How Your Doctor Sees You: A Guide to the Body in X Rays and Scans

When I first read the title of this book, I wondered if it would provide some cheeky tips on how to bypass the ever-vigilant GP receptionists and actually see your GP! As it turns out, the content is more cerebral than that and does not concern itself with such petty distractions.

What I like about this text is that it immediately positions itself as a pictorial reference rather than a conventional text book. That should in no way reflect on its usefulness or contribution to knowledge, as it serves to provide a visual reference on how the body works. And that's not an over simplification. The musculoskeletal system is given expected prominence but so are neurological, respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions.

‘It immediately positions itself as a pictorial reference rather than a conventional text book’

Another inclusion which I found useful was an overview of medical imaging, incorporating the differences between X-rays, computerised tomography and magnetic resource imaging. Terms often heard and used but not routinely a part of paramedic practice. The images presented in the book are clear and well notarised. A testimony in itself to modern radiology but also the author, who successfully presents the material so that those not akin to interpreting such images are able to identify the medical phenomenon in question.