The Body in Motion: Its Evolution and Design

Throughout my life I was a normally physical person engaging in childhood play, intramural sports in school, martial arts, strength training, Zumba, etc. Without the ponderous technicality of an anatomy text, Dimon’s book explained to me the basic mechanics of my own human motion. The illustrations were beautiful as well as helpful accompaniments to the text. (Early in my higher education years I thought of becoming a biological illustrator to the point of double-majoring in biology and art.)I was never a skilled speaker and I recognized this as a personal deficiency. To remedy this shortcoming I recently joined Toastmasters and subsequently developed an interest in my voice. Maybe I neglected this part of my anatomy for too long.Dimon wrote, “The larynx thus exhibits a range and precision of action that is unparalleled anywhere else in the body. By coordinating the muscles of breathing with the closure of the larynx, the vibratory mechanism of the larynx is brought into play in the most exquisite and subtle manner. By controlling the delicate musculature of the vocal folds, we control the pitch and create different sound textures. By activating the muscular scaffolding of the throat, the larynx is suspended antagonistically within its muscular network with the exact amount of tension required for the athletic act of hitting a high”C” or singing over a full orchestra. And functioning as both composer and conductor, the brain orchestrates all of this activity to produce the glorious and expressive sounds of the human voice – a true marvel of engineering and design.” (p. 78)Much to learn. Better late than never.

At the end of this fine book, the author writes, "The human organism is the most complex piece of machinery on the planet, a thing so vast that it is a world unto itself."In this book, Theodore Dimon describes how the structure of the human body relates to its functioning. Along and along, he inserts strong hints as to how its most efficient working should proceed. Each anatomical point is illustrated by terrific drawings by G. David Brown, and these visuals are a real aid to understanding. The book is entirely complementary with his prior book, Anatomy of the Moving Body, which is a great overview of all the specific bones and muscles in the body.Of course, readers will look at this book seeking to satisfy their own particular needs. My own happen to include interests in various physical disciplines. The wisdom traditions and religions exhort seekers toward "self-knowledge," as the basis for understanding the greater Cosmos. What more accessible subject for such study than the structure and functioning of one's body itself? Why am I like this? How do the parts function as a whole? And more: what are the basic principles determining its organization? The book does not address my particular angle of interest per se, yet it helps answer my questions.Mr. Dimon dedicates the book to the late Walter Carrington, who was his Alexander Technique teacher. In an essay, Carrington once wrote, "Without the experience of a proper and reliable physical balance all of the body's functioning is upset.... Without it, we cannot fulfill our design requirements to live efficiently as we should." The study of what's involved with a balanced wholeness, as well as "to live efficiently" -- these, too, are areas worthy of our attention.The book is unusual in that it is entirely educational, making no claims for "healing" or "improved performance." But it is written from the understanding that inheres in the Alexander Technique, which has been tremendously helpful to many people. All in all, a superior statement.

Someone on this page mentioned something about moving forward or such from the typical anatomy books. I agree and Dinon's adds to this important growth in evolutionary explanations for anatomy and more.I've looked for books like this for a long time. I did buy Human Structure, Hylander, Shafland, Cartmill and found it very interesting. There we find a clear and concise explanation of the migration of the superspinatus and the inferorspinatous explaned in terms of migration from reptilian to mammilian structures -- opposum, for instance.With the Body in Motion we find similar clarity and explanations for structure and function within the context of a natural history of evolution. I hope others follow these important texts on the body and evolution.

This book has really helped me understand the interactions of the major portions of human anatomy, as well as how each individual area works (the forearm and the shoulder were especially helpful for me). In combination with Jay Dicharry's  Anatomy for Runners: Unlocking Your Athletic Potential for Health, Speed, and Injury Prevention  (I bought the Kindle edition), I can see a number of ways to perform better. The final chapter of this book didn't do much for me, but everything before that was very helpful. I recommend it if you're trying to understand how the body moves.

This is a great book. The diagrams perfectly illustrate the concepts the text clearly describe the functions of each muscle, muscle group and joint articulation. I highly recommend this book as an addition to any anatomy curriculum. It not only get into the "hows" AND the "why's" of musculo-skeletal structures. It explains them in a straightforward and narrative manner. The writing style makes it an easy and very interesting read. You won't fall asleep or pull your hair out like you would trying to read something like "Grey's Anatomy." I will definitely add this to my class reading list.

Eye opening, must read for anyone interested in anatomy or evolution - and for those who aren’t interested to get interested! Great book to read with Anatomy of the Moving Body.

A very useful book. I'd previously bought a book on Yoga anatomy which was quite slow reading and I'd not progressed very far through it. In contrast, I saw this book on Amazon. I had a shoulder injury so I had intended to read the chapter (5th) on the Shoulder girdle first. It did not work out that way, it's such an interesting and well illustrated book that I started at chapter one and it was a week or so before I got to the Shoulder girdle; and I've still got eight more chapters to go.It's not really a medical book with impenetrable amounts of Latin terms. Joints, bones etc are given their Latin or Greek names, but that does not retract from what is an easy book to read. I'd certainly not read an Anatomy & Physiology book from cover to cover, but I will read this one cover to cover.

Very readable. Just dipped into this so far, but it has certainly made me think about the evolution of the human body, and I am now really beginning to analyse how things work and why we are built this way. Really glad I bought it, as it has increaed my understanding and appreciation of human engineering.

Excellent book, clearly descriptive explaining the evolution of physical motion. As a therapist this book has given me food for thought on how to approach my work in a refreshing way. Easy to read and follow but full of relevant information which is very useful.

brilliant explanations and pictures. enormous help understanding my exercises in stroke rehab and learning to walk again.

Clear account of body mechanics the way nature designed them to be - and a great aid to Alexander thinking and personal growth.