Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease

If your pathology lecture handouts look like this: "toxoplasma - immunocompromised host - cardiac transplant" and you are thinking, "What causes what? Can professors use verbs?" then this may be the book for you. I found myself in the situation of requiring more explanation, and R & C PBD fits the bill. Pros: - Thorough (at over 1500 pages, it better be!). - Readable - I noticed that people disagreed on this point. No, it is not "fun" to read, but I think it is as good as you can get. The text does not assume that you have mastered the previous chapters, it provides explanation throughout, making it possible to open it anywhere and still understand what is going on. - Summary tables, nice photos, clear diagrams - could maybe use more of them. Cons: - It's enormous! of course, that's a problem with the subject, not the book. I guess you have to ask yourself if you can set aside the time and concentration to get through it, if not, purchase BRS pathology. (Tip: if the weight of a 1500-pg. book bothers you, get the binding removed at a copy shop and carry the currently relevant pages) - No study questions - I recommend its Review of Pathology companion with 1100+ questions for ample board review. Good luck, you hardcore path master!

This is THE textbook of pathology for students of medicine and dentistry! Pros? Well, it has all the 4 C's...1) Clear language... minimal verbosity, straight to the point2) Comprehensive ... it has all the facts the student needs to know for exams as well as future clinical practice3) Colour pictures ... not the black and white stuff but full colours to add more morphological meaning to the texts4) Cast ... I'm sure everyone wants to read a book written by authoritative pathologists? Cons? 1) Cumbersome ... students just initiated into the world of pathology may find it tough to plough through the thousand over pages of text (like I did while in med school), but believe me, if you stick by it, you'll enjoy the fruits of your labour in due time. 2) Some of the facts and tumour classifications may be a little out of date (latest edition published in 1999) but if you're a student, don't brood over it. Tutors would probably highlight major updates during your pathology course.

...so goes your Medicine". That was on a T-shirt made by a path professor in med school, and while it seemed pretty self-serving at the time, it turns out to be largely true. To master the trade, you need a clear, concise understanding of pathology, and Robbins has been and continues to be the best source from which to learn our trade. I read mine through on schedule, re-read it each weekend with a highlighter one chapter at a time, then transferred my highlights to a notebook (I think for me that was where most of the info actually sunk in) and then at exam time used only my notebooks to review. It worked great for me, and while the "mini-Robbins" was loved by many, I never really used mine, finding the above system more than adequate. Robbins remains a great book that you must digest. Good luck!

Ok, here's the deal. At a first glance, you would find this book fat and scary, but once you get into it you'll find it very amusing and interesting. I love it's general design (nice pictures and drawings), it's accurate information and it's easy -to-read format.The only problem I find is that you gotta have TIME to read it, and that thing is not so abundant when you study medicine. But believe me, once you read it, you will master pathology, and it is a MUST for a reference book, in your pathology year as well as in the future.

This book is excellent. I used the 4th edition as a medical student and am currently reading this edition in preparation for my pathology boards. The book is much improved in terms of readibility, great tables, diagrams, and color photographs. It is a must have for medical students interested in pathology as well as pathologists.