Introduction to Clinical Examination

Michael J Ford and John F Munro
Churchill Livingstone, £11.95
ISBN 0443063540
Rating: 4/4

Clinical examination is difficult to learn from books, rather like learning to drive. So the advantage of a pocket sized book like this one is that it is brief and contains guidance for students and junior doctors.

There is a brief introductory chapter on history taking, although the best sections are those on examination of the systems. The examination of the cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, nervous, and musculo-skeletal systems are explained with the help of diagrams. There is also a good chapter on general examination, including of the hands, mouth, thyroid, breast, and skin. Each section begins with background information of the system for example, vertical height of the jugular venous pressure from the manubriosternal angle and then an examination sequence.

As with all books on examination, diagrams are crucial. They are well drawn, and even more useful are diagrams of areas to auscultate along with the radiation of murmurs, such as aortic stenosis and aortic incompetence. The gastrointestinal chapter is brief but sufficient.

The examination of the neurological system is the best chapter. There are also excellent anatomical diagrams for the spinothalamic tracts and dorsal columns to help in diagnosing sensory lesions. Cranial nerve examination is also covered in good detail. Information on the Glasgow Coma Scale and on dermatome distribution, which are useful in clinical practice, are missing, but are easily obtained from other pocketbooks.

At the end there is a useful sequence of case recording which provides a good summary of the book. This is a good buy for students, with sufficient detail for junior doctors, and it also has the advantage of being small enough to carry around.

Lok Bin Yap, senior house officer in medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford
Email: sunflo@lycos.com


studentBMJ 2001;09:43-84 March ISSN 0966-6494