Michael Keogh, The University of Nottingham

I don’t think there is a Medical Degree in the UK which would require a more substantial knowledge of medical biochemistry than this book can provide! The text is a superb title in an area of medicine that is extremely difficult to write for and maintain student interest. However, Meisenberg and Simmons have done a fantastic job in covering all the essential aspects of medical biochemistry, whilst linking it to its clinical relevance, something often forgotten in similar texts, maintaining student interest throughout. The use of numerous excellent illustrations and diagrams, together with case studies and self assessment questions make the book one of the best biochemistry books on the market! A superb choice for any medical biochemistry course!

Posted 1st Jul 2008

Richard Flaaten, University of Copenhagen

First, a disclaimer of sorts, since we only use parts of this book in our second year here in Copenhagen, namely the chapter on plasma proteins, as well as most of the section on metabolism.
The other elements of biochemistry are read in Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts et. al.) in the first year of medical school.
Although I used Flesh and Bones of Metabolism as an introduction to the section on metabolism, I am certain I would have understood metabolism just as well by reading this book from the beginning. For a medical student, this book has the right tools to explain its content — one of which is its relatively informal tone, which helps a lot when approaching a difficult subject. The other tools are illustrations and equations, both of which, thankfully, are plentiful.
The book does, however, lack a chapter on nutrition (which we, here at the University of Copenhagen, are asked to read in Devlin or Smith, Mark & Lieberman).

Posted 1st Jul 2008