USMLE Step 1, Road Map Physiology, Second Edition (LANGE USMLE Road Maps), James Pasley, 2005

USMLE Step 1, Road Map Physiology, Second Edition (LANGE USMLE Road Maps), James Pasley, 2005


Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2 edition (November 15, 2005)
Language: English

people always recommend the brs, however, I felt that I need to read another review book to enhance my understanding of this subject. Therefore, I picked this book. And I am actually surprised that I am the first one to write a review. and it was published in 2003! This is 2007 already. (I didn't know that my review was published under the 2005 second edition, but the one that I read was the first edition.)

Anyway, I haven't finished reading, and it seems to be an ok book. sometimes, it has less information than the BRS book which could be good or bad. however, I have two problems which I felt the need to write them down just in case I may forget about them in the future.

1. The way he writes sometimes is confusing, hard to understand. For example, on page 157, he wrote:"Resorption of bone by osteoclasts is dependent on an increased H concentration in the resorption zone and an increased release of lysosomal enzymes to promote breakdown of the bone matrix." And that is one long sentence which made for one paragraph!

I just found another one on page 48, "This response, called cushing' phenomenon, is caused by cerebral ischemic stimulation of vasomotor regions in the medulla that help maintain cerebral blood flow in the face of increased resistance caused by expanding intracranial tumors."

I had to read those several times, and it got me frustrated, because it is not easy to understand especially when i am studying late at night, when I am already tired. Now I just realized why my reading is not fast enough, it was partly because of the way he writes the book. Another reason that I picked this book, because it seems to have less information than the BRS book. However, the BRS sometimes has a little too much information, and it gets boring quick. So now I am studying those two books together, pick on a chapter and see which one is better written, and just read that particular chapter.

2. on page 190-191, he wrote:" if the head is rotated to the left, both eyes move to the right." however, on page 191, the picture has "head rotates to right, with a big arrow pointing toward right." So as you can see, it is confusing. You are reading one thing, and the picture is showing you the opposite direction. So that description and the picture only make readers more confused.

Since I haven't finished reading, maybe I should stop reading, I will rate it a 3 as average. One thing that I like is its clinical correlation, that is one thing that I like about the whole series.