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Books for the 2nd year medicine
As with all my other recommendations, they are just that - recommendations.
Some people like diagrams, some like lots of colors. And some just like cheap books with nothing but text.
The second year has "only" three subjects: Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry.
The best thing about the second year is that you can focus all your energy on these three subjects. The problem for most students, though - these subjects are all hard.
The second year is the year that most students fail out and have to start over again.
So, there's only one lesson to be learned: study, study, study!
The first step is to get a good set of books.
Secondly, go to lectures and make sure you study the material covered, because time flies and before you know if you have three weeks left of the semester - and if you haven't started by then, it's too late!
Here are my recommendations:
Anatomy
Most likely, you'll have an atlas and a general textbook.
Read my general comment on the Anatomy subject to see what books you need for the third and fourth semester.
Biochemistry
This was my favorite subject, but I know that this is a fairly rare taste among medical students.
Biochemistry is basically memorizing a plethora of enzymes, substrates, products and cofactors.
The good news is that once you master Biochemistry, you will understand so much more of the intricate details of Pathophysiology, Physiology, and especially Pharmacology!
I believe these two books together is a winning combination:
Devlin: Textbook of Biochemistry and Lippincott's Biochemistry.
Lippincott's Biochemistry explains the subject in a very crude, but understandable manner. Devlin: Textbook of Biochemistry adds all the details that you sorely need for the semifinal and final exam.
The truth is that Devlin: Textbook of Biochemistry is very good at the parts it covers. The hemostasis and neurobiochemistry are not so good in Devlin, but the Department of Biochemisty usually provides good notes and lectures on the subject.
There is another book, a favorite of mine, called Harper's Biochemistry. If you have the money, buy this also (or instead of Devlin: Textbook of Biochemistry), but I have to warn you that there are very few illustrations and mostly text in Harper's, unlike the more "clinically oriented" Devlin.
I would also like to recommend the following book:
At a Glance: Biochemistry. It is a poster-like book that has huge pathway systems. You'll understand when you look through it, but this is very, very good for getting the complete overview of Biochemistry. Highly recommended.
Physiology
There are two major books that seem to be student favorites:
Guyton & Hall: Medical Physiology and Berne & Levy: Physiology.
Personally, I own Guyton & Hall: Medical Physiology, but several of my friends have Berne & Levy: Physiology. I belive they are equally good. It boils down to personal preference, because the material is very well presented during lectures, so any textbook would just be for your benefit in reading up on concepts you don't understand.
I also recommend that you get a smaller review book, such as Board Review Series: Physiology and Thieme Flexibook: Physiology. I have both of those and like them a lot, but there are several other good ones out there, so skim through them to find one that suits you.
Update January 2008:
I will leave BRS: Physiology on my recommendation list, but I would like to add another (and better) book: Ganong: Review of Medical Physiology (LANGE).
This is so comprehensive that you can actually leave the Guyton & Hall or Berne & Levy at home!
