Increasingly, students are starting medical school without a specific background. The Oxford Handbook of Medical Sciences has been written by biomedical scientists and clinicians to explain the fundamental scientific principles that underpin clinical medicine, and to provide students with a firm grounding in the basic sciences. Frequent cross-referencing with the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine helps to highlight the clinical relevance of specific issues. Deliberately divided into systems-based sections that mirror modern medical teaching strategies, this handbook begins with a clear, easily digestable account of basic cell physiology and biochemistry. It then moves on to an investigation of the traditional piers of medicine (anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pathology, and pharmacology) integrated in the context of each of the major systems relevant to the human body. Well illustrated with clear diagrams and color images, it will prove especially useful for students on problem-based learning courses who are in need of a concise and user-friendly book, and will also serve as a refresher for those doing membership exams.