Andrew Gough, University of Manchester

This book has almost a 100 cases covering anything from a case of 'chest pain' to the rarer cases such as a man bitten by a snake. It covers all subjects of medicine and all age ranges, and has been developed to cover international aspects of medicine - so you learn about global issues. Although clearly it can't cover anything, there is sufficient breadth in the book to take the reader through a 'tour of medicine' whilst at the same time helping them hone their diagnostic skills. The cases are structured so that you read the presenting problem and then formulate a differenital diagnosis, you then get the results of the examination, before going on to look at further investigations, making the final diagnosis and then discussing treatment options. There are also numerous illustrations and photographs. Overall, I think the book is great. For me, I think it will be of most use revising for finals as I think it's a great book to develop skills in making differential diagnoses as well as developing knowledge about patient management. A couple cases a day over a couple months would allow you to cover a lot, and they don't take too long either!

Posted 16th Jul 2010