THE CHALLENGE

Nearly everyone today knows that medical knowl-

edge is expanding at an unprecedented rate; that

interest in health and fitness are at an all-time

high; that the population as a whole is aging.

Students of anatomy and physiology realize that

never before have there been more opportunities

for employment in health-related fields, from nurs-

ing to sports training, from occupational safety to

dietetics They therefore typically begin this course

with high hopes.

All too often, however, these hopes quickly turn

to frustration. For many students this will be their

first college-level science course, and they must

not only learn a new vocabulary but learn new

ways of studying and organizing information.

Moreover, returning students must also balance

the demands of their academic work with outside

responsibilities, such as jobs and families. Not sur-

pnsingly, therefore, nearly all students suffer from

a lack of time. Time to go to class, time to spend

in lab, time to study at home. Time to memorize

several thousand new technical terms that must

be correlated with hundreds of anatomical illus-

trations; time to develop a thorough understand-

ing of complex physiological processes. Above all,

time to integrate what they learn in various chap-

ters, so that they can see how the body functions

as a whole rather than as a collection of separate

organs or systems.

No textbook can give students more time. But

a carefully crafted text can help students make

better use of the time they do have. The key to pro-

ducing such a book is understanding how students

learn, and what impediments stand in the way of

their learning.

THE THIRD EDITION

Instructors naturally share the frustrations of their

students-- multiplied by the number of students

in their courses. This text has evolved from edition

to edition in response to the c~ncerns and sug-

gestions from instructors as well as students.

Many instructors have been happy to offer advice,

ideas, and comments for the preparation of the

third edition. Day-by-day notes of instructors using

the second edition, on-campus meetings, focus

groups, and extensive reviewing of several drafts

all played important roles in the development of

the book. The ultimate goal, however, has

remained the same since the planning of the first

edition nearly a decade ago: to give students every

passible assistance in surmounting what may be

the greatest challenge of their educational career.