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The Secret Language of Anatomy: An Illustrated Guide to the Origins of Anatomical Terms
A strikingly illustrated key to decoding anatomical terminology, with 150 terms for body parts that derive from animals, plants, objects, and more
An initiation into the mysterious subject of anatomical terminology, this book reveals the body's secret language by explaining the close relationship between human organs and structures and the evocative names given to them by anatomists. Beautifully crafted images illustrate 150 terms derived from the animal, food, place, plant, symbol, or other object that the body structure or function clearly resembles. Complete with a guide to prefixes and suffixes, this book decodes patterns in the naming of parts throughout the human body and makes anatomical terms more memorable for medical students and practitioners. In addition to professionals, anyone interested in the history of anatomy, the structure and function of the human body, medical etymology, and the history of language will be fascinating by this engrossing, accessible, and informative book.
An initiation into the mysterious subject of anatomical terminology, this book reveals the body's secret language by explaining the close relationship between human organs and structures and the evocative names given to them by anatomists. Beautifully crafted images illustrate 150 terms derived from the animal, food, place, plant, symbol, or other object that the body structure or function clearly resembles. Complete with a guide to prefixes and suffixes, this book decodes patterns in the naming of parts throughout the human body and makes anatomical terms more memorable for medical students and practitioners. In addition to professionals, anyone interested in the history of anatomy, the structure and function of the human body, medical etymology, and the history of language will be fascinating by this engrossing, accessible, and informative book.
176 pages, Hardcover
Published July 31, 2018
33 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 28, 2021
good for anatomy revision cheat days
April 5, 2019
Attention Yoga Teachers and other curious beings who appreciate a good poetic exploration of the human body and word origin: this book is for you. 😍 New(ish) release discovered at the library but I’m going to buy it for future reference.
July 3, 2024
A very quick read which covers the etymology of a large number of anatomical terms. Incredibly succinct and packed with a number of illustrations to show readers the logic behind why the names for specific objects/natural structures became repurposed for certain components of the human body.
It was also a wonderful refresher of first year anatomy for me - I didn’t even realise I was capable of remembering some of these names!
The 5 star rating is in no way related to the fact that the author is also my boss at Magdalene College…
It was also a wonderful refresher of first year anatomy for me - I didn’t even realise I was capable of remembering some of these names!
The 5 star rating is in no way related to the fact that the author is also my boss at Magdalene College…
November 4, 2022
This book was so fun to read. It is a short artistic explanation of Anatomical terms and the beauty of the language of anatomy. The images are separated in twenty sections as varied as agriculture, weaponry, animals, food and landscape- with history and entomology introductions in each section. It was a fun way to stop and appreciate language with context and the structure of our amazing selves in a new way.
May 31, 2018
A very good overview of anatomical terms, with clear explanations and elegantly simple drawings. Categorising terms - e.g. under tools or weaponry, or animals or plants, or ornaments, or numbers or letters, etc. is very effective in helping to remember terms. A great reference work, which will be useful in life drawing.
August 3, 2020
Very interesting, but obviously lacking. Just a sampling of anatomical terms and their origins. I wish those that were given as examples in each chapter's introduction were just included in the chapter themselves. Some more info would've been appreciated too. A nice introduction to the wonderful language of our body parts.
September 26, 2021
Quite enjoyed it, nice gentle reading. Having studied and tutored anatomy at university, the vast majority of material was familiar to me. Didn't take long at all to read, it would be useful for first-time anatomy learners. Wouldn't rate it 5 stars but a well deserved 4.
December 30, 2021
I was always going to love a book about anatomy and etymology!
Why did it sit partly read for a few years? No real explanation really. I'm glad that my end of year purge got me over the line finally.
Why did it sit partly read for a few years? No real explanation really. I'm glad that my end of year purge got me over the line finally.
November 20, 2019
Pictures are very difficult to see on an ebook
January 27, 2022
Word nerds and body nerds can meet within these pages. Charming, illuminating illustrations and concise descriptions of your favorite body parts (and maybe some you haven’t heard of yet).
February 23, 2024
Basic anatomical Vocab from mostly Greek and Latin roots. Kinda fun.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews