• obstetrics
• gynaecology

Arisudhan Anantharachagan, Ippokratis Sarris, Austin Ugwumadu. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0-19959-233-3. Price: £34.99. Pages: 416 (paperback)

I was very fortunate to have read this book just before my Part 1 membership examination of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (MRCOG). I found this book concise, highly relevant, and very useful for revising.

It covers all the basic science topics that one needs to know for the newly revised MRCOG Part 1 examination, in enough detail to get through the examination, but not in so much detail as to put one off revising. The book is written in a format that is very easy to read and practical for finding information questions in the MRCOG past papers book.

This book contains 13 chapters covering the basic science topics required to pass the examination. Each chapter follows a similar format, beginning with a list of contents and a subsequent discussion of essential topics in that field using numbered bullet points, boxes, flow diagrams, figures and lists. The first three chapters offer a comprehensive review of genetics, embryology and anatomy. The chapters on physiology and biochemistry are descriptive and very useful. The chapters on pathology, microbiology, pharmacology and research tools provide adequate condensed knowledge required for those preparing for the examination.

Since the information is presented by means of bullet points, tables, boxes and figures it is easy to refer back to a particular disease via the index. This book is therefore a perfect tool for learning, understanding and retaining key facts. The main topics are highlighted in a bold font, and there are a wealth of visually memorable tools such as flow charts explaining associations between anatomical structures, as well as tables, figures and boxes for embryology, physiology and endocrinology.

In summary, this book is a valuable and practical revision tool for postgraduates preparing for the MRCOG Part 1 and MFSRH Part 1 examinations, as well as for practising clinicians.