[.ca] World of Anatomy and Physiology (ISBN 0787656844)

Would like this book in Spanish:
These books are wonderful for high school students. I will be able to use the set in both my regular and advanced biology classes. I would like more coverage of genetics related topics, but the books will greatly help students in our human anatomy and physiology course understand many topics omitted or covered too briefly in our textbook. I would like to find these books and the Microbiology and Immunology companion volumes in Spanish. Sam Albertson, M.Ed.

Humanist perspective emphasized:
I have reviewed critical articles and graphics from this book to determine whether it should be considered as a possible home school reference. My biggest concern lies with the fact that the editors and writers present only the humanist driven explanations of the creation of life and the science of genetics. Intelligent design perspectives and scriptural facts are missing from their scientific literalist presentations of cell biology. An editorial policy of scientific literalism does not completely serve those looking for broader treatment of all the facts. Most importantly, contemporary religious issues are not considered or clearly portrayed in treatments of ethical issues. As with the text, the resources directing students to additional information seem slanted toward the scientific literalist perspective. The treatment of many socially contentious issues such as abortion, cloning, in-vitro fertilization attempts to be sensitive but is really one-sided. Science (what CAN or IS being done) is given more importance than consideration of ethics regarding what SHOULD be done. Based on these objections, I would not recommend this book as appropriate as a stand-alone reference resource for home school study. W. Stephens (PATH reviews for home study resources.)

Good coverage of broad topic:
This two-volume set offers clear explanations of topics dealing with human anatomy and physiology. The authors and editors have done an excellent job of selecting fundamental and representative topics that students often encounter when starting their studies of human anatomy and physiology. For that reason, the World of Anatomy and Physiology is a useful resource to both high school and undergraduate students. Pros- In general, the content of articles seems be constructed to serve a wide readership. Almost all topics carry simple explanations, but many also carry information concerning current research interests that will be useful to more advanced students. The topics related to current medical issues such as stem cell research are authoritative, sensitively written, and insightful. Although the indexing could be improved, good cross-referencing directs readers to additional reading on relevant topics. Cons- Photos and drawing are minimal, but helpful. Many articles on topics in developmental anatomy would have benefited from additional graphics designed assist students in conceptualizing the dynamics of developmental processes. The topics relating to human embryology development are well written, but more emphasis and additional topics could have been devoted to this area. The biographies detail relevant scientific contributions but do not offer a great deal of information often included in other biographies. Summary - Although alphabetically arranged, the books offer an ingenious and thoughtful array of topics that relate fundamental, essential, and timely concepts in genetics, cell biology, developmental biology, morphology, and physiology. Better graphics and a table of contents listing articles by topic area would have improved scoring. Albert Weinberg, Ph.D. Science Resource Reviewer, Ed.Adv.Lg. (CA)