Vital Circuits: On Pumps, Pipes, and the Workings of Circulatory Systems

This 315-page trade paperback has a table of contents, an index, footnotes, a list of references, and a glossary. It is written in such an engaging and accessible style, it is an entertaining read for someone who enjoys reading about science. Because it is written by a noted scholar with plenty of documentation, it would also be an excellent textbook for a physiology or other biology class in secondary schools or for introductory science classes at colleges or universities.The author, Steven Vogel, Ph.D., is a professor of biology at Duke University in Durham, NC. Dr. Vogel has won the Irving and Jean Stone Prize for Science Writing for Public Understanding, and I can understand why. He makes very complicated biological processes clear and understandable to a lay audience. Though this book was written in 1992, it is not outdated since Vogel covers a great deal of information about the structure and mechanics of the human circulatory system (and of all living beings) that has been known to scientists for some time, in some cases for hundreds of years. I sought out this book due to a personal fascination with the function of muscles in the body as part of a larger research project of mine into chronic health conditions, such as fibromyalgia and entrapped nerves, chronic fatigue syndrome, and the effects of the stress (AKA "fight-flight-freeze" response) on the muscles of the body (which in many cases leads to chronic pain). In the process, I became interested in the function all muscles throughout the body, including in the circulatory system, which is the subject of this book. I read this book after reading Vogel's other book dedicated completely to the subject of muscles, Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle. (Another great book that I highly recommend.)I consider this book an outstanding permanent addition to my scientific reference library and recommend it unreservedly for that purpose to anyone interested in this topic.Kate McMurry

This book is an excellent text on the physiology of the body, told in a very approachable style. The book is readable by non-scientists, and can be read like a pleasure book. It is complete enough to use in a real physiology course (at the med school level) while still being readable. I would reccomend this book for anyone interested in the cardiovascular system, biology or physics. One note, is that the footnotes are integral to the story, and should be read along with the text; I thought they were references, until I discovered they contained important information.