Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle [Paperback]

Steven Vogel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2003

The story—and the science—of nature's greatest engine.

Whether we blink an eye, lift a finger, throw a spear or a ball, walk, run, or merely breathe, we are using muscle. Although muscles differ little in appearance and performance across the animal kingdom, they accomplish tasks as diverse as making flies fly, rattlesnakes rattle, and squid shoot their tentacles.

Our everyday activities turn on the performance of nature's main engine: we may breathe harder going uphill, but we put more strain on our muscles walking downhill. Those of us who are right-handed can tighten screws and jar lids more forcibly than we can loosen them. Here we're treated to the story of how form and performance make these things happen—how nature does her work.

Steven Vogel is a leader in the great new field of bioengineering, which is rapidly explaining the beauty and efficiency of nature. His talents as both scientist and writer shine in this masterful narrative of biological ingenuity, as he relates the story—and science—of nature's greatest engine.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Beneath the skin of a human being's inner upper arm, some metaphorically minded ancient Greek once observed, lives a little mouse. In Latin, this imagined creature, evident in the bump of the biceps, was called musculus, the origin of our word muscle. It's a staggeringly complex animal, we learn from this vivid exploration of the muscular world--one that requires much care and feeding, and that repays that attention with endless, efficient energy.

Biologist and bioengineer Steven Vogel takes us deep within our bodies, observing humans and other animals at rest and work to show how muscles expand and (sort of) contract, how our proprioceptive system coordinates that motion, how bodily mass relates to metabolism, and many other matters. Muscle is, of course, meat, and Vogel closes his book with a discussion of why meat has so long been prized in the human diet--and why today we can do without it and still keep the motor running.

Vogel's book is a fine example of how complex science can be made comprehensible to nonspecialists--and just the thing for a budding physiologist. --Gregory McNamee --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Muscles are intricately involved in almost every aspect of an animal's life. As Vogel (Cats' Paws and Catapults), professor of biology at Duke University, explains, "muscle has been our sole engine for most of our time on earth.... The same stuff propels water flea and whale." Vogel does a superb job of discussing all facets of muscle biology, clarifying how they work, develop and atrophy. In witty, accessible prose, he describes the different forms and functions of human muscles, as well as the muscular operations that allow an insect to fly, a frog to croak and a clam to keep its shell closed. He also provides insight into the history of biology, analyzing the classic experiments that taught us what we know about muscle. But the book is more than an introduction to muscle biology; Vogel's unique, interdisciplinary approach includes a look at how muscle physiology has influenced the development of human culture by leading us to develop tools and weapons and exploit beasts of burden, all in an effort to better harness the power of our own muscles. There's also a chapter on carnivorousness, including an intriguing discussion of the economics of cannibalism. Vogel demonstrates, for example, why no society could ever survive if largely dependent on fellow humans as a primary source of protein ("It will shrink a population far faster than total celibacy"). A great deal of fascinating material will engage most readers, regardless of their technical background.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (August 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039332463X
• ISBN-13: 978-0393324631
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blending science, health, history, and mechanical insights, May 7, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle (Hardcover)

Steven Vogel's Prime Mover provides a natural history of muscles and how they work, from exploring artificial and natural muscles in other creatures and in man's creations to understanding the power and limitations of the human muscle. Biomechanics comes alive in a discussion blending science, health, history, and mechanical insights.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book on the function of muscles in the body, August 21, 2003

By 

Kate McMurry "Young Adult Author" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle (Paperback)

This book is written in such an engaging and accessible style, it would be an entertaining read for anyone who enjoys reading about science. Because it is written by a university professor and noted scholar with plenty of documentation, it would also be an excellent textbook for biology classes in secondary schools, colleges or even universities. It has 370 pages and includes a table of contents, plenty of illustrations, a list of references, and useful and informative endnotes.

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. He works in the field of biomechanics and has written many other books besides this one for the lay public on science.

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 of all muscles throughout the body.

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. I have also read and reviewed Vogel's book on the circulatory system, Vital Circuits, and highly recommend it as well.

Kate McMurry

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A natural history of tools, August 5, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prime Mover: A Natural History of Muscle (Hardcover)

Well, this isn't a natural history of tools, but it equally well isn't a natural history of muscle. It's both. I came looking for something about muscle, both as a person who generally likes general interest math/science books and as a competitive masters sculler. I lost interest when the tools invaded this book, as I think there's much more to be said about muscle itself, although perhaps my level of interest is not really "general" in this particular case. I wonder if there wouldn't be a wider audience for this book if people understood how important the tools are in the content.