Gray’s Anatomy.
The Anatomical Basis breast lump, with clearly defined learning outcomes and a case scenario
of Clinical Practice
40th Edition
Editor-in Chief: Susan Standring
Churchill Livingstone Elsevier 2008
IBSN 978 0 8089 2371 8
The new Gray’s Anatomy, which celebrates
its 150th year, is a truly sumptuous produc-
tion. Aesthetically it is extremely pleasing
and all the drawings (which are in colour
throughout) are produced to the same exacting standard, which testifies
both to the skill of the illustrators and to tight editorial control. Liberal
use is made of imaging throughout the book, which places the anatomi-
cal descriptions and illustrations firmly in a clinical context. Histological
anatomy is given due prominence and is organised systematically so that
it meshes with the descriptions of gross anatomy. The book is organised
by anatomical region rather than systematically, which is particularly
helpful for the surgeon, and each section is organised in a wholly logi-
cal manner.
As ever the descriptive text is clear and unambiguous. The authors
and editors have gone out of their way to introduce clinically relevant
sections where the diagnosis or treatment of pathology is closely related
to the anatomy. For example, the explanation for the shift in the location
of abdominal pain in the development of acute appendicitis is detailed,
and the explanation for the anatomical location of pancreatic pseudocysts
is described. There is a beautifully illustrated section on the development
of congenital cardiac defects.
Gray’s Anatomy is now in its 40th edition and it has come a long
way since Mr Henry Gray and Mr Henry Van Dyke Carter created the
first edition in 1858. Its original purpose, however, remains: to provide
a detailed account of human anatomy that provides a firm foundation
for the whole of medical practice and for surgical practice in particular.
Anatomy may be waning in the undergraduate curriculum, but it is
experiencing a renaissance in postgraduate surgical teaching. This latest
edition of ‘The Doctors Bible’ is well placed to lead the field in this area.
No doctor could fail to be entranced by this wonderful production and
every doctor should want to own his or her own copy.
Robert JC Steele, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
Clinical Surgery Made Easy: A Companion to Problem-based
Learning
Mohan De Silva
TFM Publishing LTD
ISBN 9781903378656
This is a thoroughly excellent and succinct textbook, which presents
a number of core clinical scenarios that are highly relevant to general
surgery. Although aimed primarily at undergraduates, it would also
prove valuable to those undertaking foundation jobs in a general surgi-
cal setting or as an adjunct to some of the larger standard general
surgery texts. The textbook initially advises the reader as to how one
should conduct a thorough history and examination of a general surgical
patient. It then shows how to apply learned knowledge to a clinical
scenario to formulate a clinical judgement. The writer emphasises a
stepwise approach to problem solving, thus allowing the student or
junior doctor to arrive at a conclusion. This stepwise approach to solv-
ing a clinical case will undoubtedly trigger the student to define their
own learning objectives, a process clearly adopted and defined in many
undergraduate curriculums as problem based learning.
The following chapters follow this method of learning, whereby a
core clinical problem is introduced, such as obstructive jaundice or a
320 | the royal colleges of surgeons of edinburgh and ireland
attached to use as a stimulus for learning. The remainder of the chapter
integrates up-to-date knowledge of basic and clinical science with prob-
ing open questions, while incorporating evidence-based guidelines such
as NICE and SIGN. The text is consistently supplemented with text
boxes, highlighting key clinical points and indicating what the next
stage of the pathway to solve the core clinical problem would be. To
test the understanding of the reader, the chapter concludes with a set
of extended matching questions relating to the core clinical problem
and also suggesting further reading.
This textbook is most aptly titled, comes highly recommended and
should readily be consulted and adopted by medical students and junior
doctors. It essentially provides a stimulus for active learning rather than
factual recall, allowing the reader to more readily interpret information
at the patient’s beside.
Sarah Ann Goodbrand, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School,
Dundee
Sobotta Atlas of Human Anatomy
Editors: R. Putz and R. Pabst.
14th Edition.
Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone
ISBN 9780702033230
Although not as familiar as other text
books in the UK, the Sobotta Atlas
of Human Anatomy, now in its 14th
edition, evolved from the original Atlas
of Human Anatomy produced by Johannes Sobotta over a hundred
years ago. This book does not deserve to remain in obscurity. It is
organised on a regional basis starting with a section on general anatomy
which concentrates on surface anatomy and overviews of skeleton,
muscles, urogenital system, internal organs, vasculature and the nerv-
ous system. Subsequent sections cover head, neck, upper limb, back,
thoracic and abdominal wall, thorax, abdominal viscera, pelvic viscera
and retroperitoneal space, lower limb, brain, eye and ear. The anatomi-
cal drawings are of astounding clarity in most instances, although,
inexplicably, the occasional rather amateurish drawing appears. Apart
from this slight caveat, however, I have nothing but praise for this
book. The layout is designed to maximise clinical utility with frequent
visual cross-referencing between anatomical drawings and radiological
images. Tables of muscles, joints and nerves are also supplied in a
separate booklet that is designed to facilitate learning.
A novel aspect of this book is that purchasers obtain unique access
to the Sobotta website. This gives them access to the entire contents
of the book electronically and the search system allows rapid accessing
of the desired images. These images can be downloaded and used for
presentations; this is of particular interest to anatomists and surgeons
who are involved with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching. This
reviewer found the website to be an invaluable asset.
In summary this is a magnificent production. It is both aesthetically
pleasing and of immense practical value. Any student of anatomy in
any discipline will find it of value and it is also strongly recommended
for any practitioner who has a need for both general and detailed
anatomical knowledge.
Robert JC Steele, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee
© 2009 Surgeon 7; 5; 320