Product Description
This is an ideal text for an introduction to biomedical engineering. The book presents the basic science knowledge used by biomedical engineers at a level accessible to all students and illustrates the first steps in applying this knowledge to solve problems in human medicine. Biomedical engineering now encompasses a range of fields of specialization including bioinstrumentation, bioimaging, biomechanics, biomaterials, and biomolecular engineering. This introduct… More >>
Designed as a textbook for university (or college) it starts with recommended course emphasis suggestions – very interesting. Because it is aiming at students the text is logical and concise. As is almost traditional in such texts, the field is defined and mapped – an insecurity within the profession I find irritating but is useful given the intended audience.
The entire volume is divided into three major sections, Mollecular and Cellular Principles, Physiological Principles, Biomedical Engineering, each with several chapters. The sections appear to cover the whole body of knowledge but the individual chapters do not. Because the book is part of a series this is acceptable. For example, there is little material on the large, important and ubiquitous area of computing and informatics but there are chapters on Immunity, Biosensors and Imaging. It is no Bronzino (The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, Third Edition – 3 Volume Set) after all, but there are several appendices with a nice collection of the very useful and the very idiosyncratic.
Each chapter concludes with a summary, some useful references, nomenclature, suggested further reading, links to the web, some short questions and detailed problems – classic textbook style, but again well organised and very useful for students and instructors alike.
A particularly interesting feature is the inclusion of “Profiles in BME” – sidebars with mini-biographies of people engaged in Biomedical Engineering. The authors have chosen a wide variety of careers to highlight and included nearly one in each chapter. These insights will be useful to students and practitioners alike – although it seems a little self-indulgence of the author to include himself as one of the first profiles.
Similar sidebars that focus on more complex topics are very helpful. Spread evenly through the volume these include topics such as, Thermodynamics of Chemical Reactions, Muscle Mechanics, Enzyme Kinetics, Chemotherapy and many more. A small criticism is that these boxes should be listed together somewhere for later reference.
The text is rich with many photographs, images, tables, sharts and illustrations – unfortunately, the majority in black and white. In a slightly old-fashioned way, the colour plates are gathered into the centre of the book.
Overall, the book covers a broad range of topics with clarity and style. As an introduction it is a fine work. If you’re hoping it will be a comprehensive guide to the whole field (which it is not intended to be) it will disappoint. As a “drop in summary/refresher” it wil prove very useful. It is a book for Biomedical Engineers in the broadest sense – Clinical Engineers may lust for more current equipment detail and may look to Carr and BrownIntroduction to Biomedical Equipment Technology (4th Edition) or David in Clinical Engineering (Principles and Applications in Engineering).
Never-the-less, I like it a lot, and I am sure will find myself refering my junior engineers to it in years to come.
Rating: 5 / 5