Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (Tortora,Principles of Anatomy and Physiology) Reviews

• Missing CD?

  
  By A1JQIJWLJ7UH50 on 2009-06-22
  Like a previous reviewer, Rachael M. Thomas, I too purchased this book from Amazon, but it didn't come with a CD. I believe I bought it about the same time she did (assuming she purchased it around the time she wrote her review in April '09). It's the latest edition (12th). Brand new. Yet no CD. I mean, it has a little CD pouch or holder inside the front book cover, as if a CD should be inside of it. The pouch is shaped perfectly to hold a CD. But no CD. Weird.
  
  Still, I'm very happy with the purchase. The text and illustrations are excellent. There's just enough info for a first year med student - not too little, not too much. It is somewhat dry, but, well, this is a textbook, not a novel. But the information is clear and accessible. Also, I like how anatomy and physiology are integrated, so you learn where things are located as well as what they do. Form and function. Maybe it's a personal thing, but I find it helps in remembering to study the two together. There are some other features such as the occasional histology slide to help out too.
  
  The main drawback of an integrated textbook like this one is that it tends not to be as in-depth as a standalone textbook focused on a single subject. So, for more detail, some students might instead prefer to purchase separate textbooks for each subject - anatomy and physiology.
  
  For anatomy, there are texts and then there are atlases. Texts explain anatomy and anatomical relations and so forth in-depth, and also include some photos, diagrams, etc. Whereas atlases contain tons of photos, illustrations, and other diagrams, as well as things like radiological images, with a sparse amount of text. You can preview various texts and atlases via Amazon's preview feature, or often they're also preview-able on the publisher's website, to decide what's best for you.
  
  * For an anatomy textbook, Gray's Anatomy for Students and either (baby) Moore's Essential Clinical Anatomy or (big) Moore's Clinically Oriented Anatomy are often recommended. The strength of Gray's is its beautiful pictures and diagrams. But I find the text and organization leave something to be desired. Personally, I prefer Moore's. For example, I appreciate its famous blue boxes focused on the clinical application of anatomy. I think Baby Moore's is more than sufficient for med school. But from what I've heard from other doctors and staff, primary care and other related physicians tend to prefer Big Moore's between the two. So it might be worthwhile investing in Big Moore's if you're considering going down this track. And, to complicate matters a bit more, surgeons have their own specialized anatomy texts (e.g. Last's Anatomy).
  
  * For an anatomy atlas, the classic is Netter's. Also, others recommend photographic ones like Rohen's Color Atlas of Anatomy. The benefit of Rohen's is it includes actual photos of dissected cadavers, prosections, and so on. But the problem with Rohen's is that it doesn't go as in-depth or get as detailed as Netter's or other atlases. So some might prefer a non-photographic atlas like Netter's Atlas or perhaps Thieme's which don't have photos but instead have illustrations or diagrams but tend to be more detailed than the photographic ones. Also, in my opinion, Grant's is underrated. It's a really fantastic atlas. It's mainly diagrammatic but it also includes other things like some photographs and radiological images. It's quite detailed too. In fact, many of the diagrams in Grant's are also used in Moore's. (Not so coincidentally, both Grant's and Moore's share authors.) For what it's worth, if anything, if I had to recommend a single atlas, I'd probably recommend Grant's.
  
  But to be honest, I think lecture notes + anatomy labs + either an anatomy textbook or atlas of your choice (not necessarily both unless you have extra money to splurge) are more than sufficient for learning the basic gross anatomy required in most med schools and for the USMLE Step 1. If you want to go beyond, perhaps if you want to specialize in general or other surgery, then you can buy specialized surgical anatomy books later down the road. But for med school a single general anatomy textbook or atlas to supplement the material your med school provides you should be sufficient for most students.
  
  By the way, in case any med students are interested, this is obviously just my opinion, but I don't think you need to buy tons of textbooks for med school. Just a few, essential ones should suffice.
  
  For example:
  
  * An anatomy textbook. Tortora's is sufficient if you want to combine anatomy and physiology in one textbook. But if you go with a separate anatomy textbook, I think Moore's is great. Although if you decide on Moore, it might be better to get Baby Moore which is less detailed. It's sometimes easy to lose the forest for the trees with so much detail. Then again, this might just be me.
  
  * Or an anatomy atlas. I prefer either Grant's or Rohen's. I'd probably go for Grant's. I know Netter's is classic, but, again, I think the underrated Grant's is better than Netter's, even though Netter's is classic. For one thing, Grant's contains radiological images like MRIs whereas Netter's doesn't or rather doesn't include as many.
  
  * A physiology textbook. Tortora is good but not in-depth. Other good ones include Costanzo (the big one, not the review) and of course Guyton, which is classic. Boron's is quite good too. But it's immense and perhaps overkill for most med students. If it were me, I'd probably pick Costanzo's since it's relatively cheap so you can get quite a lot of bang for your buck. But Guyton's is of course far more comprehensive.
  
