Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
In Galileo's
Two New Sciences
(1638), the subtitle
Attenenti all Mecanica & i Movimenti
) refers to force, motion, and strength of
materials. Since then, “mechanics” has been extended to describe the forces and motions
of any system, ranging from quanta, atoms, molecules, gases, liquids, solids, structures,
stars, and galaxies. The biological world is consequently a natural object for the study of
mechanics.
The relatively new field of biomechanics applies mechanical principles to the study of
living systems. The eminent professor of biomechanics Dr. Y. C. Fung describes the role
of biomechanics in biology, physiology, and medicine as follows:
(
Locali
Pertaining to Mechanics and Local Motions
Physiology can no more be understood without biomechanics than an airplane can without aerody-
namics. For an airplane, mechanics enables us to design its structure and predict its performance. For an
organ, biomechanics helps us to understand its normal function, predict changes due to alteration, and
propose methods of artificial intervention. Thus, diagnosis, surgery, and prosthesis are closely associated
with biomechanics.
1
Clearly, biomechanics is essential to assessing and improving human health.
The following is a brief list of biomechanical milestones, especially those related to
the topics in this chapter:
Galen of Pergamon (129-199)
Published extensively in medicine, including
De Motu
Muscularum
(
On the Movements of Muscles
). He realized that motion requires muscle
contraction.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Made the first accurate descriptions of ball-and-socket
joints, such as the shoulder and hip, calling the latter the “
” (pole of man).
His drawings depicted mechanical force acting along the line of muscle filaments.
Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564)
Published
polo dell'omo
(
De Humani Corporis Fabrica
The Fabric of the
). Based on human cadaver dissections, his work led to a more accurate
anatomical description of human musculature than Galen's and demonstrated that
motion results from the contraction of muscles that shorten and thicken.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Studied medicine and physics, integrated measurement and
observation in science, and concluded that mathematics is an essential tool of science.
His analyses included the biomechanics of jumping and the gait analysis of horses and
insects, as well as dimensional analysis of animal bones.
Santorio Santorio (1561-1636)
Used Galileo's method of measurement and analysis and
found that the human body changes weight with time. This observation led to the study
of metabolism and, thereby, ushered in the scientific study of medicine.
William Harvey (1578-1657)
Developed an experimental basis for the modern circulation
concept of a closed path between arteries and veins. The structural basis, the capillary,
was discovered by Malpighi in 1661.
Giovanni Borelli (1608-1679)
A mathematician who studied body dynamics, muscle
contraction, animal movement, and motion of the heart and intestines. He published
De Motu Animalium
Human Body
(
On the Motion of Animals
) in 1680.
1
Biomechanics: Mechanical Properties of Living Tissues,
2nd ed., Y. C. Fung, 1993.
