maxim" or other mens mags present.

Dissapointing aspects of book:

1. seemingly embedded advertisement for "Zoloft" in many anecdotes. I don't think necessary to use specific brand name of drug used since many drugs in same class. I'm affraid many solutions to the anecdotal hormonal/brain development challenges amounted to a prescription of some sort of blockbuster $$$ drug.
2. book reads much like a collection of therapy anecdotes and not a lot of hard science, statistics, or actual brain stuff.
3. reading book can give the impression the female brain/psychy is dominated by hormonal extremes and fraught with instability.
4. Book has ~40% of pages dedicated to a bibliography of sorts. Very light read overal, finished in ~3 hours reading. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Calculate with Confidence provides a clear consistent format with a step-by-step approach to the calculation and administration of drug dosages. It covers the ratio and proportion, formula, and dimensional analysis methods. This popular text focuses on enhancing the learning experience of students at all curricular levels by making content clinically applicable. Concepts relating to critical thinking, logical thinking, and nursing process are presented throughout. New practice problems have been added throughout this edition and rationales for the answers continue to be provided giving the students a better understanding of principles related to drug dosages. This fifth edition addresses the increasing responsibility of nurses in medication and administration; emphasizes the priority for client care, and presents material that reflects the current scope of the nursing practice.

• A clear and consistent, step-by-step approach to calculations and administration makes it easy to understand.


• Ratio and Proportion, Formula, and Dimensional Analysis content provides you with well-rounded coverage.


• Pretest and post-test help identify strengths and weaknesses in competency of basic math before and assess your comprehension after Unit One: Math Review.


• Points to Remember boxes highlighted in each chapter help you remember important concepts.


• Critical thinking information that should be applied in the clinical setting to help avoid drug calculation and administration errors is boxed throughout the text.


• Full-color illustrations, photographs, and drug labels familiarize you with what you'll encounter in the clinical setting.


• Current recommendations from The Joint Commission and Institute for Safe Medication Practices are followed throughout.

• Caution boxes identify issues that may lead to medication errors and strengthen actions that must be taken to avoid calculation errors.


• Tips for Clinical Practice calls attention to information critical to math calculation and patient safety as well as issues related to practice.


• Rule boxes familiarize students with information needed to accurately solve drug calculation problems.

Reviews

The Best, May 29, 2004
I used this book to CLEP out of a Med Dosing class, and I missed 6 out of 115 questions!! This book is the best and one to add to any Nursing major's collections of books to keep on hand.

Excellent math review for nursing practice, December 8, 2002
This was a nice review of math skills needed in the nursing field. There were good visual aids in the book and steps were very systematic.

Great Math Review for Nurses, April 1, 2006
We had to complete this entire book before beginning our LPN nursing coursework. It is a great book!

It explains concepts thoroughly and gives plenty of examples so you can go step-by-step to calculate new problems. The answers are in the back so you can check your work before you move on to a new concept.

I've used is several times as a resource throughout my LPN year. Highly recommended.

Calculate w/ Confidence is Right!, September 29, 2005
I am using this book for my current Nursing program, and thus far has been very helpful. It breaks everything down, and gives several examples and opportunities for practice. It also builds on everything you've already learned so that you can see how to apply it. I found the pre-test and post-test to be great so that you can gain an understanding of what your math level is before and after reviewing the 1st 8 chapters. If you are already good at basic math, you can skip the first 8 chapters because they are just a review. Overall, a great book, and not hard to understand.

Great Nursing Math Book, March 2, 2008
This book is a required text in my nursing program and it has been wonderful. I really needed practice brushing up on math and this book leads you from math basics all the way through to various methods of medication and IV calculation. One unique feature of this text: 3 different methods for calculating medications are introduced (ratio & proportion, formula, and dimensional analysis.) You determine which method you prefer for completing medication problems. The medication examples in the book are then worked through step-by-step based on all 3 methods. I simply study my preferred method of solving problems (ratio & proportion) and disregard the other 2 methods. Each chapter includes pre and post tests and there is a CD-ROM that contains over 500 practice problems. I find the book easy to understand, even if you are self-teaching. There are lots of practice problems and answers. This book is well worth the money!

A must have for every student nurse, nurse and nurse practitioner, July 7, 2006
When lives are in your hands, you want to be sure that your calculations are perfect everytime. This is the book that will give you the confidence to know that you are calculating all medications accurately everytime. A must have for all those in the medical field.

Calculate with Confidence, June 24, 2008
This book is really great. I got accepted in the nursing program but I always had a fear of math I didn't think I could do it. But this book carrys you step by step even the math dummy can understand dosage calculation. Believe me you won't be disappointed.

Calculate with confidence is a "must have" book!, October 2, 2010
This is a great math book for anyone in Nursing! I recently got a new job which required a review and this book made all the difference. It has everything you need in detail, including pictures! Great teaching book!

