Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine - Christopher Haslett

Medicine, as a subject, suffers greatly from the lack of scientific basis on which doctors make decisions. As part of the profession we tend to accept what is told to us by our superiors without question. However in medicine much of what we are taught is conjecture, opinion or even anecdote. The original Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine was written almost 50 years ago and represented an overview of the subject that would be completely revised no less than 18 times. In other words new research continually changes clinical practice and I consider purchasing this book to be a waste of time since the next edition will simply replace the most recent. ...  Read the complete review

Davidson was a scottish professor of medicine who spent his life teaching students how to systematically approach medicine. This book is excellent. For a student who is learning medicine clinically, it provides you with a short but concice basis for the subject area you are interested in. It then tells you about the symptoms patients will then experience, the signs you may then elicit, and finally the investigations that are relevant to the area you are studying. After that it goes into sufficient but not overpowering detail with regards to the pathology/various conditions and how to differentiate between them. All in all a great start in ...  Read the complete review