This massive volume is a multiauthored textbook of biochemistry for medical students and other healthcare professionals. It is intended to be a teaching tool, rather than a reference book. It includes ""clinical correlations,"" which are not case reports. They, for the most part, are presented in general terms as opposed to situations observed in individual patients with specific blood analyte levels, clinical symptoms, and signs and prognosis/outcomes. It is my opinion that the latter approaches are more valuable (e.g., as done by the Montgomery text). Nevertheless, this volume is a significant contribution to the field and joins a number of similar, well-illustrated, massive texts on the market. The primary audience is medical students. One wonders, however, if the typical medical student would be capable of assimilating even a fraction of the material presented. On the other hand, there is not enough depth to be of much use for the graduate student. For example, the topic of enzymology, especially enzyme kinetics, although sufficient for the medical student, is inadequate for the graduate student. Each contributor has impeccable credentials. In this fourth edition, the authors have the opportunity to work out the ""bugs"" and optimize their chapters. The book is superbly illustrated, almost excessively so, with multiple colors serving useful pedagogic purposes. The bibliography is extensive, and for medical students, unnecessarily so. Tables of contents and indexes are excellent and useful. There are multiple-choice questions at the end of each chapter, with answers and explanations provided. There is an organic chemistry review section in the appendix. I was impressedwith the extensive sections on human nutrition, which are so useful for medical students. I do not agree with the relegation of carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and purine/pyrimidine chemistries to the organic chemistry appendix. The typical organic chemistry course in college is hardly sufficient to understand these most important biochemical topics. The book creates a good impression, even though it might be overwhelming for the typical medical student. It should be on every library shelf.
A text covering basic biochemistry, molecular biology, and normal and
abnormal aspects of physiological chemistry, for students of medical
and health sciences. Features color illustrations, detailed chapter
contents showing page numbers of specific concepts, multiple choice
quizes and explained answers, boxes on biochemistry in the human
context, and an appendix reviewing organic chemistry. This fourth
edition incorporates new findings in the field. Includes a CD-ROM
containing all images from the book.
Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
Reviewer: Eugene A Davidson, PhD (Georgetown University School of Medicine)
Description: This is a comprehensive biochemistry book aimed at first year medical students. The chapters are written by authorities in each of the respective areas. As with prior editions, there are numerous clinical vignettes that emphasize each of the topics. The book was originally published in 1982.
Purpose: This book is one of several targeted at the medical school market. The goal is to provide comprehensive coverage of biochemistry with sufficient clinical material to address the oft-raised issue of relevance. In general, this is a worthy enterprise since much of modern medical science has a biochemical base and the physicians of tomorrow should be conversant with the technology. As with other books with the same goals, the book is large, detailed, and likely difficult to use as a primary study vehicle.
Audience: The intended audience is first year medical students and possibly, graduate students in a biomedical sciences curriculum. The multiple authors are generally authorities in their respective areas.
Features: As with most books covering this area, this book starts with a discussion of macromolecular structure and uses this to proceed with coverage of information transfer (nuclei acid biochemistry). Aspects of protein structure as related to function are then discussed, including material on enzyme kinetics and membranes. Metabolism occupies the remainder and is divided into the common pathways of energy production and utilization, and biosynthesis followed by integration, control and specialized tissues. Each chapter is accompanied by a short bibliography and sample questions for review; illustrations are of good quality. A feature introduced in the initial edition is a set of accompanying clinical scenarios to highlight key points in the chapters. The index is reasonably comprehensive. A useful appendix provides a short review of organic chemistry, valuable for those students somewhat removed from that course. A common problem encountered in multiauthor books is also seen here. The flow of content is occasionally uneven and there is a lack of uniformity in approach or style. Conversely, the overall field is sufficiently broad that single author efforts usually suffer from serious knowledge gaps, not seen here. Technical errors are few; noticeable was the use of an improper structure for the saccharide unit covalently attached to collagen. A lack in the current environment is the failure to provide an accompanying electronic image or study guide. Students wishing a comprehensive text in biochemistry will find this book satisfactory.
Assessment: As a fifth edition, this book follows along well traveled territory. New material in key areas justifies the new edition. There are several competitive texts (Berg et al.'s Biochemistry, fifth edition (W.H. Freeman, 2002) and Voet's Biochemistry, second edition (John Wiley & Sons, 1995)), each of which has advantages and disadvantages for the target audience.
