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Thomas A. McMahon
Born	21 April 1943
Died	14 February 1999  (aged 55)
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cornell University
Occupation	Biomedical engineer
Employer	Harvard University

Thomas Arthur McMahon (April 21, 1943 – February 14, 1999) was an author and the Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Mechanics and Professor Biology at Harvard University. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, and grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts.

A pioneer in biomechanics, McMahon studied terrestrial locomotion and the relationship of body size to shape and helped to develop devices for cardiac assistance and orthopedic biomechanics. He used simple mathematical models to explain complex phenomena and validated his models through experiments. His book Muscles, Reflexes and Locomotion is considered a classic on the mathematics, chemistry, biology, and mechanics of animal locomotion. His work with basilisk lizards showed how they run on water.

McMahon was the inventor of the "tuned track," a special springy running surface installed in Harvard's Gordon indoor track and tennis facility. Subsequent tuned tracks were installed at Yale University and at Madison Square Garden in New York and are credited with improving running times as well as cutting in half the number of injuries.

McMahon wrote four well-regarded novels, the last published posthumously. Loving Little Egypt won the 1988 Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Characters in McMahon's novels are also credited with inventions, for example the odor amplifier.

Novels

• Principles of American Nuclear Chemistry: A Novel (1970), Little, Brown and Company, ISBN 0-226-56110-0.
• McKay's Bees (1979), Harper & Row, ISBN 0-226-56111-9.
• Loving Little Egypt (1987), Viking Press, ISBN 0-226-56109-7.
• Ira Foxglove (2004), Brook Street Press, ISBN 0-9724295-3-0.

References

1. ^ Howe, Robert D.; Kronauer, Richard E. (August 2001). "Thomas McMahon: A Dedication in Memoriam". Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering. 3 (1): xv–xxxix. doi:10.1146/annurev.bioeng.3.1.0. ISSN 1523-9829. S2CID 19491005. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
2. ^ Thomas, Robert McG. Jr. (19 February 1999). "Thomas McMahon, 55, Scientist-Author, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
3. Spinney, Laura (30 March 1996). "Science: How speedy lizards take flight across water". New Scientist. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
4. "Prof. McMahon, 'Tuned Track' Creator, Dies at 55 | News | The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson. February 19, 1999. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
5. ^ Kunkel, Karl (2004). "Review of Ira Foxglove". Foreword Reviews. Retrieved 21 February 2023.

External links

• "Thomas Arthur McMahon". www.thomasmcmahon.net.

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