Ross & Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness

Citation

Waugh, A., & Grant, A. (2022). Ross & Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness (14th ed.). Elsevier.

Chapter Summary

The fourteenth edition has about 600 pages: eighteen chapters in four sections, followed by answers to the self-assessment and case-study questions, a glossary, a table of normal values, a list of common prefixes, suffixes and roots, a bibliography and an index. The preface sets out a fixed pattern for each system chapter: the anatomy and physiology of the healthy body come first, then common age-related changes, and finally the pathology and pathophysiology of some important disorders. Every main section opens with learning outcomes and closes with short "spot check" questions, and each chapter ends with "review and revise" questions. New in this edition, according to the publisher, are an introduction to surface anatomy, more illustrations of pathophysiology and diagnostics, and updates that include coronavirus.

Section 1: The body and its constituents (Chapters 1–3)

Chapter 1: Anatomy and organisation of the body. An overview of how the body is organised and what it needs to survive, with anatomical terms, the new surface-anatomy pages on body landmarks, a short introduction to ageing, and an introduction to the study of illness (aetiology and pathogenesis).

Chapter 2: Physiological chemistry and processes. The chemistry the rest of the book needs: important biological molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, enzymes, body fluids and fluid compartments, and the internal environment, with homeostasis explained as a control system of sensor, control centre and effector, and homeostatic imbalance.

Chapter 3: Cells and tissues. The structure of the cell and its organelles, transport across cell membranes, mitosis, the main tissue types, epithelial and serous membranes, and an introduction to tumours, their spread and their effects.

Section 2: Communication (Chapters 4–9)

The longest section, about 200 pages. Chapter 4: The blood covers blood cells and haemostasis, followed by disorders of the blood. Chapter 5: The cardiovascular system, at about 60 pages the longest chapter, covers the heart, blood vessels and the control of blood pressure (including the baroreceptor reflex), the effects of ageing, and diseases such as atheroma, thrombosis, aneurysm and angina. Chapter 6: The lymphatic system describes lymph vessels, nodes, spleen and thymus, and then lymphatic obstruction, lymphadenitis and lymphomas. Chapter 7: The nervous system treats neurones, the central and peripheral nervous systems, cranial nerves and the autonomic nervous system, the effects of ageing, and disorders including intracranial haemorrhage. Chapter 8: The special senses covers hearing, balance, sight, smell and taste, with age-related changes and disorders of the eye. Chapter 9: The endocrine system describes the pituitary, thyroid, adrenal and other glands, local hormones, the endocrine response to stress, and disorders such as diabetes mellitus.

Section 3: Intake of raw materials and elimination of waste (Chapters 10–13)

Chapter 10: The respiratory system covers the airways, lungs, pleura and gas exchange, and respiratory disease, including a new account of COVID-19. Chapter 11: Introduction to nutrition explains the balanced diet (with the Eatwell Guide), the nutrient groups, ageing and nutrition, and disorders of nutrition. Chapter 12: The digestive system, one of the longest chapters, follows the tract from mouth to large intestine and the accessory organs, digestion and absorption, then diseases of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, intestines and liver. Chapter 13: The urinary system covers the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra, the effects of ageing and urinary disorders.

Section 4: Protection of the body and continuation of the species (Chapters 14–18)

Chapter 14: The skin deals with the epidermis and dermis, temperature regulation, ageing, and skin infections and inflammatory conditions. Chapter 15: Defence and immunity separates non-specific (innate) defences, such as epithelial barriers, phagocytes and inflammation, from acquired immunity, active and passive, and ends with ageing and disorders of immunity such as hypersensitivity and immunodeficiency, including AIDS. Chapter 16: The musculoskeletal system, more than 50 pages, covers bone, the skeleton, joints and skeletal muscles, then disorders of bones, joints and muscles such as rheumatoid arthritis. Chapter 17: Genetics and inheritance introduces DNA, chromosomes, genes, mutation and protein synthesis, cell division by mitosis and meiosis, autosomal and sex-linked inheritance, ageing and genetics, and the genetic basis of disease, including chromosomal abnormalities. Chapter 18: The reproductive systems covers the female and male systems, puberty, the reproductive cycle, the breasts, ageing, and diseases of both systems.

Key Concepts

Section 1: Foundations

• Levels of organisation: the body described from chemicals and cells through tissues and organs to systems.
• Homeostasis: control systems that detect and correct changes in the internal environment, and what happens when they are overwhelmed.
• Aetiology and pathogenesis: the cause of a disease and the way it develops, the framework for every disorders section.