Great for Rusty Math Skills, October 12, 2008
I was required to do remedial math for my nursing program. I have never been great with numbers and all of the skills I was taught in 7th grade were pretty weak. This book was a great learning tool, there are pre tests and post tests before each unit, every chapter has about 45 practice problems in the review section and another 45 for the skills challenge. There are step by step examples with alternate ways to do each calculation. A CD also comes with this book that has a multitude of practice problems as well. I would reccomend this book for other nursing students and nurses alike.

Future Nurse, October 4, 2007
This text takes you from basics to excellent in calculations, which was exactly what i needed. The CD was very helpfull and it gives you great tips! ... Read more

Editorial Review

Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2011, Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition Is An Expanded Version Of The Classic Shirt-Pocket Edition. It Contains More Drugs, Evidence-Based Off-Label Indications For Adults And Pediatric Patients, And More Tables. The Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia 2011, Deluxe Lab-Coat Edition Continues Its Tradition As The Leading Portable Drug Reference Packed With Vital Drug Information To Help Clinicians Make Better Decisions At The Point-Of-Care. Each Edition Is Meticulously Peer-Reviewed By Experts And Clinicians Of Multiple Specialties. It Details Typical Drug Dosing (Both FDA Approved And Off-Label Uses), Available Trade And Generic Formulations, Metabolism, Safety In Pregnancy And Lactation, Relative Drug Pricing Information, Canadian Trade Names, And An Herbal Alternative Therapies Section. Save Time And Improve Patient Care With The 2011 Tarascon Pocket Pharmacopoeia. New For The 2011 Edition: Black Box Warning Indications Updated Drug Content New Figures And Tables ... Read more

Editorial Review

Reviews

A Superb Summary of Medical Physiology, March 14, 1999
This book contains a large amount of high-yield information. It goes systematically through all major systems (i.e cell, CV, Renal, Respiratory, Endocrine, GI, and Neuro). Easy to read and comprehend with some great test questions. Perfect study aid to supplement your main textbook in your physiology course. And, of course, a great review for the Boards.

an excellent review for the USMLE step 1, October 28, 2000
I was so happy with this book that I didn't even bother looking for any of its competitors. It can be studied in its entirety within about three days, and it covers everything necessary, and in just enough depth, to understand and answer physiology-based questions on the USMLE step 1, without going into extraneous detail. The charts and diagrams are excellent and look very similar to those that appear on the actual exam.

The emphasis in this book is on concepts, not equations, which is also mirrored in the USMLE exam. (I didn't have to calculate any equations during my USMLE step 1 exam three days ago: no Fick equation, no water balance, no mean arterial pressure, etc...)

The multiple choice questions at the end of each section and the comprehensive exam at the end of the book are also excellent and roughly reflect the content and style of the USMLE step 1 exam.

Great review for USMLE/COMLEX Step 1 and Beyond, November 3, 2000
I used this book to study for both the USMLE Step 1 and the COMLEX Step 1. The material covered, layout and concise format were invaluable, although the STARS Physiology book by the same author is better if you're not time crunched. The Board Review Series of board texts is excellent and the physiology version is one of the best. Worth the money and a great aide for 1st year students to use during physiology courses.

My new best friend!!, December 11, 2001
I give this book an enthusiastic two thumbs up!! If you're in medical school or studying physiology, I highly recommend it. I purchased it a few weeks before my renal/cardio/resp final and it proved to be a lifesaver in my studying for the exam. Although it cannot be used by itself as a textbook, it is perfect for its intended use as a review book. It complemented my lecture notes well and provided excellent practice tests at the end of each section. Although other reviewers seem to find fault in the acid/base chapter, I found that to be the most useful. When I pulled the book out during a small group discussion on renal physiology, my classmates were awed by the amount of information contained in such a compact package. Costanzo lays out all the information you need to know without the in-depth description that makes textbooks so unreadable. I have enjoyed using this book to study for my exams, and I look forward to using it to study for the USMLE.

A must have resource for all medical students!, August 14, 1999
This book is an excellent resource for persons both entering their first year course in Medical Physiology and for those second-year medical students preparing for USMLE Step 1. A concise, yet detailed text which emphasizes quite clearly the basic principles of Physiology. I am lucky to have had the author, Dr. Costanzo, as a professor and my current advisor. However, having her review text is the next big thing! Detailed pictures and powerful tables and diagrams handsomely supplement her student-oriented presentation style of information. A particularly well written section concerning Renal Acid-Base Physiology, which is Dr. Costanzo's specialty. Any medical student or person taking a Physiology course will not lose a dime by purchasing this book... It is well worth it, believe me! :)

The best physiology review for step 1, September 17, 2003
This is the best book for USMLE step 1. It has a very managable size. You can read it quickly. This book explains important subjects very clearly. Its format is very suitable for boards review. After reading this book, you can easily answer most USMLE physiology questions. Review tests at the end of each chapter are very useful for finding your weakness in a subject. I wish there was more books like this one on each subject.

