Physiology TEXTBOOK? Boron or Costanzo?

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Ravendown

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I have a dilemma at the moment. Which physio textbook should i buy. THe required text for my school is Boron's Medical Physiology, but i've heard that Costanzo's text is the best out there. Boron's is >1000 pages, yet Constanzo's is around 600 i believe. My Physiology class is ~ 10 weeks long [as that's the only class that we take at the time]. Individuals who have had experience with either book do please post your positives and negatives about each please.
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My vote is "neither" due to how awesome the BRS is, but if you're dedicated to spending your cash, go with Costanzo. I'd even get Guyton over Boron.
 
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I've used both Costanzo's text and Guyton during the first 2 years. I think Costanzo is an easier read, plus her BRS book is basically an outline of her textbook. Thus, going through BRS felt like reading the textbook again, but at a faster pace.
 
physio depts always want the students to buy their required textbook. don't do it! just buy constanzo or brs you'll be happy you did
 
MilkmanAl said:
My vote is "neither" due to how awesome the BRS is, but if you're dedicated to spending your cash, go with Costanzo. I'd even get Guyton over Boron.
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I liked BRS a lot...after I read the more detailed version of Costanzo.

I found Costanzo really easy to read, almost to the point that it didn't feel like a science textbook. I have nothing but a few diagrams to go off of with Boron, which I didn't like.
 
I also had the same question. So should we go with the large physiology textbook by costanzo or just simply the brs physiology? I'm planning on using brs during board prep next year, but I'm worried about it being detailed enough for phys class during school. Any advice on whether using the BRS book is enough as a complete reference for class?
 
It's taken me a while to figure it out but BRS + class notes is the way to go. BRS is amazing, and even though it is an outline it has all the information you need explained very well.
 
I used Big and little Guyton all the way! Loved it and did quite well!
 
Ravendown said:
I have a dilemma at the moment. Which physio textbook should i buy. THe required text for my school is Boron's Medical Physiology, but i've heard that Costanzo's text is the best out there. Boron's is >1000 pages, yet Constanzo's is around 600 i believe. My Physiology class is ~ 10 weeks long [as that's the only class that we take at the time]. Individuals who have had experience with either book do please post your positives and negatives about each please.
Click to expand...



Um Borons is WAY too much. You will never read it and theres way too much detail. It was the recommended text for my course too. None of the professors ever used it, and neither did any of the students. Costanzo is amazing. Its exactly what you need to know. Especially if you are going to be taking the shelf exam. Study from Costanzo, review with BRS. Golden. I found that BRS was very very outlined. She doesnt explain everything and skips out on some cool stuff too. It was nice to have already read Costanzo and also to have it as a reference if while I was reviewing BRS I needed a little more background or figures.

There is a new edition of Costanzo out, I think its the 4th. You can save some money and use the 3rd. They will be pretty much identical. I used the 2nd edition (i got it before the 4th came out) and they were pretty much identical as well. An example of a difference I came across was that in the 2nd at one point she just referred to a transporter as a general transporter, but in the 3rd she actually gave it a name like a sodium co transporter or something. Minor detail, but pretty insignificant in the overall picture. You wont be missing those details.
 
It really depends on the type of learner you are. Some people naturally seem to absorb more from material, so BRS will suffice for them. I tend to study in much greater detail since that is what usually eludes me. The big picture part is easy, so when I read something like BRS I tend to do a lot of "yea yea I know" reading.
 
I just used BRS and class notes. Worked great for me. I tried reading Guyton but it just wasn't a good usage of my time. Wasn't high yield enough for me. Reading this thread kind of makes me wish I checked out Costanzo though.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. I decided to go with constanzo after i looked at a few pages of the boron book; it seemed to think i had taken physiology before, as others have stated. With a 10 week physio class costanzo seems to be the right length and has gotten enough praise that i can faithfully buy it and not worry too much.
 
Guyton! Guyton! Guyton! Phenomenal physiologist. Great didactic book!
 
MilkmanAl said:
My vote is "neither" due to how awesome the BRS is, but if you're dedicated to spending your cash, go with Costanzo. I'd even get Guyton over Boron.
Click to expand...

BRS is the way to go.
 
Don't have experience with the other books, costanzo is great. Not a lot of extraneous detail, easy to read and it has stuck with me very well. I like BRS alot also, but agree with the above posters that it is better as a review
 
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