List of Medical School Textbooks (Medical books) for students

This is a list of recommended Medical Textbooks for used by Medical students in the course of their studies from 100 Level (First year) to 600 Level (Final year). I compiled the list based on the textbooks we used and based on what some of our lecturers were using; this list may not be the same as the one recommended by your medical college or medical school but serve as a guide for anyone intending to start reading even before moving to the next class in your medical school or for the fresh undergraduate student who has just been given admission to study medicine and surgery in the University.

For this end, I assumed for you to have searched for this list of medical textbooks, it shows you either do not know what your school recommends or you know but may want to know what textbooks other medical schools are using. I am writing this entirely from what we used in our study at University of Jos for our Preclinical Postings and study and also in our Clinical study and Postings at Jos University Teaching Hospital.

Medbook: Cover of Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank Netter

I will describe the pros and cons of some of the textbooks and give you a review of these medical textbooks on how easy or hard they may seem, how to read the textbooks and also guide you on some of the ways to combine the textbooks for best understanding especially for the someone who just got admission and thinks medical textbooks were like Biology and Physics textbooks in Secondary schools or High schools.

List of Recommended Textbooks for Medical students

100 Level textbooks for Medical Students

In your first year, you will entirely be studying subjects or courses under Natural sciences. You will review what you have been doing from Secondary school such as Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics and General Studies; therefore, there are no special textbooks for this except the handouts given to you by Lecturers or some notes given in class. Most of the things you will need in 100 exams are already in the handouts (Materials in the form of written notes by Lecturers to students often photocopied and distributed to the students studying that specific course; sometimes given free and sometimes some Lecturers require the students to buy it).

200 and 300 Level Medical textbooks

Medical Textbooks for 200 and 300 levels are often the same; as what is done in 200 level is continued to 300 level before writing the 2^ndM.B.B.S Exams in order to proceed to the clinical aspect of Medicine and Surgery.

List of recommended Physiology textbooks for 200 and 300 Level

1. Textbook of Physiology by Gabriel C. Ezeilo
2. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology
3. Ganongs Review of Medical Physiology
4. Essentials of Medical Physiology by K. Sembulingam and Prema Sembulingam

Medbook: Cover of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology by Katzung

I have written in details about Medical courses you will be studying in Medical school. Physiology by Gabriel C. Ezeilo gives you the correct information you need in Physiology as a Medical student and will help you to pass your exams. Guyton and Hall is very big, though there is the summarized version (Edition) and it goes into details to explain everything you need with reasons. Ezeilo may explain to you that cells exchange information by use of receptors located in the cell membrane but Guyton and Hall will go into details to tell you how those receptors are formed, how they are transported to the cell membrane and how they are triggered to exchange the required information. If you have enough time of which you mostly will not have, you can read Guyton to have a deep understanding of Physiology; but if you are preparing for Exams, then Ezeilo will be better.

Essential Physiology by Sembulingham is basically the essential or concise form where the physiology is summarized and given in points or list. It is not detailed as that of Gabriel C. Ezeilo or Guyton and Hall. The Essential is better if you want to revise your study after reading Guyton and Hall. Just as Guyton and Hall, Ganong is also detailed but harder to Understand.

List of Recommended Textbooks of Gross Anatomy for Medical Students

1. Last Anatomy: Regional and Applied
2. Clinically Oriented Anatomy by Keith Moore
3. Atlas of Human Anatomy by Frank H. Netter
4. Grays Atlas of Anatomy

Gross Anatomy shows you the structures that make up the human body. Last Anatomy and Clinically Oriented Anatomy are the Textbooks that describe the human body in words while the ATLAS is textbooks that contain purely the Human Body drawings. For you to understand gross Anatomy, you must read the textbooks together with the ATLAS to understand what the textbooks are describing.

List of Recommended Textbooks of Histology for Medical Students

1. Textbook of Human Histology by Inderbir Singh

List of Recommended Textbooks of Embryology for Medical Students

1. Langmans Medical Embryology by Thomas W. Sadler
2. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology by Keith Moore

List of Recommended Textbooks of Biochemistry for Medical Students

1. Harpers Illustrated Biochemistry
2. Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical students by D.M Vasudevan, Vaidyanathan Kannan and S. Sreekumari

Medbook: Cover of Principles and Practice of Surgery by Badoe

Clinical Medbooks

In your 400 Level you will need Pathology and Pharmacology Textbooks. Pathology is divided into Microbiology, Chemical Pathology, Histopathology and Hematology.

Pharmacology Textbooks

1. Rang and Dales Pharmacology
2. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology by Bertram G. Katzung
3. Modern Pharmacology with Clinical Applications by Charles R. Craig and Robert E. Stitzel

Hematology Textbook

1. Essential Hematology by A.V Hoffbrand

Microbiology Textbooks

1. Review of Medical Microbiology and Immunology by Warren Levinson

Histopathology Textbook

1. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease: This textbook is a complete guide to Histopathology and is used by even doctors that are doing their residency program in Histopathology. If you must buy this, you should go for the summarized and small edition that can be portable and easy to read for the medical student. The big one is very expensive and is extremely big that you may not be able to use or read it as a student but it is the best for residency.

Chemical Pathology Textbook

1. A Primer of Chemical Pathology by Evelyn S.C Koay and Noel Walmsley

500 Level Pediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynecology Textbooks

1. Pediatrics and Child Health by J.C Azubuike
2. Nelson Essentials of Pediatrics by Karen J. Marcdante and Robert M. Kliegman
3. Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Medical Students by Akin Agboola
4. Gynecology by Ten Teachers
5. Obstetrics by Ten Teachers

Medicine and Surgery Textbooks for 600 Level students

Even though you will start your Medicine and Surgery postings in 400 Level, you will only complete it in your final year; this is what is being done at University of Jos Medical College. It is better you buy the textbook in 600 level as what you will be doing in 400 level will basically be a small part of the medicine and surgery.

Internal Medicine Textbooks

1. Kumar and Clarks Cases in Clinical Medicine
2. Davidsons Principles and Practice of Medicine

Surgery Textbooks

1. Principles and Practice of Surgery including Pathology in the Tropics by E. A Badoe; E. Q Archampong and J.T da Rocha-Afodu
2. Baileys and Loves Short Practice of Surgery

Most times, Medical students are anxious to buy textbooks but it is advisable you wait and start the medical course and then you can ask your senior colleagues of what they used before buying the textbooks. This will help you from having to spend money buying a textbook that you may not find it useful or that the lecturers are not using. Sometimes you could see the ones that others might buy and you can take a glance of it to know if you will like it or not before buying it. This is not exhaustive list of all the good medical textbooks as more will be added with time and as I get to know about them. What Medical textbooks are you using in your Medical College?