You NEED this book. REALLY., May 1, 2002
Dr. Costanzo has spent her career perfecting the art of teaching medical students and preparing them for Step 1 of the boards. She taught me in physiology as a first year med student and organizes the board review classes our medical school holds for the second year students. She knows exactly which type of questions get asked year after year on Step 1 and to what detail you need to know the information. She asks students for feedback on how to improve her texts and has worked hard to make the info as clear as possible. The med students here trust Dr. Costanzo with their futures--they take her advice for the boards as gospel, so when she says "this is what you need to know," they believe.

A very nice PHYSIOLOGY REVIEW book, October 26, 2000
That's one of the best review books I've ever read. It's very conscise and it contains pretty much everything you might need for the USMLE. The questions at the end of each chapter are NOT asking plain facts, but require quite some thinking, which in my opinion greatly helps one "consolidate" what he has learned. In addition its size lets you briefly review facts just before your exam. If you are studying physiology for the first time, or if you wish to have a more "in-depth" textbook, you might consider obtaining another great book -- "STARS Physiology" written by dr Costanzo.

Best for USMLE study, November 29, 2002
Of all the physiology review texts out there, this one is by far the best. Set up in outline form, it covers what you will see on the board exams. Dr. Costanzo knows how to convey difficult concepts in simple terms; in particular her acid/base and pulmonary discussions are very good. The book also has many useful diagrams, which tend to show up in very similar format to the USMLE exam.

Dear Dr Costanzo, November 2, 2002
Thank you for the perfect review book. I got Physiology: BRS this summer while cramming for the USMLE Step 1, read it cover to cover once, and went back to it when ever necessary. After that I felt that Physiology was the least of my problems for Step 1! Easy to follow, easy to memorize. My only regret is not having got this book while in Physiology class. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Well-known for its authoritative and comprehensive coverage, complete treatment of pediatric pathophysiology, and the most extensive illustration program in its field, this textbook features expert content on everything from the general principles of pathophysiology to detailed discussions of genetics and specific diseases. Chapters on alteration present the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and evaluation and treatment of each disease to help you learn to identify normal anatomy and physiology, as well as alterations of function in adults and in children.

• Unparalleled coverage of disease processes makes this text the most comprehensive pathophysiology text available.
• The largest full-color art program in the field illustrates the clinical manifestations of diseases and disease processes
• Consistent presentations of each disease with pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, and evaluation and treatment help you find the information you need quickly and easily.
• Ten separate pediatric chapters cover the pathophysiologic effects on children.
• Aging content is highlighted throughout the text.
• An Introduction to Pathophysiology section at the beginning of the text provides a solid start to the basics of the study of disease.
• Algorithms and flowcharts of diseases and disorders illustrate the disease process in an easy-to-understand format.
• Nutrition and Disease boxes present evidence-based information on the relationship between health promotion through diet and disease.

• Updated content on leukocytes in pain modulation, seizure disorders, brain injuries and disorders, acute encephalopathies, reproductive disorders, and much more keep you at the cutting edge of this constantly changing field.
• What's New? boxes highlight the most current research and findings to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.
• New animations, review questions, Key Points, and an audio glossary have been added to the Evolve companion website to strengthen your understanding of key concepts.
• Media Resources Lists encourage you to develop a study plan to master the important content in each chapter.

Reviews

Heavy Reading, January 24, 2010
Great informational book regarding pathophysiology. I bought it for a college course and have done well learning from the book even though I can only take so much information in one sitting. The writing is at a professional level and to the point. Good illustrations assist understanding of material.

Packed with miserable detail and completely disorganized, August 4, 2010
This book is incredibly difficult to read, and it's incredibly difficult to search for material in it. Many writers choose to use topic sentences and then organize the following paragraph in a coherent, logical, and hierarchical manner. Most of the authors of these chapters felt no need to adhere to such a guideline. Definitions of terms could routinely be found a paragraph or two after they were introduced. At times there were no definitions at all. Terminology was inconsistent, as well. It is unclear to me whether the authors were attempting to introduce as many new and varied terms as possible or if they were simply imprecise. The system of headings was incredibly unclear. There seemed to be no thought to what was a topic or subtopic and what was contained within each. It is as if someone wrote all the sentences in a section, put them in a box, and shook them onto the page.

Adding infection to the inflammation, there is nothing engaging about the writing. It is, to me, a dry topic, and they have wrung all remaining liquid out of it. I'm sure there's a pathophysiologic term to define such a problem, but I cannot bear to open that book again to find it.

This is not the book for you.

a great resource for research papers and clarifying concepts, April 13, 2010
I'm glad McCance is on my shelf. This book is a great adjunct to Merck for pathomaps and clarifying A and P concepts. Wonderfully illustrated, lots of pictures... commonly referrenced by my required nursing text--Iggy.

A GREAT buy finacncialy and for the sake of time.

Very detailed text, January 31, 2010
Comprehensive and detailed text - required for NP course. Requires a lot of study for returning to school RN. Study guide is helpful as an added resource as well as the ability to access on line support through Evolve (sample tests, etc.). Able to get text for good price via Amazon.

