ISBN0534466974

This text was informative for the student just begining their anatomy and physiology education. However I believe it was put to best use when combined with another anatomy text (i.e.Tortora's Principles of Human Anatomy). These two texts are a powerhouse of information. They play well off of eachother. Where Tortora lacks in technical explanation and precise description Sherwood excells. Where Sherwood fails in graphic visual description Tortora more than makes up the difference. As a visual learner it was difficult to fully grasp certain concepts without another text to refer to. I believe for someone who learns best from verbal description this book would be incredibly beneficial. I used this text in a community college, pre-nursing, anatomy and physiology course and although it was helpful, it provided more of a complete picture when combined with the other text (Tortora). Overall I did find it more helpful as a reference resource than a teaching tool.

This is a very simple textbook. The content is clearly geared toward the beginner in biology, and the text could even be well-recieved and understood by nonscientists. That said, I think the book functions best (oddly) as material for upperclassmen in biology. The scarcity of detail - intended to make the book easier for the lay reader - actually serves the advanced student nicely by avoiding repitition of concepts already thoroughly covered in other courses. This is a physiology text which covers exactly that: physiology. It gets tiring after several years of schooling in biology to deal with all the overlap between classes (I cannot count the number of times I have had to memorize the reactions of the glycolytic pathway, for example), and this book avoids that. Overall, its a great rundown of the important concepts in human physiology, and would probably make a nice refresher for someone who took physiology in the distant past.

Underlying the broad study of physiology lies several important principles; unless these are appreciated, studying physiology can prove to be difficult, time-consuming, and ultimately an experience you'd rather forget.

Often in the hope of gaining a complete understanding of physiology, students will make the mistake of trying to attack the bigger/detailed texts such as guyton, ganong, and berne& levy. Unfortunately these books (particularly the latter two) are quite advanced and detailed, possessing a lot of minutiae. These books are useful for postgrads in science or for those sitting medical specialty exams. What you need if you're starting out in physiology is a book that clearly emphasises the principles, and avoids swamping you with detail that will quickly erase your appreciation of the big picture (your examiners will reward such perspective, and not the regurgitation of random facts! - the same is true for all areas of study). Sherwood does an amazing job of providing this information at just the right level for the beginner, laying down a solid foundation for further learning. I recommend using this as a primary text and consulting the other heavy weights for the fine print if your course syllabus (or thirst for knowledge!) requires this.