The Dynamics of Movement

Dynatomy: William C. Whiting & Stuart Rugg. Human Kinetics 2006. 246 pages, 11"x8½", paperback, £33.87. Includes CD-ROM. ISBN 0-7360-3682-2

THE AUTHORS IDENTIFY a weakness in structural anatomy courses: they lack much in the way of a realistic depiction of the actual movement of the skeleton and muscles. This book therefore attempts to redress the balance by including a CD with dozens of videos showing mobile 3-D drawings of skeletons and muscles. The eleven layers enable the student to build up a complete human body from skeleton to muscles, and the model rotates, allowing as many as eight views per rotation. It helps to have Quicktime Version 6.0 or better installed on your computer, but you can view the material without it. The whole body does look rather like something done by that German artist who does public dissection, and my wife described some of the movement of (for instance) skeletal feet not connected to a body as 'a bit creepy'. But what's the good of entertainment if it can't send icy fingers up your spine?
34 animations, seen from four different angles, illustrate the action of muscles in moving all of the major joints in the body; and there is a library of real films of subjects strung about with sensors and wires performing push-ups, standing from sitting, walking, and other common movements.
The book itself is an excellent introduction to functional anatomy, the first 90-odd pages, thoroughly illustrated, giving the foundations, and the rest devoted to the applied mechanics of movement. There are problem-solving exercises, a glossary, references and an adequate index. Excellent value for money.

Ramin Minovi