Why do the lungs of mammals which dive to great depths contain cartilage in contrastto humans?* Which is the functional role of the hysteresis demonstrated by tendons during cyclicloading?* Which the significance of the change in the glass transition temperature of the elastinof arteries caused by atherosclerosis?* Why do bones exhibit higher strength in compressive as opposed to tensile loads?* How does the change in the porosity and permeability of cartilage affect the responseof the tissue to compressive loads?These are some of the questions which are addressed in the book, which attempts toexplore the mechanical properties of living tissues and fluids. With a targeted readershipconsisting mainly of biomedical researchers and health care professionals, the bookprovides a comprehensive and in depth analysis pf phenomena accompanying theexposure of hard and soft tissues as well as fluids to mechanical loading, without theconventional engineering analysis which involves complex mathematical modeling. Incontrast, the emphasis is in the description of the phenomenon and not on its modellingand as such a wide range of functions are analysed including the mechanical propertiesof the skin and bones, the effect of exercise and age on the properties of bone andtendons, and the lubrication of joints.