A reason to carry around a 12lb book?

Huether, Sue E., and Kathryn L. McCance. Pathophysiology: The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults And Children Fifth Edition. 5 ed. St Louis, Missouri: Mosby, 2005. Print.

While firsthand experience is a key to success and true integration, the majority of acclimation to the vocabulary and writing in the sciences is left in the hands of the student through use of text books. My personal favorite text book of all time is the one that I will be using to discuss this discipline strategy. The McCance Pathophysiology text is one of the best texts written for students with little experience, within the Biological field, but in a style that creates maximum skill building and information assembly.

The text book is written specifically for science majors and is used as a component to the Anatomy and Physiology course (BIO 250 & 251). In this respect it is written with a language closer to the language used in the field than a text book written for non-science majors concerning the same course. To make a simple example, the Pathophysiology text would use the words “myocardial event”, “myocardial infarction”, and “necrosis” to describe the events involved in a heart attack. In a similar text, not intended for a person entering this field, general education requirement for example, would use the equivalent common words: “heart tissue event”, “heart attack”, and “cell death”. While all of these words are respectively equivalent their use within the field is strictly needed. Through study of the text, it becomes apparent that using the word “heart” is not a satisfactory use of language. Within the discourse it is essential to understand that heart includes: myocardium, pericardium, pericardium, semi-lunar valves, and the list can grow almost exponentially. While I am refraining from a vocabulary lesson right now, the text serves a huge function in creating this vocabulary building and learning environment. Since the text integrates actual text with images and diagrams the words can build in meaning.

While the text serves a huge function in language building for integration, its primary purpose is to educate. In this purpose, the Pathophysiology text stands alone in effectiveness. This text book is written in an integrative style that uses presentations of little bits of knowledge at a time and then integrates all of the bits together. This is ideal because of the need of a connected knowledge set within the sciences. A big part of writing and functioning within the discourse is the ability to integrate and apply knowledge for the greater good of the community. This text creates a learning environment that mimics not only they was it is essential to think in the scientific fields; but, allows the students to learn the knowledge set in much the same manner that the original research teams learned it.

The greatest advantage to this style of learning and discipline is that by forcing the student to think like a scientist and learn like a scientist they are able to carry it on and not take the knowledge presented to them with a grain of salt. A valuable tool when publishing and reviewing articles for publication.