Picture Tests in Histology

	reviewed in: Human Pathology March 2002, Volume 33, Number 3

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In Picture Tests in Histology, Barbara Young has accomplished her goal of creating an effective study aid for students learning histology. In most modern medical school curriculums, students are given the daunting task of reading, learning, and assimilating large volumes of text and lecture notes. From the lecture hall, they move to the laboratory, where, under the microscope, they examine the multiple cells, tissues, and organs taught in class. Too often, with the time pressures in medical school, these histology labs regress to an identification exercise, and the comprehensive analysis of both structure and function is lost. Although no book could ever replace the time spent in either the laboratory or the classroom, Picture Tests in Histology does emphasize the importance of a comprehensive look at histology that combines the identification of important structures with their equally important function and molecular makeup.

In addition to its usefulness for medical students, this book's content is also appropriate for both undergraduate students taking a histology course and pathology residents early in training. Dr. Young has chosen a format that allows students to test themselves in various areas of interest as well as prepare for future exams. The book comprises five chapters. Each chapter begins with 24 questions, each containing a microscopic illustration and five true–false statements regarding the structures. An answer key containing explanations for the given statements follows the question section. Each chapter contains questions from all areas of histology. Thus, this book is best used as a comprehensive review.

Dr. Young has chosen clear images with fine detail to illustrate the magnitude and variety of tissues and cells in histology. Unlike a traditional atlas, this book goes beyond simply identifying structures in a given low or high power field. Instead, it uses images of particular organs to test students on the various compartments and cells and to demonstrate their function through the true–false statements and explanations. For example, one question provides a low-power micrograph of a lymph node with accompanying questions that force the student not only to identify the structural components (i.e., medullary cords, sinus, follicles), but also to recall the cells that reside in these given structures and their various functions. In doing so, the student is challenged in all aspects of histology.

The explanations at the end of each chapter are relatively comprehensive despite their brevity. They often expound on the “basics” of histology but also delve into the finer details of the field. This helps ensure that the student becomes familiar with the material included in most exams. Nonetheless, Picture Tests in Histology should not replace a traditional histology text, but rather should be used to complement the student's material. On its own, the book is not adequate for learning the phases of histology; rather, it is very useful for the student who is tired of reading dense lecture notes or who does not have access to a microscope. Such a student can use this book to enrich and solidify his or her foundation in histology.

In summary, Dr. Young should be commended on her newest contribution. As a current fourth-year medical student participating in a student fellowship in anatomic pathology, I found this book to be most useful in my review of basic histology, and found the questions challenging and comprehensive. Having taken histology in both college and medical school, I believe that this book contain questions similar to the most-tested questions on exams. It would be an excellent addition to any student's library.