Human Evolutionary Biology: Human Anatomy and Physiology from an Evolutionary Perspective

This is a remarkable book, despite some flaws. In a fast paced, informal, conversational voice, von Hippel presents an incredible amount of information, most of it very interesting. The emphasis is on physiology, not anatomy, and it is grounded in evolutionary concepts. Thus, while things work remarkably well, designs are certainly not what you would get starting from scratch - although Hippel sometimes shows that there are so many conflicting constraints that many apparently simpler designs would not work. Hippel, a doctor, is interested in clinical problems and treatments, as well as evolution and how things work in other life forms. He is also the type of scientist who draws scientific lessons from the most mundane phenomenon of everyday life. I personally enjoyed his sense of humor and crusty manner, although you might not if you are a lawyer or politician. The problem with the book is that while Hippel explains things clearly enough, there is a limit to how well you can convey material without the graphical aids found in good textbooks, nor is Hippel that clear in his own mind about just what kind of background he expects his readers to have. I tended to enjoy most of the sections I was not fully following: I would read quickly and pick up interesting nuggets. Still, readers without any background in molecular biology are likely to miss a lot and may have difficulty with the first few chapters.

This book tackles what it's title states, "Human Evolutionary Biology." The author displays an impressive knowledge of human anatomy and physiology. He begins with physics and chemistry to help us understand the role these play in shaping us, from our pH to why we're so water-logged, then examines how multicellular organisms like ourselves arose from single-celled ancestors. Next, through covering such topics as blood (e.g. Iron defiency), the skelotomuscular system (e.g. types of muscle) and the immune system (MHC system, etc.) through their own chapters, Hippel gets into details and finds a successful way to organize the remainder of the book. There is plenty of space to lag and lull the reader to sleep. But this book does just the opposite, keeping one's attention throughout. The writing style is lively and irreverent; the metaphors wonderful and humor ripe. Hippel actively advances evolutionary explanations throughout, challenging the reader with such views rather than leaving such interpretations for sidebars or background noise. So if you are an ardent evolutionist yourself, you'll probably love this. If you're not, you might find some of the dismissals of religious views as too zealous and perhaps gleeful. In other small weaknesses, the book contains no figures, meaning that one will have to search elsewhere for diagrams of the skeletal system, the cranial nerves and the digestive system. A few clinical asides also seem out of place, given that the rest of the book seems designed for broader audiences. Overall, however, this book successfully addresses what it advertises: human anatomy and physiology from an evolutionary perspective.

From an unabashedly evolutionary perspective, Dr. von Hippel takes on human anatomy and physiology. Is he successful? Largely so. The writing is active, ripe with humor (try, "Thereafter you can be junked more cheaply than rebuilt" [p. 97]) and playfully blunt ("So rather than Earth being clothed in peacefully coexisting photosynthetic populations slowly depleting all available resources in idyllic surroundings while smothering in their own wastes, every growing group and its wastes provide new opportunities for the next opportunist." [p. 105]). It begins with the basics of the scientific method, moving to background on chemistry and physics necessary for understanding our evolution (e.g. our water-logged bodies). It shows how we became multicellular creatures from single-celled origins and how a range of our systems, from the immune system to emotions, developed as adaptations to past selection pressures. Throughout, the detail is impressive: the author clearly knows his subject in considerable detail. On the more critical side, the book could have benefitted by including anatomical or other illustrations. It's hard to get a good sense of the anatomy and physiology without such aids, though this book doesn't contain any such illustrations. Without prior knowledge, it therefore reads better alongside a basic, well-illustrated anatomy and physiology text and would alone be unsuitable for a course. A few of the medical asides also seemed superfluous to the audience that, on the whole, could be of varied backgrounds, extending beyond the medical community (I'm an example myself as a non-M.D.). Overall, this book contains a wealth of information and adaptive interpretations that inspire, entertain and can best be digested alongside more standard, better-illustrated texts.

I was reading Edward O. Wilson's "Consilience" when I received this book. Both are very beautifully written books by very accomplished men. As an M.D., I found von Hippel's book very exciting that I will never look at the patients the same way again. We need scientific knowledge for everyone and we need it now. This book will engross anyone willing to learn the scientific truth beneath the common information.