Physics In Biology And Medicine

This third edition covers topics in physics as they apply to the life sciences, specifically medicine, physiology, nursing and other applied health fields. It includes many figures, examples and illustrative problems and appendices which provide convenient access to the most important concepts of mechanics, electricity, and optics.

Physics in Biology and Medicine, Third Edition covers topics in physics as they apply to the life sciences, specifically medicine, physiology, nursing, and other applied health fields. This concise introductory paperback surveys and relates basic physics to living systems. It discusses biological systems that can be analyzed quantitatively, and how advances in the life sciences have been aided by the knowledge of physical or engineering analysis techniques. This text is designed for premed students, doctors, nurses, physiologists, or other applied health workers, and other individuals who wish to understand the nature of the mechanics of our bodies. - Provides practical techniques for applying knowledge of physics to the study of living systems - Presents material in a straight forward manner requiring very little background in physics or biology - Includes many figures, examples and illustrative problems and appendices which provide convenient access to the most important concepts of mechanics, electricity, and optics

In considering ways that physics has helped advance biology and medicine, what typically comes to mind are the various tools used by researchers and clinicians. We think of the optics put to work in microscopes, endoscopes, and lasers; the advanced diagnostics permitted through magnetic, x-ray, and ultrasound imaging; and even the nanotools, that allow us to tinker with molecules. We build these instruments in accordance with the closest thing to absolute truths we know, the laws of physics, but seldom do we apply those same constants of physics to the study of our own carbon-based beings, such as fluidics applied to the flow of blood, or the laws of motion and energy applied to working muscle. Instead of considering one aspect or the other, Handbook of Physics in Medicine and Biology explores the full gamut of physics’ relationship to biology and medicine in more than 40 chapters, written by experts from the lab to the clinic. The book begins with a basic description of specific biological features and delves into the physics of explicit anatomical structures starting with the cell. Later chapters look at the body's senses, organs, and systems, continuing to explain biological functions in the language of physics. The text then details various analytical modalities such as imaging and diagnostic methods. A final section turns to future perspectives related to tissue engineering, including the biophysics of prostheses and regenerative medicine. The editor’s approach throughout is to address the major healthcare challenges, including tissue engineering and reproductive medicine, as well as development of artificial organs and prosthetic devices. The contents are organized by organ type and biological function, which is given a clear description in terms of electric, mechanical, thermodynamic, and hydrodynamic properties. In addition to the physical descriptions, each chapter discusses principles of related clinical diagnostic methods and technological aspects of therapeutic applications. The final section on regenerative engineering, emphasizes biochemical and physiochemical factors that are important to improving or replacing biological functions. Chapters cover materials used for a broad range of applications associated with the replacement or repair of tissues or entire tissue structures.

A reissue of a classic book, intended for undergraduate courses in biophysics, biological physics, physiology, medical physics, and biomedical engineering. This is an introduction to mechanics, with examples and problems from the medical and biological sciences, covering standard topics of kinematics, dynamics, statics, momentum, and feedback, control and stability but with the emphasis on physical and biological systems. The book can be used as a supplement to standard introductory physics courses, as well as for medical schools, medical physics courses, and biology departments. The three volumes combined present all the major topics in physics. Originally published in 1974 from the authors typescript, this reissue will be edited, corrected, typeset, the art redrawn, and an index added, plus a solutions manual will also be available.

This book comprehensively addresses the physics and engineering aspects of human physiology by using and building on first-year college physics and mathematics. Topics include the mechanics of the static body and the body in motion, the mechanical properties of the body, muscles in the body, the energetics of body metabolism, fluid flow in the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, the acoustics of sound waves in speaking and hearing, vision and the optics of the eye, the electrical properties of the body, and the basic engineering principles of feedback and control in regulating all aspects of function. The goal of this text is to clearly explain the physics issues concerning the human body, in part by developing and then using simple and subsequently more refined models of the macrophysics of the human body. Many chapters include a brief review of the underlying physics. There are problems at the end of each chapter; solutions to selected problems are also provided. This second edition enhances the treatments of the physics of motion, sports, and diseases and disorders, and integrates discussions of these topics as they appear throughout the book. Also, it briefly addresses physical measurements of and in the body, and offers a broader selection of problems, which, as in the first edition, are geared to a range of student levels. This text is geared to undergraduates interested in physics, medical applications of physics, quantitative physiology, medicine, and biomedical engineering.

Chronic disease states of aging should be viewed through the prism of metabolism and biophysical processes at all levels of physiological organization present in the human body. This book describes the building blocks of understanding from a reasonable but not high-level technical language viewpoint, employing the perspective of a clinical physician. It brings together concepts from five specific branches of physics relevant to biology and medicine, namely, biophysics, classical electromagnetism, thermodynamics, systems biology and quantum mechanics. Key Features: Broad and up-to-date overview of the field of metabolism, especially connecting the spectrum of topics that range from modern physical underpinnings with cell biology to clinical practice. Provides a deeper basic science and interdisciplinary understanding of biological systems that broaden the perspectives and therapeutic problem solving. Introduces the concept of the Physiological Fitness Landscape, which is inspired by the physics of phase transitions This first volume in a two-volume set, primarily targets an audience of clinical and science students, biomedical researchers and physicians who would benefit from understanding each other’s language.

Methods involving nuclear physics are today finding applications in many disciplines, including important areas of medicine. This book intends to bridge the gap between the many applications in medicine and the underlying basic nuclear physics which needs to be understood by those applying the methods. In addition, those active in nuclear science will gain insight into the manifold applications of their subject. The main topics of the book are: physical foundations, instrumentation, diagnostics (imaging), therapies and radiation safety. The book will appeal to medical doctors active in nuclear medicine as well as to medical physicists.