Textbook of BIOCHEMISTRY for Medical Students (Seventh Edition) DM Vasudevan & Sreekumari S
We are glad to present the Seventh Edition of the Textbook of Biochemistry for Medical Students. Now, this textbook is entering the 19th year of existence. With humility, we may state that the medical community of India has warmly received the previous editions of this book. The Medical Council of India has accepted it as one of the standard textbooks. We are happy to note that this book has also reached in the hands of medical students of neighboring countries of Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc. and also to distant countries in Africa and Europe. We are very proud to report that the Textbook has a Spanish edition, with wide circulation in the Central and South America. Apart from the medical community, this book has also become popular to other biological group of students in India. In retrospect, it gives immense satisfaction to note that this book served the students and faculty for the past two decades.
We are bringing out the new edition of the textbook every 3 years. A major addition of this edition is the incorporation of clinical case studies in almost all chapters. We hope that this feature will help the students to identify the clinical relevance of the biochemistry. Further, chapters on clinical chemistry have been extensively updated and clinically relevant points were further added. Rapid progress has been made in the area of molecular biology during past few years, and these advances are to be reflected in this book also. The major change in this Seventh edition is that advanced knowledge has been added in almost all chapters, clinical case studies have been added in relevant chapters; and a few new chapters were added. The print fonts and font size have also been changed for better readability.
From the First edition onwards, our policy was to provide not only basic essentials but also some of the advanced knowledge. About 30% contents of the previous editions were not required for a student aiming for a minimum pass. A lot of students have appreciated this approach, as it helped them to pass the postgraduate (PG) entrance examinations at a later stage. However, this asset has paved the way for a general criticism that the extra details are a burden to the average students. Especially, when read for the first time, the student may find it difficult to sort out the essential minimum from the desirable bulk. In this Seventh edition, advanced topics are given in small prints. In essence, this book is composed of three complementary books. The bold printed areas will be useful for the student at the time of revision just before the examinations; regular printed pages are meant for an average first year MBBS student and the fine printed paragraphs are targeted to the advanced students preparing for the PG entrance.
Essay questions, short notes, multiple choice questions and viva voce type questions are given as a separate book, but free of cost. These questions are compiled from the question papers of various universities during the last decade. These questions will be ideal for students for last-minute preparation for examinations. We are introducing the online study material, which provides concepts of major topic as well as clinical case studies. This shall be updated through the year. Hence, students are advised to check the web page at regular intervals.
A textbook will be matured only by successive revisions. In the preface for the First edition, we expressed our desire to revise the textbook every 3 years. We were fortunate to keep that promise. This book has undergone metamorphosis during each edition. Chemical structures with computer technology were introduced in the Second edition. Color printing has been launched in the Third edition. The Fourth edition came out with multicolor printing. In the Fifth edition, the facts were presented in small paragraphs, so as to aid memory. In the Sixth edition, figures were drastically increased. In this Seventh edition, about 100 case studies are added. In this book, there are about 1100 figures, 230 tables and 200 boxes (perhaps we could call it as illustrated textbook of biochemistry), altogether making the book more student-friendly. The quality of paper is also improved during successive editions.
We were pleasantly surprised to receive many letters giving constructive criticisms and positive suggestions to improve the textbook. These responses were from all parts of the country (we got a few such letters from African and European students also). Such contributors include Heads of Departments, very senior professors, middle level teachers and mostly postgraduate students. We have tried to incorporate most of those suggestions, within the constraints of page limitations. In a way, this book thus became multi-authored, and truly national in character. This is to place on record, our deep gratitude for all those “pen-friends” who have helped us to improve this book. The first author desires more interaction with faculty and students who are using this textbook. All are welcome to communicate at his e-mail address <dmvasudevan@yahoo.co.in>
As indicated in the last edition, the first author is in the process of retirement, and would like to reduce the burden in due course. A successful textbook is something like a growing institution; individuals may come and go, but the institution will march ahead. Therefore, we felt the need to induce younger blood into the editorial board. Thus, a third author has been added in the Sixth edition, so that the torch can been handed over smoothly at an appropriate time later on. In this Seventh edition, the first author has taken less responsibility in editing the book, while the third author has taken more effort.
The help and assistance rendered by our postgraduate students in preparing this book are enormous. The official website of Nobel Academy has been used for pictures and biographies of Nobel laureates. Web pictures, without copyright protection, were also used in some figures. The remarkable success of the book was due to the active support of the publishers. This is to record our appreciation for the cooperation extended by Shri Jitendar P Vij (Group Chairman), Mr Ankit Vij (Managing Director) and Mr Tarun Duneja (Director-Publishing) of M/s Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd, New Delhi, India.
We hope that this Seventh edition will be friendlier to the students and be more attractive to the teachers. Now this is in your hands to judge.
“End of all knowledge must be building up of character”