There are plenty of other books to choose from., August 25, 2010
If you are a graduate student in the sciences or in medical school then this book is not for you at all. Poorly organized sections and questionable sources of info throughout the book. For the number of contributors that were listed I would have expected a more stream-lined text. This book also lacks detail that is necessary to truly understand difficult concepts such as the renal, neuro, cardio, and GI system. I have also found many statements that just aren't true!

If this book is required for your course I would suggest selling it immediately after it is over. There are many more reputable books available especially from the Lange Series that are a MUCH better resource than this book.

informative, not thorough, October 14, 2010
I am currently working on my MSN and we are utilizing this book for my advanced patho class. This book had poor editing (I've found numerous mistakes in only a few weeks of classes); there are great pictures provided for examples, but it would be great if the pictures had an arrow pointing to what the captions is referring to (for example, I have not had radiology, so I need "fluffy infiltrates" to be pointed out to me; and there are many statements made about treatments for disorders but no indication about why that is helpful, such as p. 820 (6th ed) "Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication is the treatment of choice"--for pain I'm assuming?

Overall, I like the layout, but it needs some touch-ups.

Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children (Pathophysiology the Biologic Basis), March 17, 2010
After studying this monster, I feel it is no different than its previous edition. There are very few things that break the subject down to the core where it needs to be. This thing, like the other editions, jumps all over the place. There is no doubt someone who loves this subject needs to write one of these texts as this one leaves a lot to be desired.

Great Service, September 20, 2010
I ordered this book, and with my amazon prime account I got my package in 2 days! The book came as expected, brand new and no damages were observed. Would order through amazon again!

Review, August 8, 2010
This was an excellent book! I am very glad I decided to make this purchase. The book came promptly and was in excellent condition. ... Read more

Editorial Review

A brief, clear, thorough, and highly enjoyable approach to clinical microbiology, brimming with mnemonics, humor, summary charts and illustrations, from AIDS to "flesh-eating bacteria" to ebola, mad cow disease, hantavirus, anthrax, smallpox, botulism, etc. Excellent Board review.
... Read more

Reviews

Unorthdox, but it can be effective, June 26, 2004
When I received this book, I was not sure what to make of it. Rather than seriously examining key points of organisms with illustrations to show how mechanisms worked, the book is packed with mnemonics and weired cartoons meant to help you remember what you need to know for the boards (for instance, Chlamydia has a "clam" necklace; Salmonella is shown as a salmon hanging out and smoking a cigar in a gallbladder to remind you that's where chronic Salmonella carriers retain the bug).

I grew to appreciate these stupid cartoons, as I did remember stuff I would have otherwise forgotten. If you are burning out, this is a good resource!

This is not a real textbook, however. You get a guerilla introduction to some basics, but the presentation of material is not as systematic as a text. At the end of each chapter is a chart to summarize the information presented, but the font is tiny and I never bothered using it.

I would recommend checking this book out to see if the book's style works for you. If it does, this is a good way to study microbiology even if you are tired and sick of studying for Step I. If it does not, there are plenty of more standard texts and reviews to choose.

Micro Can Only Be Learned Through This Book, July 2, 2000
You can go to class, or you can read a big fat ugly book, and still you won't learn about micro bugs until you buy this book. AN EXCELLENT REVIEW on almost all of the important bacteria, fungi, virus and parasites. The toons are very funny (and you keep them in your head all your life ). And for learning the basics on antibiotics it is wonderful. This book has helped me in the most desperate conditions (impossible exams), and believe me, YOU GOTTA HAVE IT !

Excellent review of microbiology.., April 29, 2002
This text will give you a good review of clinical microbiology. The information is geared towards the medical student. Important facts are presented in a easy-to-memorize manner which gives the student what is needed to pass exams. This is not meant to be a textbook on clinical microbiology and therefore one should not expect cogent narratives. However, if you are over 50 like myself; make sure you have your reading glasses or magnifiers handy. The font size is quite small and the print could have been a little darker. Also you may find parts of the book a bit too flippant but remind yourself that this is supposed to be a review text.

Well worth your time.

TERRIFIC, October 18, 1999
This book has everything you need to know about Microbiology, and prepares you wonderfully for the shelf exam and the national boards. The text is clear and very well organized. You will memorize tons of information just by reading and watching the diagrams. BUY IT!

Makes learning fun (well, at least it eases the pain), December 31, 2001
With the help of diagrams, funny stories, and pneumonics, this book helped me remember my facts and keep the bacteria organized in my head. Here's how I studied (for my class and the Board Shelf Exam): I xeroxed the charts found in the book and studied them over and over in a nice packet. Everything you need to know is in the charts. I also looked over First Aid to put it all together. Pretest Microbiology or Appleton and Lange's Review of Microbioloy are excellent sources of clinical based practice questions. If you need a reference, the new Lippincott Microbiology by Strohl is good.

fun and easy way to study microbiology, August 31, 2001
This book can make studying microbiology very enjoyable. The illustrations are really catchy and you will remember them for a very long time. The tables are very concise and give you the important points. No unnecessary data, just plain old facts. You should have it while in medical school and not just for the board exams.

