Ebook: Textbook of Medical Physiology 11.Edition & Tıbbi Fizyoloji 11.Baskı

The first edition of the Textbook of Medical Phys-
iology was written by Arthur C.Guyton almost 50
years ago. Unlike many major medical textbooks,
which often have 20 or more authors, the first
eight editions of the Textbook of Medical Physi-
ology were written entirely by Dr. Guyton with
each new edition arriving on schedule for nearly
40 years. Over the years, Dr. Guyton’s textbook
became widely used throughout the world and was translated into 13 languages.
A major reason for the book’s unprecedented success was his uncanny ability
to explain complex physiologic principles in language easily understood by stu-
dents. His main goal with each edition was to instruct students in physiology,
not to impress his professional colleagues. His writing style always maintained
the tone of a teacher talking to his students.
I had the privilege of working closely with Dr. Guyton for almost 30 years
and the honor of helping him with the 9th and 10th editions. For the 11th
edition, I have the same goal as in previous editions—to explain, in language
easily understood by students, how the different cells, tissues, and organs of the
human body work together to maintain life.This task has been challenging and
exciting because our rapidly increasing knowledge of physiology continues to
unravel new mysteries of body functions. Many new techniques for learning
about molecular and cellular physiology have been developed.We can present
more and more the physiology principles in the terminology of molecular and
physical sciences rather than in merely a series of separate and unexplained bio-
logical phenomena.This change is welcomed, but it also makes revision of each
chapter a necessity.
In this edition, I have attempted to maintain the same unified organization
of the text that has been useful to students in the past and to ensure that
the book is comprehensive enough that students will wish to use it in later life
as a basis for their professional careers. I hope that this textbook conveys
the majesty of the human body and its many functions and that it stimulates
students to study physiology throughout their careers. Physiology is the link
between the basic sciences and medicine. The great beauty of physiology is
that it integrates the individual functions of all the body’s different cells,tissues,
and organs into a functional whole, the human body. Indeed, the human
body is much more than the sum of its parts,and life relies upon this total func-
tion, not just on the function of individual body parts in isolation from the
others.
This brings us to an important question: How are the separate organs and
systems coordinated to maintain proper function of the entire body? Fortu-
nately, our bodies are endowed with a vast network of feedback controls that
achieve the necessary balances without which we would not be able to live.
Physiologists call this high level of internal bodily control homeostasis. In
disease states, functional balances are often seriously disturbed and homeosta-
sis is impaired.And, when even a single disturbance reaches a limit, the whole
body can no longer live. One of the goals of this text, therefore, is to emphasize
the effectiveness and beauty of the body’s homeostasis mechanisms as well as
to present their abnormal function in disease.
Another objective is to be as accurate as possible. Suggestions and critiques
from many physiologists, students, and clinicians throughout the world have
been sought and then used to check factual accuracy as well as balance in the
text. Even so, because of the likelihood of error in sorting through many thou-
sands of bits of information, I wish to issue still a further request to all readers
to send along notations of error or inaccuracy. Physiologists understand the
importance of feedback for proper function of the human body; so, too, is feed-
back important for progressive improvement of a textbook of physiology. To
the many persons who have already helped, I send sincere thanks.