This textbook is the companion textbook to the laboratory manual of the same name. Upon examination and comparison of the two books which should be used together to facilitate the teaching of a class on veterinary anatomy and physiology for technician students, the reviewer was struck by the way in which the two books complemented one another. The first and most noticeable aspect was the pictures that are used; within the textbook the pictures are a combination of line drawings and some photographs while the lab manual has photographic depictions of animals for students to study and label. While line drawings are nice, the real time photographs are what set the lab manual apart from other manuals.
Each chapter gives concise explanations of theory beginning with atoms and leading the technician through each system of the body. Information is not so simplistic that one becomes bored, but rather challenges the student at a collegiate level of study. An early example is that of the second chapter which looks at the chemical basis of life and gives an in-depth look at the theoretical chemistry needed for a technician to grasp the implications of various chemical bonds, organic and inorganic compounds on life processes as seen within veterinary medicine.
Throughout the chapters are short quizzes for the student to test themselves on information presented to that particular point in the chapter. There are exercises that are designed to teach through entertainment and include such exercises as the murder mystery entitled “Who Killed Magnolia” in which students study a true case based on the death of a pet cat. Using deductions based on reported forensic testing and evidence, students determine if the death of the cat was caused by Jake, Walter or Rita – three neighborhood dogs.
Clinical applications in which theoretical knowledge is applied to the world of veterinary medicine in real time situations that a technician may expect to see in practice whether the career is research or clinically driven. Likewise, the lab manual supports the theoretical information through colorful drawings, labeling exercises and written exercises that are designed to test students understanding.
As someone who has been associated with the field of veterinary technician education for thirteen years, this is the best set of textbooks to be presented to the educational community in a long time. The fact that the books support one another in the learning outcomes and objectives needed for anatomy and physiology makes them user friendly for the instructor and educationally sound for the student. As a final endorsement of these books, this reviewer has suggested the set to their own department for use on the 2009-2010 teaching of anatomy and physiology at their own institution.
Publisher: Mosby-Elsevier (2008).
ISBN-13: 978-0-323-04685-5.
(This textbook is supported by the Clinical Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory Manual for Veterinary Technicians)
Revised January 29, 2009.