Instant Anatomy

Abstract

Instant Anatomy 4th edn by Whitaker, R. H., Borley, N. R. . ( Pp . xi+242 ; fully illustrated ; ISBN: 978-1-4051-9961-2 ; Paperback; £19.99 .) Chichester : Wiley-Blackwell . March 2010 . The Fourth Edition of Instant Anatomy is an excellent handy pocket guide written for undergraduate medical and dental students, allied health professionals, surgical and medical trainees. The first seven chapters describe blood vessels, lymphatics, nerves, and the autonomic nervous system. The text for each chapter comprises a short, precise description in a simplified didactic way, illustrated with beautiful coloured diagrams. The authors have endeavored to keep the diagrams understandable by placing a compass in the corner. The course of the arteries is described very well in the first section; however, while reading the section describing the course of the coronary arteries I felt that a labelled illustration of the heart would complement the text. Similarly, a diagram could be added to illustrate the relations described for the carotid arteries. Arterial anastomoses around the scapula and hip joint are well illustrated with labelled diagrams, but here a few lines of text would be helpful. There is a typo on Page 45, where arterial anastomoses around hip are described under the heading ‘Scapular anastomoses’– this should be corrected. The autonomic nervous system is a topic that undergraduate students quite often struggle to understand. I congratulate the authors on their presentation of this rather complex aspect of anatomy, with all the relevant details in a much-simplified form. There is a good description of cranial nerves in chapter 5, covering the course of each nerve from its nuclei in brain. However, having mentioned various parts of the brainstem in the text, it would be useful to add a labelled diagram of the brainstem showing the rootlets of the cranial nerves. Chapter 8 gives a list of muscles complete with origin, insertion, action and nerve supply in alphabetical order. This summary would be an extremely beneficial aid for that very important final revision on the night before exams, or for postgraduates in the clinical setting when they can’t afford to waste time futilely searching for answers in large, cumbersome textbooks. Chapters 9, 10 & 11 cover the osteology of joints, ossification times and the foramina of the skull and spine. The material in each chapter is comprehensive and logically organized for quick reference. The last chapter, on ‘surface anatomy’, is useful for undergraduate medical students as well as for other health care professionals in the clinical setting. The surface marking of veins is shown only with a diagram: it would be useful to add few lines of description about such important structures. This is a ‘must have’ book, designed for quick reference to basic anatomy for undergraduate medical students and for those studying for higher degrees, as well as clinicians. Although clinical relevance is omitted intentionally, a line or two at the end of each page would make it more interesting and applicable. For example, in the section on cranial nerves, a table describing how to check the integrity of each cranial nerve in a patient would be helpful. Overall, it is a well-organised, comprehensive, user-friendly book with simplified coloured diagrams, excellent for brushing up on anatomical knowledge once the foundations are in place. An undergraduate medical student would find it very helpful to use in conjunction with a standard clinical anatomy textbook.