  * A pathology textbook. Robbins Basic Pathology should be sufficient. But then again everyone seems to get the big one, Pathological Basis of Disease. I assume this is so they can reference it in their clinical years or during residency or whatever.
  
  * A clinical examination textbook. Bates is often recommended. But I prefer Talley's which is used in the UK and Commonwealth nations.
  
  * A medicine textbook. Everyone seems to love Harrison's. Yes, it's awesome. It's a complete Bible of medicine. But it's got way too much information. In fact, several resident and even attending physicians have told me it has more than what even they as physicians need to know. It's better to use something like the latest edition of Current's. Or I prefer one used in the UK called Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine. During rotations, you'll see several other resources (e.g. UpToDate). Of course, a subscription to the New England Journal of Medicine and access to the latest journal articles is a great idea here too.
  
  * First Aid for the USMLE Step 1. An absolute must. Then supplement with Qbanks from places like Kaplan or USMLEWorld or the NBME itself.
  
  Other books like histology and microbiology aren't absolutely necessary either. But some might like to get them. For histology, I appreciate Junquiera's over other ones like Ross or Wheater's. For microbiology many really like Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple. But others like me prefer more traditional textbooks like Mims'. Pharmacology is important too but it's a growing and expanding field so it might not be ideal to spend the money to buy a textbook. If you do, though, I've found Katzung helpful. It's good on fundamental principles. Like many, I like Lippincott's for biochemistry. Books on embryology, immunology, genetics, medical dictionaries, and so forth really aren't necessary, I don't think.
  
  I should note that I don't read through textbooks in their entirety, but use them to supplement lectures, or when I don't understand something, or when I want to look up things in more detail.
  
  Also, I should mention that many if not most med schools provide students with access to online med books via places like Access Medicine. So no need to buy many textbooks since it's likely you'll be able to access them online via your med school.
  
  I think the main focus for the first half of med school should be lectures. Of course, there's always more stuff to learn, but if you stick to your lectures and what your med school expects you to learn, then you won't lose sight of the primary concepts - which you can then build on as it suits you.
  
  Anyway, just my two cents' worth.
  
  (One reason I'm mentioning all this is because I wasted way more money than I would've liked purchasing all sorts of textbooks that I hardly seem to use, and don't want others to make the same mistake. I guess it's not "wasted," per se, since I have a bunch of books I can easily reference. But, still, it's probably not warranted for me to spend $100 or whatever on a book that I'll only use a couple of times throughout the course of med school when I could just have easily borrowed it from the library or another classmate. Oh well. Live and learn. On the plus side, now others can borrow from me.)
  
  

• An excellent book

  
  By A6ESW9IXEEZB5 on 2009-08-07
  I used this book in my first year of pharmacy school and it served its purpose well and beyond. The unifying theme of the book is how the human body mantains homeostasis and this theme is well incorporated into all of the topics. Each chapter has numerous images, graphs and tables that enhance and/or summarize the reading. At the end of each chapter is an excellent section of homeostatic imbalances which explains diseases and conditions regarding the specific body system being discussed. In addition, each chapter also has "clinical connections" sections that explain diseases, conditions or procedures and "medical terminology" sections. Being a pharmacy student, I found that the book does not emphasize on medications used to treat conditions, but it was ok since we don't get into medications in deph until our second year. One final thing is that, if you want to get a good understanding of each topic, you should read each chapter fully since reading only the section you are interested in will likely leave you with gaps.
  
  

• Learning Anatomy and Physiology

  
  By AVWFR1MLP32FS on 2008-10-10
  This textbook is absolutely wonderful for learning Anatomy and Physiology. All of the professors at Delgado Community College decided on this textbook for the students, and I see why. The illustrations in the book are very good, and it is easy to read and understand. I will definitely keep this book for future reference after finishing Anatomy and Physiology.
  
  

• Does not include access to WileyPlus website

  
  By A26Z2YCCCYP1LF on 2010-02-07
  Great book. Well written and easy to follow. Incredible pictures and art that really help students grasp hard topics. This book does have an access code for an online companion site for the book. IT DOES NOT have access to the WileyPlus website where all the real help is. If you want access to the charts, animations, video, podcasts, ect. it will cost you an extra $109 from the book publisher....rip-off. If your college bookstore includes the code with the book you may want to weigh the options vs. price. It really just depends on what type of learner you are and what your professors may require in the way of online resources.
  
  

• Very good book

  
  By A261ELGAWK646Q on 2009-02-17
  The book is a "readable" anatomy book. The text is not overwhelming - it is concise and brief. The images are a bit small though. The book provides access to a website. The website is a bit slow and erratic but otherwise ok when the page loads. The website is very helpful when reviewing.
  
  
• No CD's!!
  By AMA2OLOBOLPR2 on 2009-11-10
  Book was shipped new in excellent condition, but there were no CD's attached. Everyone in the class had the CD's except me and I was the only one with a new book. There was a CD sleeve in my book, but it was empty. WHERE'S MY CD'S!!
  
