Anatomy and Physiology is designed for the intro-

ductory course in human anatomy and physiology,

whether in the nursing and allied health curricula,

biological sciences, or medical sciences. It is equally

suitable for an integrated one-year course in ana-

tomy and physiology and a one-semester course in

either anatomy or physiology. The approach and

level meet the needs of the nursing curriculum and

allied health curricula such as those for respiratory

therapy, radiologic technology, medical laboratory

technology, medical and dental assisting, medical

record technology, physical therapy, and dietetics.

Because of the diversity of backgrounds and in-

terests of students who will use this textbook, no

prior scientific knowledge is assumed and no pre-

requisites are needed for its use.

THEMES AND PURPOSE

The text presents an accurate, up-to-date, and

balanced description of the structure and function

of the human body. There are two unifying themes:

the structural basis for function, and th~~ coordi-

nated functioning of all organ systems for the

maintenance of homeostasis.

The purpose of a textbook is to inform and to

assist the student in mastering a new subject. In

the course of studying anatomy and physiology the

student is presented with a dual challenge: the

mastery of a vast amount of factual information,

and the correlation of that information within the

context of the whole subject. The student cannot

understand fully the pieces of information without

V

seeing the whole, yet the whole cannot be seen

clearly until all the pieces have been learned.

Consequently, the beginning student may feel

overwhelmed both by a mass of seemingly un-

related facts and the need to relate them to some

larger whole. It was with this problem in mind that

I conceived and produced this textbook. My ap-

proach to solving this problem and enhancing

effective learning involved logical organization of

the subject matter; clear, in-depth explanations of

concepts, accompanied by familiar examples; and

natural flow of information, which results when

one topic leads directly to the next.

Further, I tried to prepare a textbook that

provides the information needed to satisfy the

immediate objectives of the reader and, at the same

time, to provide the foundation needed for con-

tinuing education. This is particularly important to

students in the health professions, who must

continually update their knowledge to keep pace

with the rapid advances being made in their

professions.

ORGANIZATION

The chapters are grouped in six units. Unit I pro-

vides the foundation for the study of anatomy and

physiology. Chapter 1 presents the meaning and

scope of modern anatomy and physiology and the

concept of homeostasis, using examples from the

chapters that follow. Chapter 2 provides the basic

chemistry needed to understand cellular functions

and some of the chemical and physical processes

that underlie body function