Human Structure

by Cartmill, Matt; Hylander, William L., Ph.D.; Shafland, James

• ISBN13: 9780674418059
• ISBN10: 0674418050
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1987-05-28
• Publisher: Harvard Univ Pr

Summary

Human Structure is an innovative introduction to human gross anatomy with a twofold approach to view the basics of anatomy from a broad scientific perspective and to explain the facts of form and function in terms and concepts that minimize the usual confusion and anxiety of beginning anatomy studies. Functional, comparative, and developmental anatomy are ingeniously woven into a single explanatory perspective, presenting human anatomy as an intelligible whole rather than as a heap of disconnected facts to be memorized. As a result, Human Structure is suitable not only for first-year medical students but also for undergraduates in premedical or biological science courses, for students in paramedical or college-level nursing programs, and indeed for anyone seeking a refresher course in human anatomy. The book begins with the generalized segmental organization characteristic of vertebrates and then examines the most obviously segmented parts of the human body: the bones, muscles, vessels, and nerves of the trunk between the neck and the pelvis. The book progresses through regions where the simple organizational plan has undergone more and more radical modifications and ends with the ancient and extreme specializations found in the head. At each step, the authors widen our intellectual understanding of how these modifications have been imposed, onto-genetically or phylogenetically, upon simpler precursors. The prose is personal and literate, peppered with inventive elucidations of concepts and accompanied by a wealth of illustrations designed for conceptual clarity and ease of visualization. The level of presentation has been finely tuned, over several years of class testing, to enhance its pedagogical effectiveness in human anatomy courses.

Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments

Vertebrate Anatomy and the Segmented Trunk

The Vertebrate Body

The Vertebral Column

The Spinal Cord and the Spinal Nerves

The Epaxial Muscles

The Body Wall

The Thorax and its Viscera

The Development of the Mammalian Circulatory Pattern

The Heart and the Great Vessels

The Thorax

The Abdomen and the Pelvis

The Abdominal Viscera

The Evolution and Development of the Urogenital Organs

The Pelvis and the Perineum

The Limbs

Fundamentals of Limb Anatomy

The Shoulder and the Arm

The Hand and the Forearm

The Hip and the Thigh

The Leg and the Foot

Upright Posture and Locomotion

The Head and Neck

The Specializations of the Head

The Brain and the Skull

Nose, Eye, and Ear

The Pharyngeal Gut

The Cervical Segments

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.