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Adventures in human being : a grand tour from the cranium to the calcaneum / Gavin Francis.

by Francis, Gavin.

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Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, [2015]

Human physiology -- Anecdotes.

Human anatomy -- Anecdotes.

Human body -- Anecdotes.

Physicians -- Scotland -- Anecdotes.

9780465079681 (hc.)

xi, 252 pages ; 22 cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

A note on confidentiality -- Prologue -- Brain. Neurosurgery of the soul ; Seizures, sanctity & psychiatry -- Head. Eye : a renaissance of vision ; Face : beautiful palsy ; Inner ear : voodoo & vertigo -- Chest. Lung : The breath of life ; Heart : on seagull murmurs, ebb & flow ; Breast : two views on healing -- Upper limb. Shoulder : arms & armor ; Wrist & hand : punched, cut & crucified -- Abdomen. Kidney : the ultimate gift ; Liver : a fairy-tale ending ; Large bowel & rectum : a magnificent work of art -- Pelvis. Genitalia : of making babies ; Womb : thresholds of life & death ; Afterbirth : eat it, burn it, bury it under a tree -- Lower limb. Hip : Jacob & the angel ; Feet & toes : footsteps in the basement -- Epilogue -- Acknowledgements -- Notes on sources -- List of images -- Index.

"We assume we know our bodies intimately, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory. In Adventures in Human Being, physician Gavin Francis leads readers on a journey into the hidden pathways of the human body, from the brain's pea-sized pineal gland--the so-called "seat of the soul"--to the delicate machinery of the hand, and from the cranium to the calcaneum, the largest bone in the foot. Drawing on his work as a General Practitioner in Scotland, as well as his experiences traveling and practicing medicine in Africa, Asia, Antarctica, and the Arctic, Francis blends case studies, first-hand accounts, and episodes from medical history, philosophy, and literature to reveal not only what can go wrong with our bodies, but also how our ideas about our anatomy have evolved. Mirroring the structure of classic anatomy books, Adventures in Human Being proceeds from the brain down to the feet, stopping along the way to reflect on how seizures occur, what vertigo really means, and why kidney transplants work. At its heart, the book is a reflection on what it means to be human: for behind each disease, degeneration, or miraculous recovery lies a story of suffering and survival, lucky and unlucky, fragile and resilient. Poetic, eloquent and profoundly perceptive, these stories will transform the way you view your body. Gavin Francis is a Scottish physician and writer. He was raised in Fife, Scotland, and now lives in Edinburgh where he works as a GP. He is the author of Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence & Emperor Penguins"--Provided by publisher.

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