American Health, "The Skin," January/February 1994, pages 86-87. A nice overview article about the skin, focusing on its many discrete functions. Includes clear illustrations.

Caplan, A.: "Cartilage," Scientific American, October 1984, pages 84–97. An interesting account of the many roles played by cartilage in the vertebrate body.

Currey, J.: The Mechanical Adaptations of Bones, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1984. A functional analysis of why different bones are constructed the way they are, with an unusually well-integrated evolutionary perspective.

Kent, G.: Comparative Anatomy of the Vertebrates, 7th ed., Times Mirror/Mosby College Publishing, St. Louis, 1992. A very readable introduction to the comparative anatomy of the vertebrates.

National Geographic Society: The Incredible Machine, National Geographic Society, Washington, DC, 1986. A series of outstanding articles on the human body, focusing on its major organ systems. Beautifully illustrated and fun to read.

Rosenfeld, A.: "There’s More to Skin than Meets the Eye," Smithsonian, May 1988, pages 159–80. An entertaining and informative account of the many tasks carried out by the body’s largest organ.

Schmidt-Nielsen, K.: Animal Physiology: Adaptation and Environment, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England, 5th ed., 1996. A good standard reference on the subject by one of the leading research scientists in this field.