Charles Oxnard 
CHANGE AND CHALLENGE IN HUMAN STRUCTURE – SIXTY YEARS ON [EPUB ebook] 
From Cutting and Counting, through Mathematics, Mechanics, Molecules and Modelling, to Brain and Behaviour!

Regarded by many as a dead or simply dull subject, Change and Challenge in Human Structure — Sixty Years On shatters this prejudice with a series of studies that go beyond dissection and measurement and covers novel approaches to anatomical form. Award-winning anatomist Charles Oxnard takes us on an exhilarating ride: beginning with rudimentary dissections and the fascinating observation of ‘missing muscles’, we are led on naturally to statistical analysis of bone measurements and how they may give information about bone function. Engineering methods and pattern recognition are introduced next, as a means of studying the external shape and internal structure of bones, respectively, and their relation to mechanical function. The application of landmark analysis to anatomy, also known as geometric morphometrics, is given a full chapter treatment. Finally, Oxnard uses modelling techniques to skilfully lay out an argument for the uniqueness of human brains and new possibilities in human evolutionary theories, both past and future. This book offers nothing less than a paradigm shift in our understanding of one of the oldest fields of science, and leads us into new views of the functional, developmental, behavioural, genetic and evolutionary implications of anatomical studies.

Contents:

• Preface: How the Study of Human Structure has Changed


• The Eye, the Mind, and the Knife


• The Ruler, the Calculator, and the Computer


• Bone Shape and Bone Mechanics


• Bone Again: From External Shape to Internal Pattern


• Shape Space and Landmarks


• Mimicking Genealogies and Evolution/li>


• Are We Unique? A Peculiarly Human Position


• What did You do in the War, Daddy?


• Postface: Implications: New Alignments of Old Disciplines

Readership: Academics, researchers, lecturers, graduate and undergraduate STEM and medical students in anatomy, anthropology, human biology, evolution, forensic science, and related fields. The book introduces physical, mathematical and engineering approaches to anatomical research so it is also of interest to modellers and bioengineers. The non-jargon nature of the writing should appeal to high school students, teachers, and general readers interested in human structure, function and evolution.

‘I strongly recommend this marvellous book that should be of interest to students and professional anatomists alike. While topographical anatomical teaching is the norm today, with the focus only on the body of facts needed to practice medicine, Oxnard demonstrates that the historical dimension, how anatomies come about and how they work, add richness and interest to the subject. They transform anatomy from a descriptive to a hypothesis-testing science. With this comes both a broader educational experience and a reimagining of anatomy as a discipline worthy of deeper inquiry. Oxnard brings all of this to life in this fascinating account of his sixty years of anatomical investigation and thinking. With its curious and exciting insights into anatomical form and function, it will engage, inspire and educate.’ – Paul O’Higgins Professor of Anatomy University of York, UK

‘This book promises to be a charming and lucid mélange of anatomical facts, scientific principles, and cases being made for unpopular opinions. It is always fascinating to watch Charles Oxnard’s ingenious and innovative mind attacking old questions with new techniques and unique insights. This book offers all the pleasure and illumination that his readers have come to expect.’ – Matt Cartmill Professor Emeritus of Evolutionary Anthropology Boston University, USA

‘This book is a wonderful reminder that, sixty years on, Charles Oxnard is still the thoughtful innovator who can shake up fields with the clarity of his observations and the keenness of his insight into evolutionary processes. What is excellent is that Oxnard shares with the reader what he saw and how he interpreted what he saw. This is about looking through someone else’s eyes and thinking with their brain, from the ‘driver’s seat’ of the cognitive processes leading to the breakthroughs.’ – Nina G Jablonski Evan Pugh University Professor of Anthropology Pennsylvania State University, USA

Key Features:

• Sixty-year update on computational, physical, engineering, mathematical and modelling approaches to anatomy


• Highly multidisciplinary, connecting a wide array of scientific disciplines