The content of this book, and its relevance to students of biological sciences or those in their preclinical medical years, cannot be faulted. Its success is clear from the fact that this is the 10th edition – it has clearly found its place on many a student's bookshelf. The downside is that it feels somewhat dated. The imaging techniques have come into the 21st century, but sadly the typeface and illustrations have not.
The principles of histology and its methods of study are excellently outlined in the first chapter, which describes classic staining methods and the instruments used to examine specimens; this is followed by an explanation of the contemporary uses of the immunocytochemistry and hybridization techniques that have contributed to research in cell biology and medical diagnostic procedures. The chapters that follow refresh the reader's knowledge of cell biology and basic tissues of the body. They also serve as an update and handy reference of techniques used in this field. Individual chapters then concentrate on organs and organ systems of the body.
This publication contains some excellent photomicrographs, giving the impression that the reader is actually looking down the microscope. The electron micrographs are clear and well labelled, with labels sometimes appearing on the images themselves. I found this particularly helpful as there can be no doubt as to which precise piece of the diagram is being referred to and the relevant structures can be appreciated at a glance. The three-dimensional illustrations, although not as colourful as illustrations in some other contemporary textbooks, put the images obtained microscopically into a macroscopic context. Tables are well laid out and concise, providing excellent summaries. There are many pages devoted solely to illustrations. Not always having figures completely integrated into the text is a price worth paying for the clarity of the images. The area that stands out for me personally is blood; there are separate chapters on blood cells and haematopoiesis, and the illustrations provide a very thorough overview of the subject. The figures provide excellent explanations and would be very memorable for an area of histology that is potentially tricky to get to grips with.
Basic Histology is full of ‘medical application boxes’, which although not detailed enough for the clinical years, serve as a tantalizing reminder to those in preclinical years of the ultimate aim of undertaking a medical degree. A plea from this medical student when wading through the world of histology is that more of these would be appreciated! Although this is not a pathology text, cancer is mentioned in some of the chapters, but only fleetingly. It might be helpful to have images that compare the physiological state that is so well represented in the book with pathological manifestations.
I found the accompanying CD a little disappointing and something of a missed opportunity for encouraging interactive learning. Instead of providing a carbon copy of images in the textbook, the images could have been incorporated into questions to aid learning and provide a means of self-assessment.
Looks aren't everything, but I feel that if this book were to have a make-over that made its next edition look ‘10 editions younger’ it would be a very attractive option for the modern medical student's bookshelf.