A 



Special Sensory Systems 



Introduction to Part A 



The first two chapters were chosen as biophysical topics, 

 the ideas of which are intuitively familiar to a wide group 

 of potential readers. These two chapters on "Sound and 

 the Ear" and "Light and the Eye" emphasize basic 

 concepts such as the physical nature of the stimuli and the 

 anatomical character of the receptors. The ideas of 

 Chapters 1 and 2 are extended in Chapter 3, "Special 

 Uses of Sensory Systems," to unique applications of 

 auditory and visual information by several animal species 

 — uses which man can duplicate only with electronic 

 equipment. 



Sensory systems form links between the central nervous 

 system and the external world. Biophysicists study not 

 only hearing and vision, but also other sensory systems 

 such as taste, proprioception, and balance. However, 

 the special senses of hearing and vision appear more 

 appropriate for textbook material since they have been 

 studied in greater detail. 



Ultimately, a discussion of hearing must involve such 

 complex concepts as nerve mechanisms and information 

 theory. These are presented in later chapters, following 

 more general developments, namely, in Chapter 6, Part B, 

 and Chapter 25, Part E. Likewise, additional topics in 

 the field of vision are included in Chapter 7, Part B, 

 Chapter 19, Part D, and Chapter 25, Part E. 



