The Scientific Bases of Human Anatomy

by Oxnard, Charles; Cartmill, Matt; Brown, Kaye B.

• ISBN13: 9780471235996
• ISBN10: 0471235997
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-08-03
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This readable and succinct book provides a means for understanding the exciting underlying scientific principles on anatomy rather than setting forth an overwhelming list of facts for memorization. This landmark text is the first of its kind to take into account the revolutionary advances in developmental biology, engineering, evolutionary biology, and comparative morphology.

Author Biography

Charles Oxnard is Emeritus Professor, Senior Honorary Research Fellow in Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology and Adjunct Professor of Forensic Anthropology at the University of Western Australia in Crawley, WA, Australia

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Preface xi

Chapter 1 A New System of Human Anatomy 1

1.1 Why a New System? 1

1.2 For Whom Is This System Useful? 4

1.3 What is This System? 6

1.4 Why, Therefore, This Book? 7

1.5 What is My Hope for My Readers? 10

Chapter 2 A Bird’s-eye View of the Human Body 13

2.1 The Scientific Basis of Anatomy 13

2.2 Foundations: From Cell to Embryo 28

2.3 Blueprints: Across the Chordates 41

2.4 Functions: External Lifestyles and Internal Milieux 52

2.5 Integration and Control, Body and Brain 63

2.6 Evolution: Forwards from Deep Time 69

Chapter 3 “The Naming of the Parts”: Some Wrinkles 87

3.1 Terminological Confusions 88

3.2 Implications for Names from Developmental Anatomy 90

3.3 Conclusion 95

Chapter 4 Building the Human Trunk 97

4.1 The External Trunk: From Plan to Layout 97

4.2 The Internal Trunk: From Shell to Frsmework 118

4.3 The Trunk: Comparative Plans 129

Chapter 5 Building Human Limbs 139

5.1 The Limbs, from Fetus to Adult 139

5.2 Limbs across the Vertebrates 157

5.3 Limb Variations 169

Chapter 6 Understanding the Human Head 193

6.1 Insights from Building the Trunk 193

6.2 Now into the Head 197

6.4 Head Differences from the Trunk 215

6.5 Final Head Anatomy in the Resultant Adult 222

6.6 Head Structures and the Nervous System 230

6.7 Heads over the Long Haul, from Lampreys to Humans 240

Chapter 7 Building the Human Brain 247

7.1 The Beginnings of the Central Nervous System 247

7.2 From Spinal Cord to Brain: the Initial Brain 252

7.3 The Ultimate Brain 258

7.4 The Size and Complexity of the Brain 264

Chapter 8 Postlude: Possible Human Futures 283

References 291

Index 295