1st Yr MBBS Book List

hey i thought it would be great if previous med students cud help the new ones out by telling us what we'll need for 1st yr, if u guys cud give us a list of books n general study materials it'll really get us on the rite track! thnx!

GREAT! this is exzctly wat i was looking for aswell=)
looking forward!

Snell's Clinical Anatomy for Medical Students

Keith L. Moore's Clinical Anatomy

Frank H. Netter Atlas of Human Anatomy

Michael Ross Histology: A text and atlas

Langman's Embryology

Di Fiorre's Atlas of Histology

Lippincott's Illustrated Review of Biochemistry (3rd edition)

Guyton and Hall's Medical Physiology

Review of Medical Physiology by William F. Ganong

There are some other books that you can only find here in Pakistan which you should get also, but they're just books you'll use a couple times here or there for odd topics. They're widely available, and they're names are sure to come up here and there.

Btw, for second year, you'll use these same books. The only additional book that you'll need is a neuroanatomy book. A good one is Snell's Neuroanatomy for Medical Students. Same author as the gross anatomy book above.

Salam all,

wow thanks a bunch MastahRiz! I was thinking of asking this question this morning and I log on to medstudentz and find it already answered. Now that's what I call service .

Ahaan!! THANKS A MILLION

Hey MastahRiz the list of books that you have listed for the 1st year MBBS, are these for Govt. colleges or Private colleges? Since all Govt. colleges have same curriculum but private colleges work differently, they probably don't use the same books...so what's the case here?

These books will help you pass in either one, government or private schools. There's very few other books that you could buy, most of them being local Pakistani books that you'll run across after you start. That list above though, is the main set that you can supplement with smaller books and review books to get you by.

Salam,

Just had another question about the book list above. Is that list of books those that will help us get through the first year of med. school or are they also helpful for USMLE purposes?

Most of them are way too in depth for USMLE purposes. These are just the books for the first year of med school for Pakistani med schools. The good thing is, once you've finished these books, if you ever feel the need to go into more detail when you're studying for the USMLE from books like First Aid or Kaplan Lecture notes/Qbanks, you can always use these as references because you'll already know exactly where to find the information you're looking for.

This book list is perfect. If you don't have these books, you're not ready for 1st year MBBS no matter which school you go to in Pakistan.

The above mentioned books are key to gaining excellent concepts and doing well in any school.
But speaking on personal experience and receiving advice from senior Americans when i first came, i feel it necessary to pass it on to new American as well as Canadian students.

This list is specific to first and second year students attending KEMU.
1. B.D. Chaurasia's Human Anatomy Vol. 1,2,3
2. Pioneers Biochemistry (KEMU group)
3. A Text book of Histology by Krishna
4. The professors of Physiology at KEMU has published his own book. Medical Physiology by Dr. M. Akram (before his book we all studied from A text of Physiology by Dr. Musthaq)

According to the type of format which exams are given at KE these books along with the above mentioned are more than enough.
Hope this helps.

Sweet, thx so much ali!
Would you suggest buying these in Pak. or in the U.S.? It seems like they'd mostly be available in Pak. but I thought maybe I'd ask just to be totally sure

Yeah, those are only available in Pakistan. That's basically the exact list I was talking about when I originally said there're more that you'll need once you're here and really in the swing of things.

Big medical books are extremely helpful if your trying to learn and pass the USMLE, but the information is overwhelming when it comes to passing the Pakistani exams. I would suggest you dont but any books ahead of time, just attend the classes and see what everyone else is studying from in your class and do the same thing. It wont help to be different. Everyone has their own recomendations on books but for first year focus on learning how to pass the exams which means studying only the kind of things they like to ask, for which you will need to use these crappy indian and pakistani authored books heh

im sorry but i don't understand. i thought med books were pretty much standardized. apart from a few most universities have the same UHS exam too.
i know ke exams are totally different and you do selective studying for that, but for the UHS ones aren't they pretty much standard everywhere?

No, its nothing standardized at all. And selective study works a great deal in UHS exams as well.. You will find most of the hostelites and other local students will try to use the slimmest books available on the market which are pretty much indian/pakistani authored books (well, simply plagiarized summaries of American books). The teachers will recommend some of the bigger standard books.

Plus there is really no standard book for any subject. Some books help you learn the subject, some books help you pass the UHS exams, some books help you pass your local college exam, and some books are helpful in the long run for the USMLE.

Breaking it down for you . (also for all subjects, get old University Questions books and study all the old questions they tend to come again and again in a different format)

1. Physiology
--> The STANDARD book = Guytons Physiology
--> The LOCAL Book could be Firdaus Physiology, a Pakistani one which some pakis study exclusively from, and just literally memorize it front to back and they get super high marks on the exams but have NO concept whatsoever!
--> Another LOCAL Book = Mushtaq Physiology, two book set. Kinda complicted because no outline, he throws everything at you... but.. It covers almost everything that could come on an exam.
--> UNDERSTANDING Book = Sherwood physiology, quite good if you can still find one.

2. Biochemistry - Lots of different books here.
--> STANDARD BOOK - Nothing standard really available in Pakistan that anyone uses, their all really really good American Revision books most people think they are standard though but you dont need the proper standard book so we use the following, I suggest you buy both.
--> LIPINCOTT
--> HARPERS

Then the LOCAL BOOK --> Mushtaq Biochemistry, most the students will use these. Total crap but total necessity because it covers everything for first year. You will literally need to memorize this book from front to back.
Other LOCAL REVIEW Books --> Faiq, and some other concise.

3. Gross Anatomy (the parts of the body)
--> LOCAL/INDIAN BOOK --> "the budda" aka BD Churasia Anatomy. For most w/no prioer medical education this book will be good to start with to pass the exams as it basically summarizes the entire body into what they will like to ask in the exams here.
--> STANDARD REFERENCE --> Grays Anatomy.. Ok Just cuz you like the TV show, dont buy this book. Its a HUGE book you will NEVER be able to study from this!!!
--> Students Favorites who are kinda foreigner acting, kinda cheap paki acting is SNELLS ANATOMY and SNELLS NEUROANATOMY.. Probably the best book for learning and still passing the exams.
--> MY FAVORITE --> Keith L. Moore anatomy. Excellent book!!!! But dont use this exclusively unless you like to learn and remember for the rest of your life what you studied .

4. General Anatomy --> Use whatever local book everyone else uses, tiny subject explaining what bones are and how we define structures on human body, ie medial/lateral, body position etc.

5. Histology --> Some subject concerned with the microscope and slides of tissues. Get one good book, an ATLAS which has pictures.. And get a local book, I forget the name, which helps with passing the exam on this.

6. Embryology --> Get the standard books, One is Keith L. Moore embryo, and the other is Langermans or something like that. Also get the Board Review Series book for Embryo.

Get it? Got it? Good =)

BTW For all the books I mentioned, specially the American ones... Get the REAL Editions not the fake pirated ones. The fake ones are cheaper but made of gross paper and it hurts your eyes to read. Unless you are really unsure about the book then get the fake one first.. But in the end you end up getting the expensive one so your a foreigner can afford it... Just make sure to have your local shalwar paki friend buy them for you cuz if they see your a foreigner they charge a lot more for books!!

thanx...all of you guys gave great insight....really appreciate

Local Book=Laiq Hussain--Medical Histology

thanks guys, this stuff is really helpful.

Ya I think its that green book w/a histo picture on the front. One of the better ones!