The MBBS 2nd year comprises the para-clinical subjects, Microbiology, Pharmacology and Pathology. All three subjects form a solid foundation for your medical journey.
Which book to refer to? It is a most common question that comes to the mind of every student. Getting the correct answer for this is highly crucial.
The MBBS subjects are quite vast; for complete understanding and conceptual clarity, you must refer to the best books. Always go for a book written by eminent authors that is easy to understand and includes highly illustrative and labelled images. Make sure to study from the latest edition according to the CBME curriculum.
Recommended MBBS 2nd Year Books
Coming to the first subject, Microbiology, the way of studying it has gone a big way from traditional organism-based teaching to system-based teaching. Start studying with General microbiology and modules on Immunology and hospital infection control. After you have a thorough grasp of general microbiology, then start module-wise systemic microbiology.
The most preferred book for microbiology which covers all the modules according to the CBME pattern is Essentials of Medical Microbiology by Apurba Sastry & Sandhya Bhat. The best thing about the book is that it is comprehensive yet serves as a preparation book for competitive entrance exams. The book has two parts, Part A includes General Microbiology, Immunology, and Hospital Infection Control (Infectious Diseases), and Part B includes Systemic Microbiology. The book is written in easy-to-understand language and includes summary boxes for laboratory diagnosis, clinical cases, and MCQs.
Other recommended books on microbiology in MBBS include Ananthanarayan and Paniker’s Textbook of Microbiology, Self-Assessment & Review Microbiology & Immunology, and Review of Microbiology and Immunology.
The second subject, Pathology, in general terms, deals with the study of diseases. The subject requires a structured approach. Pathology is more of a practical subject so always opt for a book with clear and illustrative images along with case-based scenarios.
The most preferred book for pathology in MBBS is Harsh Mohan’s Textbook of Pathology. It is one of the bestselling Indian author books on Pathology. This book is comprehensive yet exam-oriented and hence, is a saviour at the time of exams. The book has schematic, gross images, and photomicrographs to make the learners understand and retain easily. The book additionally has review questions, short and long answer questions, and MCQs with explanations. The ‘must-know’ section summarizes every topic for quick revision.
Another preferred book is Ramadas Nayak’s Exam Preparatory Manual for Undergraduates Pathology. The book is divided into three sections, general pathology, hematological and clinical pathology, and systemic pathology offering fundamental knowledge to a student in a nutshell.
Robbins and Cotran’s Pathologic Basis of Disease is another gold-standard book. Other good books on pathology include Essentials in Hematology and Clinical Pathology, Rapid Review of Hematology, Review of Pathology and Genetics, and Comprehensive Image-Based Review of Pathology.
The next subject, Pharmacology, is all about the study of drugs.
For the pharmacology subject, the title ‘Essentials of Medical Pharmacology’ by K.D. Tripathi is undoubtedly the first. It is among the bestselling books of pharmacology. The book comprises a range of topics from fundamental pharmacological ideas to real-world scenarios and case studies. The newer technology, medications, and treatments are well addressed in the latest edition of the book.
To enhance the decision-making ability of a student, the book provides ‘Problem Directed Study’ at the end of the chapters. A list of acronyms, drug categorization, evidence-based medicines, figures, charts, tables, and highlighted boxes are the features of the book.
Another best-selling book on pharmacology is Review of Pharmacology by Gobind Rai Garg and Sparsh Gupta. The key features of the book are annexures on ‘Newly FDA approved drugs and ‘Drugs of Choice’. The book includes IBQs, MCQs, and Mnemonics for better retention of the topic.
Other good books on pharmacology include Lippincott Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology, Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, and Tara Shanbhag’s Pharmacology For Medical Graduates.
To supplement your learning, you can enroll in MBBS 2nd year online courses taught by the authors of best-selling titles, such as Microbiology video lectures by Dr. Apurba Sastry, Pathology video lectures by Prof Harsh Mohan and Prof Ramadas Nayak, and Pharmacology lectures by Dr. Sandeep Kaushal and Dr. Nirmal George.
