Best Anatomy Book to Study From

I think if you do a search, you will find this topic extensively discussed.

A lot of it depends on your school, but here is what I used:

1. Netter - I like it better than Grants. My only advice - don't waste money on a new edition - Frank Netter died in the 80s, his drawings haven't changed much since.

2. Chung (BRS Series) - helpful to review from, but not a good primary text.

3. Moore - I had the big Moore, but only because I found it cheaper than the baby moore. The Baby Moore was pretty popular here.

4. Rohen - THE BEST book for getting through anatomy imo. I didn't figure this out until half way through the course, but once I did, I was very glad that I found it. Expensive, but worth it.

NMS Anatomy for text. it is in outline format that facilitates memorization and organization of info while reviewing. good for lecture and good as a companion during dissection to. for atlas, netters has always been the gold standard.

Netter .

Hatman said:

Anyone know which anatomy book would be best to study from....any recommendations since you guys are the pros?

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The best thing "to study from" isn't going to be a book, it's your lecture notes (notesets) and slides. That is what will be on your tests. Everything else is a secondary resource, except perhaps an Atlas. There are also flashcards and coloring books that some feel are helpful in getting down the structures. The key in med school is knowing what not to buy -- you can spend hundreds to thousands of dollars purchasing recommended or required books you will never use. Less is more.

gray's anatomy for med student

snell is also good. i used them both during my anatomy class. gray's has a very good illustration.

mini-moore, BRS, netter's, rohen.. the former two for written exams (i.e. shelf), and the latter two for practicals.

I use Netter's and the cadavers.

For neuroanatomy, Blumenfeld is a godsend.

Critical Mass said:

If you have an AMSA option between a free Netter's and a dissection kit, take the Netter's. I was never offered a Netter's like many other SDNer's.

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Err? I want free books. How do you get free books?

netter, netter flash cards, moore (but not essential) & cadaver time!!!

I found a book called "Anatomy at a Glance" that I believe was written with medical students in mind. I like it a lot, it is like a note set that seems to cover most of what I needed to know for lab. I like to have multiple resources when studying, and this is concise...you might want to check it out from your library (where I found it).

Moore Blue Boxes.

Netter for the way it's supposed to be (essential) and Rohen for the way it actually looks.

megadon said:

Netter for the way it's supposed to be (essential) and Rohen for the way it actually looks.

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In the absence of lecture notes, Little Moores + SUNY Downstate Anatomy Website (with cadaver pics, quizzes) =

Law2Doc said:

...The key in med school is knowing what not to buy -- you can spend hundreds to thousands of dollars purchasing recommended or required books you will never use. Less is more.

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Your school interest clubs will have book sales. Those $100-120 books will be go for $10-20. Substantial savings for waiting.

But you can also buy the world - it won't make you smarter. Just buy a few books. Some that you can't go wrong with are K, Costanzo, Moores.

With my syllabus, I rarely use anything beyond these three. I got my K for $10 - you could easily get the Costanzo and Moores for $40 or so at a sale. So, for $50 you're set for the year. Not bad.

marooner said:

NMS Anatomy for text. it is in outline format that facilitates memorization and organization of info while reviewing. good for lecture and good as a companion during dissection to. for atlas, netters has always been the gold standard.

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NMS anatomy is so detailed! I was actually extremely impressed with this book, as it had details that weren't even covered in big moore (especially on autonomic nervous system anatomy). I highly recommend this once you've learned the material and you want that extra push to get a high grade.

I previewed topics using the Acland DVD, then read the relevant baby Moore chapters, filled in my knowledge if it was shaky with big Moore, then reviewed through BRS and did questions. I'd then go to NMS as needed, then do UMich questions. Always got in the 90's.

Moore is long, but it was my favorite source for actually learning stuff. I'm a reader, though, and like to read text instead of just lists of things to memorize, which actually doesn't seem to be the norm in med school. So, if you're like me, you'll probably like Moore. If you just want lists of of things to memorize, you'll find Moore to be a huge, inefficient waste of time.

BRS is good for the questions -- working through questions is a great (and less painful) way to solidify your anatomy knowledge. It's also good for review, but I agree that it's not great for learning the material new. But again if you're cool with just memorizing lists, BRS might be all you need.

For lab, I really liked Rohen, but I also liked to limit my time in lab. The best studying tool is probably your cadaver. Rohen isn't sufficient by itself, though, because the illustrations aren't great imo and some stuff isn't there. This is where Netter's comes in. I never looked at Grant or any of the other atlases, so I can't comment on those.