Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More.

Trail Guide to the Body: How to Locate Muscles, Bones, and More

Biel A. Boulder, CO 80302, Andrew Biel LMP, 1997, paperback, 297 pp, illus, $42.95.

The stated purpose of this book is "to provide information for hands-on therapists on the subject of palpatory anatomy." Following an introductory section, the book is divided into an overview chapter and 5 chapters based on body regions. Numerous line drawings supplement brief descriptions of arteries, veins, the lymphatic system, glands, and nerves in addition to often more-detailed descriptions of bones, ligaments, and muscles. The origin and insertion, actions, and innervation of most muscles are listed. Most of these anatomic descriptions are accompanied by directions for palpating those structures that are accessible to palpation. The text and illustrations are supplemented throughout with boxes containing more detailed information or historical accounts of the origin of the nomenclature.

The idea behind this book is not a bad one. However, it is unfortunate that more attention was not paid to scope of coverage, detail, and accuracy. Some easily palpable muscles are not mentioned, the description of attachments for some muscles is incomplete (eg, listing only some of the many attachment sites), and the account of muscle actions for some muscles is insufficiently specific (eg, not listing a particular joint movement performed only by that muscle). The lists of muscle innervations also are insufficiently specific in many cases (eg, giving only "brachial plexus" as the innervation of a muscle) and wrong in others. In addition, some major muscle actions are omitted. The inconsistency in the level of detail is also distracting.

Some factual errors in this book might confuse beginning students. For example, the difference between white and red muscle is attributed in part to the amount of "sacroplasm," which is described as "the tissue which surrounds muscle fibers." Students also might be confused by mistakes in the labeling of some illustrations.

In a book on palpation, one might have hoped for emphasis on simple hygienic measures, such as hand washing between clients or between partners in a student lab. And some advice in this book is potentially dangerous. For instance, the author recommends palpating the common carotid artery at the level of the hyoid bone. In the first place, the common carotid usually bifurcates approximately at the level of the superior border of the thyroid cartilage. More importantly, in susceptible individuals, palpation over the region of the carotid sinus may cause carotid sinus syncope or worse.

In this reviewer's opinion, Trail Guide to the Human Body is insufficient in scope and detail and contains too many errors to be used either as a textbook in courses for physical therapist students or as a reference manual for practicing physical therapists. Anyone who has had a dissection-based human anatomy course should already know more anatomy than is covered in this book and should be able to use that knowledge as a guide to palpation of clinically relevant structures.

William A Roy, PhD, PT University of Mississippi Medical Center Jackson, Miss

Dr Roy teaches gross anatomy, neuroscience, and musculoskeletal therapeutic exercise courses in the Departments of Physical Therapy and Anatomy.