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Anatomy of Movement Exercises by Blandine Calais-Germain and Andree Lamotte. Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 1996 (ISBN 0 939616 22 X). Illus. 282 pages. f22.50,

This book is aimed a t teachers of physical exercise, students, practi- tioners of physical discipline such as dance, yoga or sports, and thera- pists who use exercise as part of their treatment programme.

Working from an anatomical framework it aims to describe a comprehensive series of exercises ‘selected for both efficiency and harmlessness’.

The book was originally published in 1990, as Anatomie pour le Mouue- rnent, tome 2: Bases &exercises; this is the English language edition.

The book is logically organised into an introductory chapter, followed by a series of chapters, each concentrating on a region of the body. For each area, the authors provide information on characteristic movements, flexi- bility, muscles and co-ordination, and describe a series of exercises. The book is liberally illustrated with diagrams and photographs to explain and demonstrate the exercises. The photographs are all of students of dance, so readers should be aware that not all of us could achieve the positions shown! [See examples on this page -Ed.]

The introduction provides a nice explanation of the functional roles of the superficial and deep musculature, and emphasises the importance of developing adequate muscle strength before exercising at extremes of range of movement.

As I read through the book, I came across some errors, which I first put down to ‘errors of expres- sion’ as a result of the translation. Some examples of these are:

‘Good tone of the psoas tends to oppose lordosis and flatten the lumbar curve.’

‘In rising to a standing position, anterversion of the pelvis is often caused by shortening of the anterior ligaments and/or muscles of the hip.’

‘[Stretching] of the arms above the head . . activates the latissimus dorsi and perctoralis major.’

Some of these statements, while

‘The lumbar region has a tendency towards extension’

some further expansion or explana- tion to ensure their accuracy.

However, as I progressed further through the book, the authors seem to propose seemingly impossible exercisedactivities, and make some claims on anatomical grounds which they do not substantiate. Again, I quote some examples: 0 ‘Try arching (extending) the spine one intervertebral space at a time’ (my italics). 0 ‘Upward pressure a t the elbow . . . pushes the humerus upwards against the deltoid. Oppose this movement by actively lowering not the shouldergirdle, but the humeral head away from the acromion process of the scapula’ (again, my italics). 0 ‘[In the long sitting position] when the lateral side of the foot is pressed, the vastus lateralis contracts to resist medial rotation of the hip . . . . When the medial side of the foot is pressed, the vastus medialis contracts to resist lateral rotation of the hip.’

These appear to be more than errors of expression, and as the authors do not substantiate any of their statements with references, they leave themselves open to ques- tion.

In one sense, the illustrations provide a useful visual guide to a plethora of exercises. However, the

Flexing the neck on the trunk stresses C7-T1. ‘Use localised contraction

of the extensor muscles to limit flexion at this hinge’

many inaccuracies in the text make me wary of recommending this book to physiotherapy students. The level of delivery of information makes it inappropriate for physiotherapy practitioners, who might be able to interpret the information, in spite of the errors.

In conclusion, I found this book disappointing. The overall concept was good in that any attempt to provide sound anatomical rationale for exercise gives the practitioner a sound base on which to develop exercise programmes. However, the book is seriously flawed by the apparent inaccuracies in the ratio- nale provided, and by a complete lack of substantiating evidence.

Kate Kerr PhD BA MCSP CertEd

PostGradDipHE

A History of the Royal Hospital by Neil Fox. Department of Medical Illus- tration and Graphic Design, New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton WVlO OQP, 1997. 69 pages. f4.

How did the Royal Hospital, Wolverhampton, come to have a physiotherapy department? The hospital finally closed this summer after 148 years on its town site. When all departments transferred to New Cross, formerly the site of the Poor Law institution at Wednes- field, people travelled from all over the country to take a last look around the old hospital and this short history of it was published.

It records that when many of the wards on the upper floors were closed in World War I1 it became necessary to find alternative accom- modation for the rehabilitation of the many military casualties admitted. Patsull House was est- ablished for rehabilitation ‘with Lady Dartmouth’s approval’.

Many of the injuries treated, mainly fractures, required ‘massage and exercise so steps were taken to engage a qualified PT instructor and an occupational therapist. The physiotherapy and occupational therapy departments were to dev- elop out of this small beginning.’

How the physiotherapy depart- ment developed is not described. Physiotherapy does not seem to get much mention in hospital histories, alas.

Laurence Dopson

Physiotherapy, October 1997, vol83, no 10