• An ideal introduction to the basic medical sciences for junior medical students, and a perfect revision guide for senior students
• Divided into systems-based sections to mirror modern medical teaching practices
• The medical sciences are made clinical relevant throughout, and the book is cross-referenced to the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine
• Illustrated with almost 200 clear diagrams and photographs

Readership: Aimed primarily aimed at medical students in the first two years of their course, this handbook will also provide a useful reference source for clinical medical students, science students studying any of the traditional biomedical sciences and allied health professionals.

Edited by Robert Wilkins, University Lecturer in Physiology, University of Oxford; American Fellow in Physiology, St Edmund Hall, Oxford, UK, Simon Cross, Reader and Honorary Consultant, Academic Unit of Pathology, School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK, Ian Megson, Lifescan Chair of Diabetes, UHI Millennium Institute, Inverness, UK, and David Meredith, University Research Lecturer, University Of Oxford; Lecturer in Biomedical Science, St Anne's College, Oxford, UK

Dr Megson is a Senior Lecturer in Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Edinburgh and is a member of the Higher Education Academy with over 10 years' experience of teaching both medical and science students.

"I would be delighted if every medical student I taught had realized the level of the clarity and detail in this book." - Dr Thomas Jacques, Clinician/Scientist, Institute of Child Health, in the Bulletin of the Royal College of Physicians

"...ideal for all medical students...for PBL section and as a companion to lecture notes...also useful as a refresher later on...cross referencing with the Oxford Handbook Clinical Medicine makes it ideal when looking for specific pathologies and their management..." - QMM

"The book enables you to see basic science through the viewpoint of clinical medicine. You feel acutely aware of the relevance of the information you are seeking...as well as the familiar and efficient bullet point method to convey essential information, it contains clear and wonderfully concise diagrams - the kind youcrave when you want to quickly check something; you don't want detail - just to jog your memory." - GKT Gazette

"Fantastic! Truly a great resources for students. I feel that this book could have a great market here in the US. The US market has many similar books but they all fall short on content. I find this text far superior in content & organization. My thoughts are that 3rd & 4th year medical students could carry & use this small handbook when rotating on the various hospital wards & clinical rotations. This book would also be very helpful for 1st year interns/residents as they often need to refer back to basic science principles...I was amazed at how complete this small handbook is with basic medical science topics and the ease with which one can read and refer back to these topics. Art work was particularly impressive despite being small. I found no weaknesses in this book whatsoever!" - Dr. Edward Kernick, USA

"...it's got pretty much everything you're supposed to know in years one and two...compact, comprehensive, brilliant value and another winner in the handbook series." - Dr Jeremy Sager, GP, Leeds, UK.

"... a first rate attempt at covering the medical sciences" - MedicWorld

1. Cellular structure and function
1.1: General principles
1.2: Proteins
1.3: Lipids
1.4: Carbohydrates
1.5: The organisation of cell membranes
1.6: Organelles
1.7: Pharmacological modulation of cell function
2. Cellular metabolism
2.1: General principles
2.2: Central metabolic pathways
2.3: Fat as fuel
2.4: Glucose as fuel
2.5: Amino acid metabolism
2.6: Cellular organisation of metabolism
2.7: Integration and endocrine regulation of metabolism
2.8: Clinical aspects
3. Molecular and medical genetics
3.1: Principles of molecular genetics
3.2: Gene expression
3.3: Medical genetics
4. Nerve and muscle
4.1: Overview
4.2: Nerve conduction
4.3: Synaptic transmission
4.4: Muscle
4.5: Pathology
5. Musculoskeletal system
5.1: Tissues of the body
5.2: Anatomy of the upper limb
5.3: Anatomy of the lower limb
5.4: Anatomy of the spine
5.5: Pathology
6. Respiratory and cardiovascular systems
6.1: The thorax
6.2: The pulmonary system
6.3: The cardiovascular system
7. Urinary system
7.1: Urinary tract morphology
7.2: Renal function
7.3: Regulation of body fluids
7.4: Bladder control and urinary incontinence
7.5: Pathology
8. Digestive system
8.1: The abdomen
8.2: Function of the gastrointestinal tract
8.3: The liver
9. Endocrine organs
9.1: Overview
9.2: Major systems
9.3: Stress
10. Reproduction and development
10.1: The genital systems
10.2: Reproductive function
10.3: Human embryology
11. Head and neck
11.1: Organisation
11.2: Function
11.3: Sensory system
11.4: Motor
11.5: Thalamus and hypothalamus
11.6: Higher functions
11.7: Disorders and treatments
12. Infection and immunity
12.1: Pathogens
12.2: Defence against infection
12.3: Inflammation
12.4: Repair
12.5: Immunopathology
12.6: Immunodeficiency
13. Growth of tissues and organs
13.1: General principles
13.2: Neoplasia
13.3: Chemotherapy and radiobiology
14. Techniques of medical sciences
14.1: Genomics
14.2: Proteomics
14.3: Cytology and histology
14.4: Microbiology
14.5: Biochemical assays
14.6: Functional studies