Functional Morphology

Functional Morphology: The Dynamic Wholeness of the Human Organism

Physicians around the world are familiar with Johannes Rohen’s books on human anatomy. In this, his last major work, Dr. Rohen presents the fruits of his lifelong study of the human organism. Viewing the various organs and organ systems in the context of the organism as a dynamic whole, he arrives at new and profound insights. Functional Morphology significantly supplements and expands the concepts of general anatomy and offers a new basis for approaching the interaction of body and soul. It not only conveys information, but also awakens the reader’s astonishment and joy at the unique nature of the human being.

Functional Morphology offers fresh insight and inspiration for physicians, therapists, educators, and anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the human organism.

In color.

In this encompassing book, Rohen discusses such topics as:

• How the human organism—as a whole, and in every part—is structured by a fundamental polarity that manifests as:

form ↔ movement,

central nervous system ↔ metabolism,

information exchange ↔ material processes,

consciousness ↔ unconsciousness,

and how these polarities are mediated by rhythmical functions such as those found in the respiratory and circulatory systems.

• How the central nervous system can be understood as an instrument of consciousness but not as the producer of consciousness.
• The unique relationship between the human body and the three dimensions of space.
• How a dynamic view of the human body can reveal surprising relationships between organs and organ systems.

• Significant embryological and evolutionary aspects of the human organism.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction
Author’s Preface

BASIC CONCEPTS AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FORM

Introductory Epistemological Remarks
General Principles of Form
Phylogenetic Processes

THE METABOLIC-LIMB SYSTEM

The Musculoskeletal System
The Metabolic System and Digestive Organs
The Immune System, Lymphatic Organs, and Spleen
The Urogenital System: The Organs of Excretion and Reproduction

THE ORGANS OF THE RHYTHMIC SYSTEM

Blood and the Organs of Circulation
The Respiratory System

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND THE SENSE ORGANS

The Functional Threefoldness of the Nervous System
The Major Sensorimotor Systems
The Sensory Systems
The Autonomic or Vegetative Nervous System
The Nervous System and Consciousness
The Endocrine System (Hormonal Glands)

HEAD DEVELOPMENT AND ORGAN METAMORPHOSES

Head Development and the Integration Principle
Organ Metamorphoses
Head Development and the Disintegration Principle
The Respiratory System of the Head
The Pituitary/Pineal System

EVOLUTIONARY ASPECTS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

The Physiological Foundations of Freedom
Evolutionary Principles and the Genesis of the Modern Human Form
The Future of Human Evolution and the Problem of the Resurrection Body

References
Index

About the Author

Dr. Johannes Wolfgang Rohen (b. 1921) received his medical degree from the University of Tübingen in 1946. He became head of the Department of Anatomy in Marburg in 1964 and in Erlangen in 1974. His main scientific interest has been the functional morphology of tissues of the anterior segment of the eye, the eyelid apparatus, and the pathogenesis of glaucoma (documented in more than 300 scientific papers). His three-dimensional reconstructions of the various functional systems of the eye (summarized in the Handbook of Microscopic Anatomy) helped lay the groundwork for scientific ophthalmology. He introduced his views into fields of anatomy and wrote textbooks on related subjects. His Photographic Atlas of Gross Anatomy has been translated into eighteen languages and is a standard text in the US. Dr. Rohen has received numerous awards and honorary degrees for his work and is a member of numerous organizations dedicated to research in areas related to his lifelong work.