Essentials of Human Anatomy

This is the fourth edition of Dr. Woodburne's popular text of regional anatomy. The book is arranged in nine sections: (1) general concepts in anatomy; (2) the upper limb; (3) the head and neck; (4) the back; (5) the chest; (6) the abdomen; (7) the perineum; (8) the pelvis; and (9) the lower limb. As in past editions an emphasis is placed on basic organizational principles and little attention is given to structural variation, fine detail, or clinical applications. The text was written for freshmen medical students and it is particularly well-suited for use in schools where curriculum revisions have reduced the number of hours devoted to human morphology. Changes from the previous editions that should be helpful to students are the use of small print to set aside fine detail and italic print to emphasize important points. There has also been some reorganization of sections dealing with muscle in that group muscle actions are stressed rather than individual muscle functions. Tables are often used to summarize the function of muscles. One of the strongest attributes of Woodburne's book, and that most often appreciated by students, is the clear and concise nature of the illustrations. In the fourth edition three new figures have been added and 17 figures have been altered in an effort to further clarify the material. The list of selected references has been reduced in this edition. Curiously, the author neglects to include any important recent references; only seven papers written in this decade are cited and there are no references for any works after 1964. Some of the selected references deal with such minor items as the carrying angle of the arm as a secondary sex character, the growth of long bones in the Madder-fed pig, and the structure and development of the suspensory ligament of the duodenum. Dr. Woodburne is to be congratulated for his clear and concise presentation of the essentials of anatomy. The book should continue to be a popular one for freshmen medical courses.