Winner of the 2010 Richard Asher Prize for best undergraduate textbook

Oxford Cases in Medicine and Surgery teaches students a hypothesis-driven, logical step-by-step diagnostic approach to common patient presentations. This approach mirrors that used by successful clinicians on the wards, challenging students with questions at each stage of a case (history-taking, examination, investigation, management). In tackling these questions, students learn to integrate their existing knowledge and apply it to a real-life scenario from start to finish. Each chapter focuses on a common presenting symptom (e.g. chest pain). By starting with a symptom, as doctors do in reality, students learn to draw on their knowledge of different physiological systems - for example, cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology - at the same time. All the major presenting symptoms in general medicine and surgery are covered, together with a broad range of pathologies. This book is an essential resource for all medicine students, and provides a modern, well-rounded introduction to life on the wards. For SBAs and more visit the book's Online Resource Centre.

"This is a wonderful book! It uses cas histories to guide through all major medical and surgical scenarios, giving an initial presenting complaint and then working enough each case giving differentials, explaining why each is more likely, before going on to thoroughly describe what investigations are needed and why. It is a very fun and realistic book. I thoroughly, thoroughly recommend it to all medical students - and the sooner in you training the better."

Caroline Rance, 5th Year Medical Student, Southampton Medical School