This friendly text is based on the premise that all nurses need a working knowledge of the normal functioning of the human body. It is only when we understand the normal that the abnormal pathological situation makes any sense. If we can understand how the body goes wrong then it often becomes obvious what needs to be done to treat a disorder. This means physiology and pathophysiology can both be used to inform our clinical interventions and provide us with rationales for care.

John Campbell initially wrote these notes as a guide for his students and because they proved so useful he decided to expand and publish them. The aim has been to keep the text concise but to explain the physiology and necessary basic science in a way that is easy to understand and learn. Diagrams are an important part of this philosophy. When the book was first discussed John thought about getting the diagrams professionally drawn, but rather than do so he decided to draw the diagrams himself, just as he does for his students.

Chapter 1: Cells, tissues and bodies / Chapter 2: The nervous system / Chapter 3: The endocrine system / Chapter 4: The cardiovascular system / Chapter 5: The lymphatic system / Chapter 6: Blood / Chapter 7: The respiratory system / Chapter 8: The digestive system / Chapter 9: The urinary system / Chapter 10: The skin / Chapter 11: Thermoregulation / Chapter 12: The liver / Chapter 13: Inflammation and immunity / Chapter 14: Genetics.

Students of Nursing and Medical Colleges.