Synopsis
This study guide helps students master basic anatomy and physiology. It contains detailed information on how to achieve good grades, how to read the textbook, how to use visual memory as a learning tool, and much more! It includes learning objectives, crossword puzzles, optional application questions, and diagrams.
Rita Getz
This is an introductory text in anatomy and physiology for nursing and allied health professions students. The authors seek to present two unifying themes in this text: that structure and function are complementary, and that structure and function serve to maintain homeostasis. Another goal is to organize the book so that instructors with varying teaching styles can easily integrate it with their overall plans for their courses. This book is written at an appropriate level for the intended audience and should hold the attention of the student who is encountering the information for the first time. However, the student with some prior knowledge of the topic might easily dismiss this text as overly simplistic. This book consists of 20 chapters organized using a systems approach to present the anatomy and physiology of the human body. The text is student-friendly, and has been written to provide fundamental information in a variety of useful formats. A chapter outline and learning objectives begin each chapter, and an outline summary, list of new words, review questions to test comprehension, along with chapter tests reinforcing key concepts are located at the end of each chapter. A small but significant highlight of the book is the use of a compass-like orientation marker for anatomical direction on many of the figures. Boxed information is provided in each chapter to highlight topics relevant to current health concerns. It is the authors' intent that the clinical examples presented in the boxed information reinforce the effects of disease on normal function. The authors have avoided using much of the technical jargon inherent in the subject matter, and have opted to label only aminimum of structures in many of the diagrams. To illustrate my concerns about the simplistic approach to the text, an illustration which includes the quadriceps femoris muscles of the anterior thigh (p. 143) lists only three of the four muscles which comprise this group of muscles. All four muscles are listed in the text (p. 150), but no illustrations are shown to demonstrate the fourth muscle. In the same chapter on the muscular system, muscles of the forearm and hand are not even mentioned in the text or labeled in the figures. And, although the authors define anatomic terms like "anterior," they continue to write, "anterior, or in front of" throughout the text. A more serious oversight is the lack of references in the book. Readers who wish to know more about any of the basic science or clinical information presented have no guidance on resources. However, the index is noteworthy as it is particularly in-depth for a book written at this level. It is clear that the authors have incorporated suggestions from students and colleagues into this work. This edition replaces the tenth edition published in 1997, and is actually a package of numerous resources. A CD-ROM, a password for access to an integrative Web site with links, as well as a student survival guide are bundled with the text. These updates bring a text that has been in use for forty years into the 21st century. All things considered, this is a good text for the target audience, and can be a useful learning tool for healthcare students beginning their coursework.