Paperback

Published: 16/07/2007

Extent: 512 pages

Illustrations: 100s of illustrations

 

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Summary:
Ever read up on a subject in a medical textbook, remembered it well immediately after, but several weeks later had great difficulty in recalling anything about it? Or, when treating a patient with an asthma attack, you wondered, ‘Have I missed something important?’ Memorizing Medicine aims to address these commonly experienced sentiments by rewriting the traditional medical textbook in a manner that places primary emphasis on recall. Drawing upon well-established psychological principles, the book uses a broad range of strategies to maximize the ability of the reader to recollect large swathes of information at a later date. The result is an original and refreshing style of textbook in which no two pages are quite alike, and where facts are presented in a hierarchical fashion so that essential features of each condition or symptom can be grasped immediately, while finer points are given in more detailed reading.

Each of the main topics in general medicine is presented as a mini-tutorial, using cartoons, hierarchies, and mnemonics, thus breaking down dense text into ‘bite-size’ chunks and creating a framework for effective learning, whether for clinical practice or taking exams. The mnemonics themselves have been devised to be relevant to the topic – the causes of atrial fibrillation follow a form of A.T.R.I.A.L. S.W.I.T.C.H.; the various causes of liver disease are T.A.B.O.O.S.

Memorizing Medicine can be used as a general medical textbook in its own right, or may be used as a bridge between standard textbooks and self-test revision guides. It is an invaluable revision aid and is equally suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate medical exams, as well as for any practising physician who wishes to refresh their knowledge.

• This bestselling book takes an original approach to applying well-established psychological techniques in memory enhancement to the contents of standard medical textbooks.

• Using a wide variety of techniques including chunking, acronyms, tree-diagrams and pictures, it is packed full of information on all aspects of the medical undergraduate syllabus while the finer detail provides excellent guidance for postgraduate revision.

• An original and refreshing style of textbook in which no two pages are quite alike, and where facts are presented in a hierarchical fashion so that essential features of each condition or symptom can be grasped immediately
  
• Supplemented with 100s of unique hand-drawn diagrams that are hand-drawn, which make them more like candidates' personal notes.

