The start of the year is essentially an in depth extension of some of the topics covered in Part 1A PoO – respiration, circulation, endocrinology and renal. In the second term you enter into repro which is shared with the vets. At times it can be quite “bitty” and takes some work to piece together all the information to get the full picture and with lots of different lecturers covering different aspects it requires extra effort to draw the key themes from the topic. In the final term you cover life in extreme conditions, which was my favourite part of the course. You see how man and other animals survive in the cold of the arctic and heat of the desert, even space! You also study exercise, which while an interesting topic, is not lectured that well.

Practicals are every week and involve a variety of histology (studying slides) and experiments (cycling). In the capable hands of Dr Mason, supervisions are rewarding and a great chance to clarify anything not understood in the lectures.