Physiology

Foster, M. (Michael), Sir, 1836-1907Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 212K words
Chapters: 22

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Physiology by Sir M. FosterAuthor: Foster, M. (Michael), Sir, 1836-1907,Language: English, Class: QP: Science: Physiology, Release Date: Oct 22, 2016

Editor's review

This is an introductory physiology reader written by the British physiologist Michael Foster for general readers, belonging to an important strand of late nineteenth-century popular science writing. Foster explains the basic functions of the body's systems in clear, restrained English; the prose does not rely on elaborate formulas but draws principles from everyday phenomena and experimental observations, reflecting the typical style of Victorian science education. Its value is threefold: first, it serves as a window into the history of physiological thought, revealing the boundaries of contemporary understanding of circulation, respiration, and the nervous system; second, its plain English makes it suitable as supplementary reading in the history of science and medical humanities; third, its length and structure are reader-friendly, making selective reading easy. One caveat: many specific facts in the book have been superseded by modern physiology, so readers should treat it as a historical text rather than a contemporary textbook. It suits readers interested in the history of science, the history of medicine, or early popular science writing, who will appreciate the discipline's evolution all the more when comparing it with modern textbooks.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of physiological thought and the history of medicine
Learners who want to improve their English scientific reading through older popular science texts
Medical or biology students seeking supplementary reading on the history of the discipline
General readers who enjoy nineteenth-century English popular science writing

Not a good fit for

Students preparing for exams who need contemporary physiological knowledge and key points
Professional medical workers seeking the latest clinical or experimental data
Readers with weak English who find long explanatory texts difficult

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents to grasp the chapter structure, then read the sections on circulation, respiration, or the nervous system according to interest.
After each chapter, check key concepts against a modern physiology textbook and note what has been revised.
Pay attention to the author's argumentation and use of examples, analyzing the book as a specimen of scientific writing.
Excerpt typical passages for close reading in English to build a store of older popular science expressions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is the knowledge in this book still valid today?

Some basic descriptions remain useful for reference, but many specific mechanisms and data have been updated or even corrected by modern physiology. Read it as a historical text, and check key concepts against contemporary textbooks to distinguish historical understanding from today's consensus.

Can I understand it without a physiology background?

Yes. Foster writes for general readers, drawing principles from everyday phenomena and experimental observations wherever possible, with a low density of terminology. A basic biology dictionary will help with technical terms, and the overall barrier to entry is lower than that of modern professional textbooks.

Is it suitable as English learning material?

It suits intermediate and advanced English learners. The writing is clear and the sentence patterns are regular, making it a typical specimen of nineteenth-century popular science English; it helps build scientific vocabulary and observe how expository prose is organized. Note, however, that some expressions differ from contemporary English.

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About the author

Foster, M. (Michael), Sir, 1836-1907 Author · British · 1836–1907

Sir Michael Foster (Foster, M. (Michael), Sir, 1836–1907) was a British physiologist and a professor at the University of Cambridge. Public information about his life is limited; what can be confirmed is his nationality, his dates, and his teaching post at Cambridge. One work by him is held in this collection, namely Physiology. This representative work indicates that his writing was directed toward the fundamentals of physiology and the needs of teaching, being a textbook intended to explain the basic principles of human physiology in a systematic way. According to the existing profile, he authored several physiology textbooks, which shows that his writing centered on physiology education and contributed to the transmission and popularization of physiological knowledge in his time.