• It is an invaluable revision aid and is equally suitable for undergraduate and postgraduate medical exams, as well as for any practising physician who wishes to refresh their knowledge.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements and Dedication
Introduction
Examples of Effective Memorizing
Book Guide
Memorizing Medicine – 6 Tips
CARDIOLOGY
Chest Pain; Cardiology Examination; Murmurs; Aortic Stenosis; Aortic Regurgitation; Mitral Stenosis; Mitral Regurgitation; ECG Interpretation; Tachycardia; Atrial Fibrillation; Ventricular Tachycardia; Bradycardia; Acute Coronary Syndromes; Myocardial Infarction; Management of NSTEMI, UA, and STEMI; Shock; Hypertension; Heart Failure; Cardiology Treatments; Rheumatic Fever; Infective Endocarditis; Pericardial Disease; Myocarditis; Myxoma; Cardiomyopathy; Congenital Heart Disease
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
Respiratory Examination; Clubbing; Cyanosis; Respiratory Failure; Respiratory Function Tests; Chest X-ray Patterns; Pneumonia; Asthma; Acute Severe Asthma; COAD; Fibrosing Alveolitis; Occupational Lung Diseases; Sarcoidosis; Bronchiectasis; Lung Abscess; Cystic Fibrosis; Pheumothorax; Pleural Effusion; Pulmonary Oedema; Lung Carcinoma; Obstructive Sleep Apnoea; Pulmonary Embolism; Pulmonary Hypertension
GASTROENTEROLOGY
Abdominal Pain; Diarrhoea; Constipation; Nausea and Vomiting; Sore Throat; Oral Ulceration; Dysphagia; Haematemesis; Rectal Bleeding; Abdominal Examination; Abdominal Masses; Oesophagitis; Oesophageal Carcinoma; Peptic Ulcers; Gastric Neoplasia; Inflammatory Bowel Disease; Colorectal Carcinoma; Malabsorption; Coeliac Disease; Acute Pancreatitis; Chronic Pancreatitis; Jaundice; Liver Failure; Liver Transplant; Portal Hypertension; Oesophageal Varices; Ascites; Acute Liver Failure; Chronic Liver Disease; Infective Hepatitis; Primary Biliary Cirrhosis; Chronic Autoimmune Hepatitis; Haemochromatosis; Wilson’s Disease; Liver Tumours; Pancreatic Tumours; Gallstones
INFECTIOUS DISEASES
Infectious Organisms; Bacteria; Antibiotics; Viruses; Pneumonia; Food Poisoning; Gastroenteritis; Genital Discharge; Genital Ulceration; Viral Exanthema and Related; Herpes Simplex Virus; Epstein-Barr Virus; HIV; Tuberculosis; Mycobacteria; Leprosy; Syphilis; Non Venereal Treponemes; Borreliosis; Leptospirosis; Rickettsia; Malaria; Nematodes(Roundworms); Cestodes (Tapeworms); Trematodes (Flukes)
RHEUMATOLOGY
Osteoarthritis; Rheumatoid Arthritis; Seronegative Arthropathies; Septic Arthritis; Gout; Multisystemic Autoimmune Diseases; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; Scleroderma; Sjögren’s Syndrome; Autoimmune Myositis; Vasculitis; Raynaud’s Phenomenon; Cryoglobulinaemia; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome; Collagen and Elastic-Tissue Diseases; Back Pain; Bone Cysts; Sclerosis
NEUROLOGY
Headache; Acute Confusional State; Coma; Dementia; Parkinsonism; Chorea; Dystonia; Tremor; Cerebellar Disease; Blackouts; Epilepsy; Stroke; Acute Weakness; Guillain-Barré Syndrome; Hand Wasting; Walking Disturbance; Myelopathy; Anterior-Horn Cell Diseases; ALS/Motor Neurone Disease; Peripheral Neuropathy; Neuromuscular Junction Disease; Myopathy; Acute Visual Loss; Optic Atrophy; Papilloedema; Vertigo; Deafness; Facial Nerve Palsy; Neurofibromatosis; Neurocutaneous Diseases
ENDOCRINOLOGY
Diabetes Mellitus – Causes; Insulin – Physiology; Diabetic Ketoacidosis; Diabetes – HONK; Diabetes – Lactic Acidosis; Diabetes Mellitus; Hypoglycaemia; Hypopituitarism; Hyperprolactinaemia; Acromegaly; Hypothyroidism; Hyperthyroidism; Goitre; Thyroid Tumours; Adrenal Insufficiency; Cushing’s Syndrome; Hypermineralocorticoidism; Steroid Synthesis; Amenorrhoea; Male Sexual Problems; Male Infertility; Precocious Puberty; Delayed Puberty; Neuroendocrine Tumours; Carcinoid Tumours; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia; Polyglandular Autoimmune Syndromes
CLINICAL CHEMISTRY
Acid–Base Balance; Hyponatraemia; Polyuria/Polydipsia; Hypernatraemia; Diabetes Insipidus; Hyperkalaemia; Hypokalaemia; Hypocalcaemia; Hypercalcaemia; Osteomalacia and Rickets; Osteoporosis; Paget’s Disease; Hyperlipidaemia; Porphyria
RENAL MEDICINE
Acute Renal Failure; Chronic Renal Failure; Haematuria; Proteinuria; Nephrotic Syndrome; Renovascular Disease; Glomerulonephritis; Renal Tubular Disease; Urinary Obstruction; Urinary Retention; Renal Stones; Renal Enlargement/Renal Cysts; Polycystic Kidney Disease; Renal Cell Carcinoma; Testicular Tumours; Ovarian Tumours
HAEMATOLOGY
Anaemia; Bone Marrow Failure; Aplastic Anaemia; Haemolytic Anaemia; Sickle Cell Anaemia; Thalassaemia; Folate and Vitamin B12 Metabolism; Megaloblastic Anaemia; Lymphadenopathy; Splenomegaly; Leucocytosis; Acute Leukaemia; Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia; Polycythaemia/PRV; Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia; Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; Multiple Myeloma; Paraproteinaemia; Hyperviscosity; Amyloidosis; Hyposplenism; Immunodeficiency; Haemostasis; Platelet Disorders; Purpura; Thrombosis; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation; Haemophilias; Blood Transfusion Complications
Glossary
Index

About the Author(s):

Paul Bentley, Specialist Registrar in Neurology, Imperial College, London

Readership:
Undergraduate medical students and postgraduate trainees

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