The basic medical sciences are known to previous generations of medical students as the preclinical years, which constitute the first two years of a standard five MBBS course. The basic medical sciences encompass the study of the function of the body under normal circumstances and are sometimes extend to include the body's normal responses to disease and injury. Thus, they incorporate anatomy, physiology, biochemistry and histology, plus elements of general pathology.
As regards biomedical scientist cut up, much of the content of an undergraduate medical course is irrelevant to the role of a biomedical scientist. However, some aspects are useful because they help to place elements of pathology into context and without an awareness of how things are supposed to work normally it becomes difficult to appreciate aspects of pathology and therefore how best to handle more complex specimens.
The topics include the following.
- Basic biochemistry of proteins and lipids
- Basic biochemistry of energy metabolism
- DNA and genes
- Intercellular signalling systems
- The heart, lungs and circulation of the blood
- The nervous system