I am particularly interested in how the older-style books treated anatomy and physiology—human and animal. So Gerard’s ‘Body Functions’—to which I have made reference in a previous post—was attractive in that respect.
Three things struck me about this book.
- The book’s contents
- The illustrations (three in particular)
- The Index
The book does not have the textbook layout prevailing today. (See the Contents page at the end.) Interestingly, it begins with muscles and other ‘effectors’—that is, cells that make a change/difference. (Today textbooks typically start with some sort of ‘orientation’. This is followed by something on atoms—typically using the Bohr model—molecules and basic chemistry, i.e., the matter from which everything is formed. Then something about cells and tissues—as the building blocks of the body—usually follows.)
I always find the way in which older textbooks were illustrated intriguing. They are often a mix of anatomical accuracy and conceptual explanation. Three illustrations I found particularly interesting.
On p. 76 the autonomic nervous system is presented face-on with the two subdivisions on one side of the body. How successful, I’m not sure. (Read the legend.)
On p. 86, there is an interesting way of depicting glands. (Read the legend.)
On p. 177, another interesting way of depicting glands. (Read the legend.)
I also found the index to be somewhat innovative. I wish the approach it used was more common—even standard. It was, in effect, an index cum glossary. Each term in the index had a brief explanation. What this means in practice is that I can find two things at once. I can have a term defined and see where it is mentioned in the text. I include the first page as an illustration.