THE BEST !, January 14, 2000
a "MUST HAVE" for anybody studying those 'little critters'. u read this book & u'll remember stuff for life...full of 'med-toons' & crazy pictures, that help u remember stuff- u'll love microbio !

very good book, March 13, 2000
This an example of how medical books for students should be written, nice understandable way to deal with a lot of critters! Very good for IMGs.

valuable resource for medical./ p.a./ n.p. students, December 20, 1999
reader friendly text accompanied by humourous memorable cartoons,(many worthy of "R. Crumb")& whitty mnemonics. Occasionally goes a bit overboard in it's "cuteness". However the concise summary tables & it's overall enthusiasm made this book a hard-to-beat investment in time & money.

The book that saved me...., December 6, 2000
This book is the best. It helped me sail through my exams as one of the students that managed to answer all the unexpected microbiology questions. It actually makes you want to read it, even if you don't think you have to. And allthough some of the drawings are a bit far out, the good ones stay with you. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Understanding the role of fascia in healthy movement and postural distortion is of vital importance to bodyworkers and movement therapists. Anatomy Trains: Myofascial Meridians for Manual and Movement Therapists presents a unique 'whole systems' view of myofascial/locomotor anatomy in which the bodywide connections among the muscles within the fascial net are described in detail for the first time. Using the metaphor of railway or train lines, Myers explains how patterns of strain communicate through the myofascial 'webbing', contributing to postural compensation and movement stability. Written in a style that makes it easy to understand and apply, Anatomy Trains provides an accessible and comprehensive explanation of the anatomy and function of the myofascial system in the body.The DVD ROM in the back of the book contains video of techniques, Anatomy Trains-based dissections and computer animations of the myofascial meridian lines.

includes full-colour illustrations of 11 myofascial meridians and the rules for discovering other meridians
. uses numerous full colour charts and drawings to detail the muscular and fascial structures involved in the meridians
. presents information on assessment of structural and movement patterns and gives related application to manual therapy and movement education
. provides a selection of techniques from the library of structural integration
. includes an introduction to the fascial system as a whole, with points-of-view and the latest research findings on the fascial system's responses
. offers a fun approach to learning essential structural anatomy, comparing the connective tissue system to a railway network
. video material on the accompanying DVD ROM to visually present the anatomy as described in the book.

Full colour throughout
. New design and layout
. 140 New full colour figures including dissection photographs and client photos
. DVD ROM in back of book
. A new appendices on 'Structural integration' and 'Myofascial meridians and oriental medicine'
. New posters to be published simultaneously. ... Read more

Reviews

A RNs review from a patient/practioner's prospective, March 27, 2003
Wow! I thought I'd ordered the wrong book for my needs, which are 1.more knowledge of the process of myofascial release and 2. more understanding of places/points of anatomy. It has been a long while since I've been in school and a long time since I worked at a top teaching hospital in the Bay area in California.

I read a few paragraphs, taking care not to damage the book, because I thought I'd probably return it. HOWEVER, after a few sentences I was immediately caught up in the beauty and clarity of this work. NEVER has physiology been made so interesting. Finally, I understand so many things that were just a jumble of memorized facts in preparation for exams. This book has rekindled my love of physiology and is even undoing my dislike of anatomy. Anatomy didn't make sense to me - it was boring - it was memorization. Now I am understanding why my body is so damaged from the stresses I subject it to, but better, I understand how I can undo some damage and prevent more.

I worked on a Sports Medicine unit where famous athletes came for surgery. So much surgery can be avoided with corrective measures for chronic stressors. The medical community needs to be aware of this important material.

So bravo for such a readable work. What depth of historial findings, beautiful graphics, excellent grammar and text. I feel as though I'm in school again, but this time it is for pleasure and for pain relief.

After a few pages I tried to find out more about the author and was surprised not to see a Ph.D. by his name, although I'm not sure a Ph.D. makes one any wiser.

I totally concur with the first review.

Don't buy this book if you are looking for a simple, trendy approach to bodywork. This is so much more.

A work of true genius, and lots of sweat, October 5, 2001
I am a Board Certified MD Neurologist, with osteopathic training, a Yoga Practitioner of 25 years, and have been teaching Yoga in the Ashtanga and Iyengar styles for 10 of those years. I was familiar with Tom Myers' work for some time. Needless to say I was awaiting this book's release with an anticipation that was not disappointed.

Myers is that rare bird who can convey his insights in a way that is not only accessible but also enjoyable. As is often the case, the revelations in his book (and all of his previous articles) will, I predict, have a profound effect in the Medicine of the XXI century, and have come from "outside" the mainstream of the profession.

The style is agile and yet precise (I particularly enjoy his command of Latin) The book's design is ideal both for straight-through reading and for focusing on particular interests the reader (manual therapist, yoga instructor or practitioner, etc) may have. The illustrations are awesome (to use that tired adjective, for once, in its true etymological sense) although my edition lacked the one facing page 93 (Superficial Front Line) due no doubt to a printing snafu.