Section 2: Communication

• Haemostasis: the processes that stop bleeding, the basis for understanding thrombosis and bleeding disorders.
• Neural and hormonal control: the two communication systems, contrasted through the nervous, sensory and endocrine chapters.
• Blood pressure regulation: reflex control through baroreceptors and the autonomic nervous system.

Section 3: Intake and elimination

• Balanced diet and nutrients: the food groups and the role of each class of nutrient.
• Digestion and absorption: the sites of action of the digestive enzymes and where nutrients are absorbed.
• Renal function: how the kidneys produce urine and help regulate the body's fluids.

Section 4: Protection and continuation

• Innate and acquired immunity: general barriers and phagocytes versus the specific immune response.
• Patterns of inheritance: autosomal and sex-linked transmission of traits and disorders.
• Effects of ageing: the normal decline in function described for each system.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• Health and illness side by side. Every system chapter moves from normal structure and function to age-related changes and then to disease. Students in nursing and the health professions see at once why the normal physiology matters, and the book serves as a first introduction to pathophysiology as well as to anatomy and physiology.
• Designed for accessible reading. The publisher states that the book is written to be clear for students new to the subject and for readers whose first language is not English, and supports this with a glossary, a list of prefixes, suffixes and roots, a table of normal values and about 520 colour illustrations.
• Built-in self-testing. Learning outcomes, spot-check questions after each section, end-of-chapter review questions and case studies, with answers printed at the back, make it suitable for independent study. The Evolve website adds animations, an audio glossary, colouring and self-test software and, new to this edition, narrated 3D videos.
• Long track record and current updates. The preface notes that the book is entering its sixtieth year in print. This edition adds surface anatomy and COVID-19.

Limitations

• Introductory depth. The book is written for nursing and allied-health students. Mechanisms are described rather than analysed: cellular and molecular physiology, quantitative treatment and experimental evidence are limited compared with physiology texts for science majors or medical students.
• System-by-system division. The preface itself reminds readers that physiology is an integrated subject while the book presents it system by system; students must make links between chapters themselves, using the cross-references.
• Pathology is selective. The disorders sections cover common and important conditions in outline. They are not a substitute for a pathology or pharmacology text, and treatment is not the focus.
• British usage. Spelling and terminology are British (haemostasis, oesophagus), and the nutrition chapter uses the UK Eatwell Guide; students elsewhere may need to adjust to local guidelines.

Where It Fits in the Course

Among the human anatomy and physiology books in this course, Ross & Wilson is the compact, clinically framed first course. OpenStax's Anatomy and Physiology 2e covers the same body systems for a two-semester sequence in more detail, and is freely available; students who want more depth on any one system can read the matching OpenStax chapters alongside it. Silverthorn's Human Physiology: An Integrated Approach is a physiology text organised around recurring themes and running problems, and is the natural next step for students moving on from a first course into physiology proper.

Boron and Boulpaep's Medical Physiology treats each system from molecular and cellular mechanisms with quantitative detail, at the level of medical school; it is for later study. Hill, Cavanaugh and Anderson's Animal Physiology and Taiz and colleagues' Plant Physiology and Development cover other organisms and are relevant only to students taking comparative or plant courses.

How to Use This Book

The book suits students of nursing, midwifery, paramedic science and the allied health professions, and anyone needing a first course in human anatomy and physiology with basic pathology. No background beyond school science is needed, since chapter 2 supplies the chemistry and chapter 3 the cell biology.

A practical plan:

• Start with Section 1. Chapters 1–3 provide the vocabulary, the idea of homeostasis and the cell and tissue biology that every later chapter assumes. Learn the anatomical terms in chapter 1 early.
• Follow your course order for the systems. Each chapter stands on its own. For each one, read the healthy anatomy and physiology first, answer the spot checks, and only then read the ageing and disorders sections.
• Link chapters. Read chapters 4–6 (blood, cardiovascular, lymphatic) together, chapters 7–9 (nervous, senses, endocrine) as the control systems, and chapters 11–12 (nutrition and digestion) together. Use the in-text cross-references.
• Treat the disorders sections as a bridge. For nursing students they introduce pathophysiology; for science students they can be read more selectively.

Answer the review-and-revise questions and case studies at the end of each chapter and check them against the answers at the back. Use the Evolve animations and 3D videos for topics that are hard to picture from diagrams, such as the heart and joints, and the audio glossary for pronunciation of terms.