A sound understanding of physiology underpins good medical practice. This established textbook provides medical students and others in health-related disciplines with the essential information and learning tools necessary to understand human physiology.

 

The book adopts a student-friendly style with an emphasis on clarity, explanation and understanding, complemented by full-colour illustrations. It has a hierarchical organisation, beginning with aspects of cell and tissue function before proceeding to a consideration of the communication systems of

the body, including the endocrine and nervous systems. The heart of the text concerns the physiology of the main body systems. Throughout, the relevance to clinical practice is stressed.

 

The third edition of Human Physiology contains new or revised material on osmolarity, osmotic pressure and tonicity; expanded treatment of epithelia; discussion of steroid and thyroid hormone receptors; iron absorption and its regulation by hepcidin; circadian rhythms and carbohydrate absorption in

the small intestine.

 

There are also new feature boxes on Alzheimer's disease, deep vein thrombosis, the Donnan effect, the stages of labour and the classification of heart failure, and new sections on autonomic failure, the renal handling of uric acid and multiple organ failure.

1. What is physiology?

2. The chemical constitution of the body

3. Introducing cells

4. The transport functions of the plasma membrane

5. Principles of cell signaling

6. Nerve cells and their connections

7. Muscle

8. Sensory systems

9. The physiology of motor systems

10. The autonomic nervous system

11. Some aspects of higher nervous function

12. The hormonal regulation of the body

13. The properties of blood

14. Defense against infection: inflammation and immunity

15. The heart and circulation

16. The respiratory system

17. The kidney and the regulation of the internal environment

18. The digestive system

19. The nutritional needs of the body

20. The physiology of the male and female productive systems

21. Fertilization, pregnancy and lactation

22. Fetal and neonatal physiology

23. The control of growth

24. Energy balance and the control of metabolic rate

25. The physiology of exercise

26. The regulation of body temperature

27. The regulation of plasma glucose

28. The regulation of body fluid volume

29. Acid-base balance

30. The physiology of high altitude and diving

31. Clinical physiology