The Physiology of the Joints, conceived and written more than forty years ago by Dr. A. I. Kapandji, deals with biomechanics, a subject until then mentioned only incidentally in textbooks of anatomy. Following his lead, every anatomy textbook nowadays has a large component devoted to the functional aspect of the locomotor system, which has become an essential scientific subject. The seventh edition of this volume deals with the head and the spinal column and has been expanded with the inclusion of new diagrams and text dealing in particular with: * the role of the femurs during the different stages of labour * the concepts of mass, weight and barycentre * how to localise the barycentres * joint hypermobility * the law of parsimony and the law of universal profusion This book is intended for medical and physical therapy students; and for practising physicians and surgeons wishing to increase their knowledge of the functional anatomy of the locomotor system.