Paul M Byrne
Parkland, Florida: Universal Publishers/uPUBLISH.com, 1999
ISBN: 1581128045

The benefits of being a non-clinical medical student are very much underestimated, especially if you are one. If posed a clinical question by an overzealous clinical lecturer, as part of the next generation of interactive lectures, all one has to say is, "I haven't got the foggiest about what you are talking about, as my clinical experience is non-existent." However, given that so many medical schools are adopting a more clinical based curriculum, this excuse is running short. So I guess I will have to grin and bear it.

The same cannot be said for marathon biochemistry lectures. Yet, the last thing I expected was to gain any help from this American question and answer book on biochemistry. Which, the author assures us, is "different from all other biochemistry textbooks." It attempts to explain the principles of pathways through questioning the reader on his or her current knowledge on the fundamentals of biochemical pathways and then providing the model or true answer. The questions are actually not too dissimilar to those that one may be asked in an exam situation.

This method of learning allows the reader to access the raw knowledge required for the comprehension of a topic. It is from the "no frills" school of biochemistry. So all you need to do is learn the answers to the questions and relax. Well, not quite, although the questions do guide you through the core structures and pathways. The book does not, however, provide you with sufficient knowledge to work things out from first principles. Which can pose problems if you are faced with questions requiring more in depth knowledge of a topic.

In all, this is a good book to learn and go, and it should be taken in moderate doses during a revision epidemic. Yet, it should be used to reinforce core principles, rather than for more in depth further reading like a textbook.