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© 1998, Parveen Parkash

All rights reserved. No part of this publication should be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means: electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author and the publisher.

This book has been published in good faith that the material provided by author is original. Every effort is made to ensure accuracy of material, but the publisher, printer and author will not be held responsible for any inadvertent error (s). In case of any dispute, all legal matters are to be settled under Delhi jurisdiction only.

First Edition: 1998

Typeset at JPBMP typesetting unit

Printed at Lordson Publishers (P) Ltd., C-5/19 RP Bagh, Delhi 110 007

This book primarily intends to provide medical students and physicians a readable introduction to the concept of biophysics rather than to make a biophysicists out of them. In medical field, biophysics entails different things to different people. But this book contains a subject matter which by and large has been accepted as an undisputed part of medical biophysics. Long back, AV Hill, a Noble Prize winner defined biophysics as: ‘the study of biological function, organization, and structure by physical and physicochemical ideas and methods’. By now the contents of biophysics have substantially crystallized and taken a definite form and shape. The contents profiled within the covers of this book are based on the recent recommendations of Medical Council of India and syllabi of Institute of Medical Colleges where biophysics is taught as a separate subject to the 1st year MBBS students. In this introductory book efforts have been made to make subject palatable for medical students by cutting down unnecessary derivations, equations and formulae as they often. Lead to more confusion than enlightenment. Math is used only where essential’ and priority is given to the development of intuitive understanding. The ideas developed in this book are illuminated and augmented by over one hundred and fifty self explanatory illustrations and tables. In addition, for the convenience of students every chapter has been divided into number of sections having appropriate titles and subtitles. It is hoped through this book students will gently and quickly grasp the essential features of this subject.