Basic Pathology: An Introduction to the Mechanisms of Disease

With the new “integrated” undergraduate medical curriculum being adopted by medical schools in many countries, there is an ever increasing need for an appropriate basic pathology textbook. The authors have produced a book which is based on the principles and objectives of the integrated curriculum. Consequently, it is an ideal basic pathology textbook for students in the integrated medical curriculum.

The book has a novel approach to basic pathology, which is different from the standard basic pathology textbooks. There are four parts: “Introduction—what is a disease?”, “Defence against disease”, “Circulatory disorders”, and “Disorders of cell growth”. Each part consists of a variable number of chapters containing several unique learning aids.

The material is presented in a format that is easy to read and can be read at leisure. In accordance with the integrated curriculum, some material is presented by using clinical cases—for example, myocardial infarction, breast lump, and prostatic hyperplasia, among others. Innovative additions are the excellent cartoons, selected “key facts”, “dictionary box”, and “small print”. The cartoons are well illustrated, extremely apt, and informative. There is also a selection of relevant tables that complement the text. The inclusion of appropriate colour diagrams, photomicrographs, and macroscopic pathology images aids the text. Clinicopathological case studies are used as a tool to facilitate the integration of pathology with clinical medicine. At the end of each part, there is a selection of questions covering core material with answers and cross references.

There are six colour coded theme maps that cover the four main pathology disciplines—histopathology, haematology, immunology, and microbiology—and two additional overview themes—science and disease and patient and disease.

The authors have produced a remarkable book, which deals with a difficult but important subject in a user friendly manner. The book ought to be prescribed reading for undergraduate students in the new integrated medical curriculum.