Adventures in human being

"We have a lifetime's association with our bodies, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory. In Adventures in Human Being, Gavin Francis leads the reader on a journey through health and illness, offering insights on everything from the ribbed surface of the brain to the secret workings of the heart and the womb; from the pulse of life at the wrist to the unique engineering of the foot. Drawing on his own experiences as a doctor and GP, he blends first-hand case studies with reflections on the way the body has been imagined and portrayed over the millennia. If the body is a foreign country, then to practise medicine is to explore new territory: Francis leads the reader on an adventure through what it means to be human. Both a user's guide to the body and a celebration of its elegance, this book will transform the way you think about being alive, whether in sickness or in health."--Provdided by publisher.

"Published in association with Wellcome Collection."

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 & Armour ; 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: Threshold 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.