The Treatise of Man represents Descartes' (1596-1650) contribution to the study of human physiology and anatomy. It contains detailed descriptions of the nervous system, a theory on the mechanics of motion, and several illustrations concerning the operations of the eye and the brain. While much of the science is wrong, the idea that the body functions as a mechanism marked a major advance in the field. This edition (which originally appeared in 1972) includes commentary on Descartes' physiology, on the contents of the first French edition, and on bibliographical materials. Cited in Books for College Libraries, 3d ed. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)