  
• A & P
  By A1D63RJSIXJCKK on 2009-09-29
  I recieved the book in a timely manner but it did not come with the cd like it said it did.
  
  
• Thank you!
  By A1UY7MQC2I0YPP on 2009-09-28
  Very satisfied with my purchase! It was shipped fast and the condition it was in was excellent! Thank you!
  
  
• Anatomy and Physiology Book
  By A1LFP2XABKX7PQ on 2009-09-27
  This book would have cost me a whole lot more if I had bought it from the school. It was a brand new book, still in the wrapper. I have no complaints what so ever. I would tell every college student to buy their books from Amazon
  
  
• Exactly what I needed, Thanks!
  By A2EUFX3RN6RG21 on 2009-09-11
  The book I ordered arrived in plenty of time for my Fall class, and looked like new. I would recommend using this company again for future purchases.
  
  
• Great Book
  By A3C3LCX2GQ4U5X on 2010-08-16
  I am an optometry student, and this book is great because it explains effectively what the doctors teaching the courses do not have time to, but will test us on later. Easy to understand and great pix,
  
  
• Wrong Item!
  By AU3AQLJBO3XMI on 2010-08-16
  I thought I was buying the 12th edition, but I was sent the third (published in 1981!!!) I sent the item back and bought it on a different website.
  
  
• A pleasure to to business with
  By A2QAXLESVUIMQ9 on 2010-08-11
  I ordered this book on July 9 and it was shipped out the very next day. After several weeks of searching for it through the internet, with the delivery conformation number, I had to give up. Sadly the USPS could not track it and all they could tell me is that it was in transit somewhere. So after contacting this seller, they immediately contacted me back and told me they did't have a problem with giving my money back and they did. Though I didn't get to see the condition of the book, I appreciate their help in this matter and would do business with them in the future. Thanks!
  
  
• PERFECT
  By A2P5JOTUBAX93Z on 2010-07-16
  Thank you so very much. This book was just like it said it was. FAST SHIPPING PERFECT SELLER. THANK YOU!!!
  
  
• FAsr Service
  By A2M2S5JQUZ0B72 on 2010-05-10
  Couldnt be happier. Had my textbook stolen mid semester and got this one delivered in less than a week. saved my life
  
  
• Not hardcover
  By A1J89ZHXUDAMYB on 2010-03-21
  I bought this used and it was not hardcover. It was loose leaf and in a binder. However, it was much more convienient. I love it.
  
  
• Very prompt, as promised.
  By A1V53KTS1WOIAR on 2010-03-11
  Product arrived in time. In great condition. Product was new as promised, still wrapped in origional packaging. Very happy.
  
  
• EXCELLENT
  By A294J3JBNA3465 on 2010-02-10
  perrfect condition-shrink raped-arrived timely-
  verry happy due to $90 savings on this item compared to university bookstore
  
  
• Very good reference work!
  By A278C9XEU9YAAL on 2010-02-09
  I bought this book as a requirement for my pre-med A&P I and II. The book is easy to understand with tons of graphics, pictures, and exercises. The CD that comes with the book is a little cartoon-y, but the book itself is awesome. Gets very in-depth and uses the correct medical terminology instead of trying to dumb-down the subject matter. Definately helped me ace both semesters of A&P!
  
  
• Anatomy book
  By A1S8NZDE0XY7V on 2009-08-30
  Great service!
  Arrived in the condition promised, arrived on time! Would buy again from seller!
  
  
• Great Book!
  By A28ZMABGJLO4A6 on 2009-06-17
  This book has lots of pictures and is full of great information that is easy to understand!
  
  
• Principles of A & P
  By A3N1UHA0QJ7AS5 on 2009-06-06
  The book shipped on time and is everything the seller said it would be!!!
  
  Thanks
  
  Suzi E
  
  
  
• Very well put together
  By A2UNGNZ6UFRJ5J on 2009-04-07
  The way this book guided me thru the anatomy with the illustrations and clinical interesting points was very useful. I really enjoyed learning from it andspecially using the website as an aid to memorizing.
  ASIN:0470084715 Principles of Anatomy and Physiology
  
  
• principles of anatomy book review
  By A3PTUYU3M19EC2 on 2009-04-23
  Very happy with book an how quickly it came, but was disappointed that cd didn't come with it. For being a new book like it said thought cd would come with. Otherwise I am happy with it. Would probably buy again from you.
  
  
• Not what it seems to be
  By A1AX097Y2DSHQ4 on 2009-11-16
  The image of the product looks exactly like the textbook, but the seller lies. When I received this product it was not the textbook, and instead when I opened the package I got two paperback workbooks. I was expecting to get the textbook just like the image shows but the seller provides false information. Be careful what you order because you might not get what you wanted.
  
  

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