The basic idea, that tensegrity ()tension integrity) patterns and structures undergird function at a macroscopic level, while not new, is presented here with clarity, scientific and anatomical rigor, and esthetic sense. It is, above all a practical book, a veritable "Instruction Manual for the Human Body" whether our own or that of the fortunate human that is a reader's cliant.

The few errata (Myers should have specified that piezoelectricity is a property of some materials, having to do with their molecular conformation and disposition; specific glial cells are called "oligodendrocytes" not "oligodendrytes"; the mesoderm, rather that the endoderm, gives origin to endothelial cells in page 36) are minor, and do not detract at all from the overall quality of this work.

I imagine that Myers is already hard at work, perhaps taking this to the next level of visceral manipulation, all the way (who knows) to the manipulation of cytoskeletal and trans-cellular elements. There again, yogis and yoginis have been manipulating microtubules and integrins for millennia...

Make no mistake, there is nothing "New-Agey" or "woo-woo" about this book, though. It is as concrete, flesh, blood and sinew as they come. I could not recommend it more heartily.

Bodyworker's Bible, August 26, 2004
Having had significant recent exposure to Tom and his school, I would like to add my cudos. The writing is supurb and entertaining. Presentations are clear, concise, and his writing is as animated as any I have ever read.

I believe that this book was written for bodyworkers to explain the dynamics of the myofascial system and how it may be manipulated to help correct improper joint and connective tissue alignment. His metaphor "anatomy trains" is a beautiful description of the layers of contiguous or nearly contiguous myofascial layers that run along the human form.

His use of a variety of illustrations old and new is amazing. I realize that he has a vast personal library so it is easy to see where spent many hours gathering just the right images that conveyed exactly what he wanted to say.

This should be rightly called a "reference textbook" and sit close to your Netter or Clemente.

A New, Global View of the body, September 12, 2005
I have been a professional body therapist since 1979. Anatomy Trains is one of the best books I have seen in my entire career spanning 36 years. This is a great book for all kinds of body therapy styles and forms. The book clearly states and I agree that a detailed knowledge of human anatomy is necessary to follow and understand the book.

Superb!, November 26, 2003
Probably the most brilliant piece of work in 500 years of anatomy studies. You will never think of the body in the same way ever again. HIGHLY recommended!

Excellent!, December 2, 2006
I am a yoga teacher who has been interested in myofascial meridians without knowing it! I have been exploring Kundalini Yoga which tends to get into the tissues to release patterns of tension. The information in this book was just what I needed to further my studies.

This book does a great job of explaining the fascia along with excellent exercises for release.

This book may be a difficult read for a lay person but if you are in any kind of movement therapy work - this is a must!

Amazing., October 2, 2006
As I read this book, I get the "eureka!"-feeling at nearly every turn of page. It all seems so logical when Myers lays it out. This book has really sparked my interest for Structural Integration therapy and I am going to order all of the Anatomy Trains DVDs - the first three are already on the way. I can also heartily recommend Ida P. Rolf's books on Structural Integration - she's the originator and (or should that be "but") is easily understood, just like Myers.

Vital importance for movement therapists, March 18, 2007
Anatomy Trains is an accesible and comprehensive overview of the myofascial system of the body. This key to understanding the role of fascia in healthy movement should be required reading of anyone who works in the bodywork field.
It may be a bit ponderous to someone who is more physically inclined but do not be put off. You will find you absorb much through just forging through as I did.

Has taken my deep tissue treatments to the next level., January 9, 2007
Reading Tom Myers book Anatomy Trains has taken my deep tissue treatments to the next level. This book combined with a hands-on class (Structural Integration continuing education) and deep tissue videos (Art Riggs) are making my clients very happy!
Myer's explanations are clear and concise.

Anatomy Trains, March 11, 2007
An excellent read that discusses the functional relationships of muscles within the body. A must have for any student or practitioner of bodywork of any kind. ... Read more

Editorial Review

See inside every stretch--and maximize flexibility!Stretching Anatomy will arm you with the knowledge to increase range of motion, supplement training, enhance recovery, and maximize efficiency of movement. You'll also gain a detailed understanding of how each stretch affects your body.

Stretching Anatomy is like having an X-ray of each stretch, only better. Not only do you see full-color illustrations of the muscles in action, but you also find out how changes in position can alter the muscle emphasis and difficulty and how variations can improve safety and effectiveness.

Each exercise includes detailed instruction on how to stretch, when to stretch, primary and secondary muscle emphasis, and which muscles are activated for support. Stretching programs provide three levels of difficulty, including light stretching that can be used as a warm-up or to aid in recovery from soreness or injury. And summary movement tables show how to customize stretching programs to focus on key problem areas.

Whether it is increased flexibility or reduced muscle soreness or tension, Stretching Anatomy allows you to see and feel the benefit of proper stretching technique. ... Read more

Reviews

Buy this one, February 6, 2007
I have been a martial arts teacher for 42 years and have authored over 20 books on the subject. So I know a little about stretching. Stretching Anatomy is a wonderful guide that is concise, yet somehow amazingly complete.

The book isn't written for one particular sport, but the savvy reader will quickly see how the many easy-to-do stretches (and a couple hard ones) will improve their performance within weeks.

