BDS First Year - A walkthrough (Part II)

by Zoha Malik and Bukhtawar Azhar

BIOCHEMISTRY

Biochemistry is a minor subject for BDS students but the one we tend to underestimate the most. You will hear a lot of ‘’Biochem HALWA hai. Yeh toh YUN khatam ho gi.’’

Well, no.

It is not a dessert and it is definitely not something you can finish in a night. Truth is, Biochemistry is a mound of rote-learning and concentration. And it sucks.

About The Biochemistry Department:

Accept that in this college, for the most part, you are on your own so take this department with a grain of salt.

Head of Department/Internal for Prof: Dr. Shakeel

Other Teaching Faculty:

• Dr. Ismat
• Dr. Samina
• Dr. Tehmina
• Dr. Nilofer

Introduction to the Subject:

The bulk of your studying time will be taken up by topics of metabolism. Every single step of any sort of metabolism should be at the tip of your tongue. What enzymes catalyze a reaction, what are the products of a reaction, where is the reaction taking part in your body; all these things are absolutely necessary to know.

Next, we have topics of smaller range but with equally ginormous importance. Take enzymes for instance. I cannot stress how important enzymes are for your prof. In fact, most examiners just begin their vivas from enzymes. You must also thoroughly go through vitamins, carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids, lipids and major diseases.

Books:

Faiq: Oh Faiq! The truest embodiment of the saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ A hilariously short and deceptive book that will lead you into thinking that a study of biochemistry can be done in one night. IT LIES. However, if you read and learn every word of it you will be able to answer 90% of the questions asked in our papers.

Mushtaq: The sight of this book just makes me want to go to sleep. Thing is, Mushtaq contains unnecessary amounts of detail and the pages upon pages of text do nothing to help its case either. While Mushtaq is an excellent book for MBBS students, it’s really not a suitable one for our syllabus.

Lipincott: Hands down, my favourite book for biochemistry. It’s beautifully illustrated and contains just the right amount of detail. Note down the following topics which I recommend reading from Lipincott:

• Enzymes
• Metabolism of Carbohydrates
• Metabolism of Proteins
• Vitamins
• Diabetes

Preparing For the Exams:

You wouldn’t have to study for Biochemistry all year long a la Anatomy. Study hard and study well for the send-up. Study those topics first which are known to be questioned in the exams. Leave minor topics like nutrition, liver, GIT and solutions for the end.

Viva: Sir Shakeel is the internal for our college and your viva entirely depends upon his mood. Some of his favourite topics are enzymes, vitamins and carbohydrate metabolism. With Sir Shakeel the viva is in your hands. Once your viva begins, your questions depend on the answers you’re giving. Give unnecessarily long answers and you will be asked the details of details until you’re eventually stumped.

Written: If you studied well for the send-up a span of two to three days should be enough for preparing for the biochemistry exam. Don’t go into minor details. Revise the major topics. Attempt all past papers and you’re golden.

As I sometimes say, in RPG-esque terms biochemistry is just another mini-boss.