Introduction to Human Anatomy

INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN ANATOMY. By Carl C. Francis. Fourth Edition. St. Louis, The C. V. Mosby Company, 1964, 478 pages. $6.75. The task of writing synopses and condensed texts about the medical sciences is formidable indeed. With a vast amount of material to be presented in a brief and concise manner, the author often writes a book that is incomplete and confusing. One such book is the subject of this review. It is not thorough enough to be used by the student of medicine, and its condensed form makes it difficult to read. This text employs the systems approach to anatomy. Introductory chapters include the body as a whole, surface anatomy, and cells and tissues. Chapters on the various systems are grouped according to common function, and throughout the book Dr. Francis stresses the correlation between anatomical structure and function. The omission of details can be justified in part if it lends greater clarity to the discussions. Unfortunately Dr. Francis' condensation only adds to the confusion. The chapter on the muscular system, for example, attempts to deal with muscle groups and common actions of the muscles. For this purpose specificity of origin, insertion, innervation, and blood supply is sacrificed, and the reader learns only the origin and insertion of a muscle as a member of a general group and learns almost nothing of the blood supply. Each of the other systems is treated similarly. The author seems to want to present the reader with the general morphology of the systems without getting bogged down in details. It is because enough detail is not presented that the student is never really clear about the anatomy of any system. The diagrams, so important to any anatomy text, are mediocre at best. They fit in with the general plan of the book-consideration of important anatomical detail without confusing details. Again muscles with similar function are grouped together in a manner that makes it difficult to see where the individual muscles are located. Blood and nerve supplies of the muscles cannot be seen in the diagrams. The systems approach is carried too far in the diagrams. The muscles, blood vessels, and nerves are all depicted separately with no structures of one system adequately pictured in the diagrams of another so that the reader finds it impossible to get a clear idea of the relationships of the systems. Thirteen color plates with six in transparent Trans-Vision have been added to this edition, but they contribute very little to the ease of learning. In summary this textbook is inadequate for most medical students. Its condensed form lacks clarity and confuses the student.