Each clearly demonstrated exercise includes simple how-to-do instruction, when to do it, and which primary and secondary muscles are being stretched. The book provides three levels of difficulty, including light movements to warm-up and to help you recovery quickly from an injury or post workout soreness.

A real plus are the anatomy chart-like illustrations that show via colored shading which muscles are being affected by the stretch.

This is an excellent book that I recommend to my students.

Loren W. Christensen author of Fighter's Fact Book 2.

Great stretching book!, July 2, 2007
I have used this book to not only show and teach clients and patients proper stretching techniques, I have recommended it as a tool for the Physical Therapist at my job, and used it for myself. Illustrations are detailed with specific muscles described in each stretch and are very helpful in understanding the anatomy of each stretch - great book for ANYONE, especially pre- and post-workout for athletes! I also recommend "Stretching" by Bob Anderson in conjunction with this as a teaching tool.

A great stretching resource!, September 22, 2007
I've been a runner and athlete for over a decade, and even having learned dozens of stretches along the way, this book was well worth the money. It's very comprehensive - contains stretches for every muscle group and even describes the supporting muscle groups you're using when doing a particular stretch. The visuals are clear and helpful as well. The explanations are very easy to follow, and I love that it gives tips within each stretch for increasing the intensity or stretching slightly different muscles with a slightly different motion.

Great For Massage Therapists, December 11, 2007
As a L&NCTMB, I use this book with clients almost daily. It is clear, concise, & addressess various ability/skill levels. The muscles are easy to differentiate. Isolated muscles stretches as well as muscle group stretches are what this book is all about. Also, it has male and female bodies pictured, as well as male/female helpful hints.
Clients of mine who use the stretches in this book achieve a much greater level of relaxation and well being - thus making massage therapy worth even more than they are paying!

clear and concise, December 20, 2007
The illustrations are outstanding and even younger students can make sense of them. It's a great addition to the ballet teacher's bookcase and is helpful when you can't quite figure out how to increase flexibility in a pupil with, for instance, limited turnout. It gives several options for stretches and shows the primary as well as the secondary muscle groups being worked on. It gives thorough information so that all the stretches are safely performed. I recommend this book for anyone currently teaching dancers/gymnasts/athletes.

Great help, September 12, 2007
I am a Pilates Instructor, and I have one client who has very tight shoulders, neck and chest muscles. This book helped us get some good ideas for the best stretching techniques to help him stretch out those areas.
I would probably recommend this book to people who have really tight muscles. All the stretches are easy to do anywhere.

Careful and pragmatic, November 11, 2007
As any stretching program should be, this book takes a careful and pragmatic look at stretching. It provides no startling new information, but the images and text are concise and useful.

Superior reference and information for correct stretching, July 23, 2007
Love this book. Clear pictures and brief explinations of what muscles are being stretched and how to stretch them correctly.

Stretching, flexibility, anatomy of muscles, muscle review, muscle actions., August 22, 2009
Stretching Anatomy has lovely color illustrations of men and women performing the different stretches. The chapters are uncomplicated and it is easy to quickly reference all of the muscles and their actions. I really like the chapters on Arms, wrists and hands and also knees and thighs. Every illustrated stretch has a box beneath with a detailed color picture of the anatomy, all muscles are labeled clearly. You can quickly sort out any confusion you may have between similar sounding muscles. I get my Teres Major and minor muscles mixed up for example or my Flexor carpi radialis brevis and longus. A quick look in this book will set you straight in a short space of time.

Generally 2 pages are dedicated to each stretch, one page has the illustrations the other page has three short paragraphs, no more than several lines in each paragraph though. "Technique", "Muscles stretched" (most stretched and least stretched), and "Commentary" which gives you modifications, variations and various tips on deepening the stretch. The information is very brief. If you need more detail on muscles involved, or origins and insertions, this is not the book for you, explanations are limited to muscle action and pictures.

This is a very nice, simple and uncomplicated book, if you want a little more detail I would suggest spending around $5 more and getting "The anatomy of stretching" by Brad Walker (very similar titles)or at least review both books before buying to see which suits you best.

At the end of each chapter of "Stretching Anatomy" all muscles are listed down the left side of the page and the actions across the top of the page. Ticks symbols show the action of each muscle. This book is a useful tool for anyone reviewing muscles for their anatomy exams, massage therapists, fitness instructors, physiotherapists who are just starting out etc. The stretches shown for arms and wrists are my favorite. Whether you are a yoga instructor looking for a few new ways to warm up your students before their Asana practice (a good deal of the stretches shown remind me of yoga poses such as Janu Sirsasana, Baddah konasana, paschimottanasana, or you are a massage therapist educating your clients on self care, or an athlete looking for information on increasing flexibility this 143 page book is very handy as a reference book or as a guide to design your own stretching sequences.

