June 1, 2016 (Vol. 36, No. 11)
Rating:
Strong Points: Large collection of mnemonics, can add your own
Weak Points: Quality of mnemonics varies
Platform:
iPad/iPhone/Android
Cost:
$0.99
Summary:
As the silly phrase “kings play chess on funny green squares” (or whichever variant you may have learned in biology class for the biological classification of organisms) illustrates, mnemonics are useful learning tools that can have immense staying power. The Pharmacology Mnemonics app provides a suite of—yep, you guessed it—mnemonics for drugs used in a variety of medical fields. Content is divided into six sections: cardiology, endocrine, nervous system, pulmonary, renal, and “others”. There are a large number of mnemonics within the app, though of course their utility will likely vary depending on the person. Many of the mnemonics are uninspired (e.g., ABCDEFGH for anti-epileptic side effects) or very convoluted (e.g., “Military General Attacked Weary Fighters Pronouncing ‘Veni Vedi Veci’ After Crushing Enemies” for different epilepsy types and their respective treatments), but hey, different strokes for different folks. Users can favorite specific entries, add their own mnemonics, and search the catalog.
