A Thinking Approach to Physiology

Whereas other fields continue to become more complex and specialized, physiology happily remains an area that can still be understood by thinking from first principles. However, given the increasing quantity of information available today, it is easy to become overly concerned with details and give in to the temptation to memorize rather than understand. In this concise book, the authors convey their enthusiasm for physiology and convincingly persuade the reader that with a sound understanding of principles, details often fall effortlessly into place. It is by no means an attempt to produce another comprehensive textbook. Instead, a broad overview of the subject is presented, covering areas that are not given the attention they deserve in other texts whilst purposely omitting those aspects where memorization is an unfortunate necessity.

Contents:

• Electrical Properties of Cells
• Muscle as an Excitable Tissue
• The Digestive System
• The Respiratory System
• The Circulatory System
• The Kidney and Body Fluids
• Integrative Physiology
• Derivations and Theoretical Points

Readership: Medical, dental and veterinary undergraduates.
Key Features:

• Provides a broad overview of physiology from a thinking approach
• Focuses on areas of the subject that can be reasoned from fundamental principles rather than concentrating on details
• Includes clinical boxes bridging the gap between basic science and clinical medicine as well as theoretical boxes and appendices for those interested in the mathematic aspects of physiology
• Accessible for first-year university students, yet relevant for postgraduate study as well