Excellent guide to stretching, December 1, 2007
This book is an excellent guide to stretching, for young and old alike. I am a 53 year old female, and the book has helped me stretch tight muscles and become more flexible. I have been to physical therapists in the past, and this book takes you a step further in becoming more flexible. ... Read more

Editorial Review

With a concise, straightforward approach, this trusted text puts difficult concepts and essential drug calculation skills into a practical nursing context and prepares you for real-world responsibilities. Completely revised and updated with the most current information in nursing practice, a variety of strong learning tools, and new NCLEX"Â¥ examination study questions, this latest edition makes pharmacology more accessible than ever.

• UNIQUE! Prototype Drug Charts provide you with quick reference to key drug information, including dosages, contraindications, drug-lab-food interactions, pharmacokinetics, and more.
• UNIQUE! An extensive Dosage Calculations unit strengthens your mathematical skills and eliminates the need for a separate calculations book.
• Nursing Process summaries guide you through client care and drug therapy within the step-by-step framework of the nursing process.
• Critical Thinking Case Studies challenge you to apply your knowledge and analytical skills to realistic patient scenarios.
• A Principles of Drug Administration chapter guides you through drug administration procedures, addressing all routes of administration and various settings.
• Client Teaching sections prepare you for client interaction, with teaching tips for general drug administration, self-administration, diet, side effects, and cultural considerations.
• A companion CD reinforces your knowledge and enhances your review with approximately 450 NCLEX examination-style review questions, including alternate-item format questions; 30 pharmacology animations; IV therapy and medication error checklists; drug calculation problems; and electronic dosage calculators.
• UNIQUE! Illustrated overviews of normal anatomy and physiology in all drug therapy chapters help you understand how drugs work in various body systems.
• An appendix on bioterrorism agents helps you recognize the clinical manifestations of bioterrorism weapons and respond with appropriate drug treatments.
• UNIQUE! Herbal Alerts provide quick reference to side effects, drug interactions, and additional information for popular herbs you may encounter in practice.

• NCLEX Examination-style Study Questions prepare you for the growing pharmacology coverage on the NCLEX-RN exam.
• Updated and expanded Preventing Medication Errors boxes help you ensure safe drug administration.
• Targeted Therapies to Treat Cancer chapter familiarizes you with cutting-edge cancer treatments such as multikinase inhibitors, angiogenesis inhibitors, and monoclonal antibodies.
• A new unit helps you easily locate appropriate drug therapy for managing pain and inflammation.
• Additional photos and illustrations visually reinforce your understanding of drug actions and relevant anatomy and physiology.
• Separate units on antibacterial and antiinfective agents clearly differentiate these commonly used agents.
• Page numbers accompany key terms for easier reference.

Reviews

Avoid this text if you can, June 2, 2009
We were required to have this text for our pharmacology course (part of the RN program). The text has so many errors and typos that the whole volume becomes questionable. My personal favorite: broad spectrum antibiotics are thusly labeled, according to the book, because of the pills large size...Other chapters refer to appendices allegedly in the back of the book...that don't exist. I spent much of the course using my Davis Drug Guide to sort out the fact from the fiction in this pharmacology text.

One big mess of a book, July 5, 2009
Words can not describe the amount distaste I have for this text. The amount of errors I've encountered most likely dwarf the errors that I failed to catch. This makes one wonder if this text is even worth publishing. The NCLEX study questions at the end of each chapter appear straight forward but lo and behold, the answer key says that E is the correct answer for an A-D multiple choice question. The study guide itself makes me question the validity of the text. With the text stating one fact, and the study guide stating another, one of them is bound to be right! As the previous commenter stated, AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

What a joke!, September 17, 2009
Lots of errors and typos! NCLEX questions have the wrong answers! It was so frustrating that after our class was done with Pharmacology, our nursing program changed the textbook for the next class! Please don't waste your money!

Book falling apart, August 2, 2010
The book was labeled as Used-Acceptable. Well, I received it with the book and the binding in two seperate parts. Not to mention that the book itself was coming apart into 3 different sections. If I didn't need it so badly, and had the extra time, I would have returned this book to sender!!!

Rarely used this book, July 11, 2010
I purchased this book for my first nursing semester pharmacology course. The book is great it has plenty of drug information, tables, and a calculations section, but I did not need it. My instructor's notes were so good that I rarely had to open this book. I ended up selling the book back to Chimes. It was okay for me because it put me to sleep, but I don't want to discourage anyway from getting it.

Problems with Binding, January 23, 2010
I bought the book at the beginning of my first year of nursing school. However, we did not begin using it until 2nd semester, so I put it up on the bookshelf the way it came. When time came around to using the book, I broke the plastic seal around the book and opened it... to find that the binding in the center of the book was coming apart. If your a person that likes to keep things neat and organized (me), this will definitely peeve you off! I am so put off abt it... I still get angry everytime I need to use the book (often). Since I bought the book months ago, I cant do anything about it.

Pharm, September 25, 2009
This book is ok. I wasn't looking forward to this class as it is but the book seems to keep me interested.

Fast as a bullet, August 2, 2010
I was so pleased to have received my order so fast, especially because it was a Holiday weekend. It took off some of my stress away cause I had my test that same week. Thank you. ... Read more