Most of us are familiar with the Oxford handbooks and I certainly have fond memories of the ‘cheese and onion’ from my medical student days, so I was intrigued to see what this anatomy focused, rather than clinical, book from the series would be like. The book does what It says on the tin: it is a comprehensive, illustrated overview of the entirety of head and neck anatomy. There is a lot crammed into a small book and it is very reasonably priced.
I think the book has a broad target audience; it is useful for medical and dental students getting to grips with the complex anatomy of the head and neck. Then for those starting their surgical careers and prepping for the MRCS exams, the in-depth and logical manner in which this book goes through topics means it is a perfect study guide. It is also very relevant towards the end of training for the FRCS as a revision tool (a shame it wasn’t published when I was sitting mine!) and I think will become a key text for upcoming MRCS(ENT) and FRCS Part A candidates.
The diagrams are simple and easy to understand, with relevant clinical and operative snippets and it is easy to see this has been written and illustrated by someone who has a high level of understanding about the intricacies of head and neck anatomy.
Furthermore, rather than just a revision guide, this book is also a great and easily accessible reference book for on-the-job recapping prior to cases, particularly to go over complex anatomy for those operations that aren’t done every day. This book is something I will certainly be keeping in my workbag.
