Summary
" Adventures in Human Being , with its deft mix of the clinical and the lyrical, is a triumph of the eloquent brain and the compassionate heart." -- Wall Street Journal
We assume we know our bodies intimately, but for many of us they remain uncharted territory, an enigma of bone and muscle, neurons and synapses. How many of us understand the way seizures affect the brain, how the heart is connected to well-being, or the why the foot holds the key to our humanity? In Adventures in Human Being , award-winning author Gavin Francis leads readers on a journey into the human body, offering a guide to its inner workings and a celebration of its marvels. Drawing on his experiences as a surgeon, ER specialist, and family physician, Francis blends stories from the clinic with episodes from medical history, philosophy, and literature to describe the body in sickness and in health, in living and in dying. At its heart, Adventures in Human Being is a meditation on what it means to be human. Poetic, eloquent, and profoundly perceptive, this book will transform the way you view your body.
Author Notes
Gavin Francis is a physician and the award-winning author of four books, including Adventures in Human Being, Empire Antarctica ; and True North . A regular contributor to the London Review of Books, Guardian , and New York Review of Books , Francis lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Scottish physician Francis (Empire Antarctica) couples his wealth of medical experience with his humanistic perspective to produce a user's guide to the human body, easily conveying the sense of awe that arises from his intimate knowledge of how bodies work. Each of his 18 chapters focuses on a specific body part and includes an intricate blend of case studies, underlying anatomy and physiology, historical perspectives, and ties to artistic work. The package is a joy to read and demonstrates that the best of medicine operates in the intersection between science and the humanities. "When language is called `clinical' it is usually to imply that it is without emotion," Francis notes. "Yet clinics are often awash in emotional transactions." Such emotion can be seen throughout the book, but it is most striking in his chapter on the breast, in which he describes how the concept of "healing" needs to be envisioned broadly. His skill as a writer and an observer of human nature become obvious when he is able to make a chapter entitled "Large Bowel & Rectum" thoroughly engaging. Francis writes with humility and makes the point that being a good medical practitioner is not "about dramatically saving lives, but quietly, methodically, trying to postpone death." Agent: George Lucas, Inkwell Management. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Guardian Review
A beautifully written guide to our wonders and weaknesses An Edinburgh GP with a love of geography, Francis approaches the human body as a landscape, rich in history and myth. This is not a coldly clinical survey of anatomy. Rather, it celebrates the practice of medicine as "an exploration of life's possibilities: an adventure in human being". In this deeply humane book, Francis draws on his own experience of cases together with history, literature and science, to reveal how we have tried to make sense of the complexities of our bodies. He begins at the top with the brain, recalling the first time he held this extraordinary organ in his hands: "grey, firm and laboratory-cold". Then he takes the reader on a tour across the terrain of our bodies, one which is both familiar and yet also strangely unknown: the face, the heart, shoulder, liver, genitalia and toes. Throughout, he shows "how as humans we charge our bodies with meaning, whether funny or solemn". A beautifully written guide to our wonders and weaknesses that combines the precision of science with a profound insight into the human condition. * To order Adventures in Human Being for [pound]7.19 (RRP [pound]8.99) go to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0330 333 6846. Free UK p&p on online orders over [pound]10. A [pound]1.99 charge applies to telephone orders. - PD Smith.
Kirkus Review
Doctors with literary ambitions write memoirs, tell stories about patients, or educate us. Scottish physician Francis (Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence Emperor Penguins, 2013, etc.) successfully combines all three. In 18 chapters on 18 body parts, the author delivers no-nonsense lessons on anatomy and biology, each illustrated with a patient plus regular detours into medical history, medical scandal, and his own colorful life. "This book is a series of stories about the body in sickness and in health, in living and dying," he writes at the beginning. A man appears with a nail through his palm or a wine bottle in his rectum. A depressive, immobile and silent for years, slowly begins to move and speak, more each day after a series of electroshocks to his brain. A couple undergoes the detailed unpleasantness of an infertility exam and then the even more detailed and unpleasant (and expensive) procedure for in vitro fertilization. Other chapters provide odd, penetrating insightse.g., poets undergo open-heart surgery or breast cancer mastectomy and reveal the experience in verse. Even experienced doctors will perk up at some of the author's digressions. One example: the Romans could not have crucified Jesus as traditionally described. Tissues in the palm are too fragile to support a man's weight (the experiment has been done). Nails through the wrist would have worked. Many anecdotes are the bizarre sort that medical students employ to impress other people, and Francis portrays himself as a healer of almost supernatural compassion, but he has enjoyed a spectacularly varied career as a general practitioner, emergency room doctor, and volunteer in third world clinics and polar exploration. The result is plenty of good material, and he possesses the writing talent to bring it to life. Henry Marsh's Do No Harm remains this year's medical memoir to beat, but Francis acquits himself well. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Choice Review
Family physician Francis has written an extraordinarily sensitive and informative book about human anatomy and physiology, based on the clinical illnesses and diseases he has encountered in his practice. Starting at the top of the body (brain, eye, ear, face) and going to the sometimes neglected bottom (feet and toes), the author thoughtfully and thoroughly discusses each bodily disturbance. His descriptions of conditions in the chest, abdomen, and especially the pelvic female and male reproductive structures are beautifully and clearly presented. While describing his patient's disturbances, Francis demonstrates a deep respect for those he treats and their families. By weaving poetry, literature, medical history, and philosophy into his case voyages, he engages the reader at various intellectual levels. Francis immerses himself, using his knowledge and reasoning skills, into the lives of his patients. He notes the mysteries, flaws, and uncertainties in the human body and also touches on death, despite medical advances. He wonders about the body's innate beauty and people's occasional abuses of their bodies. The book includes numerous graphics to enhance the medical explanations and extensive notes on the author's sources. Francis's practice model is more personal, caring, and humanistic than what most modern health care patients seem to receive. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All library collections. --Joseph N. Muzio, CUNY Kingsborough Community College
Library Journal Review
Physician and writer Francis (True North: Travels in Arctic Europe) educates readers on the various parts of the human body. Sections are divided by major body part, with chapters for each. For example, the portion on the chest includes chapters about the lungs, heart, and breast. Other sections include the brain, head, upper limb, abdomen, pelvis, and lower limb. Each chapter provides a description, history, and philosophy of the anatomy; the author's professional experiences with patients; and his analyses of how the past and present relate to medicine and life. For example, Francis examines the relationship between his patients, a married couple, who are finally successful having a baby after trying many times, and the Greek philosophy of Logos and Eros. Although popular and scholarly sources are cited, Francis writes for a general audience. Black-and-white images supplement the content. Verdict The author does a fine job of investigating the relationships among medicine, philosophy, and life in this informative and fascinating work. Appropriate for anyone interested in learning more about medicine, the history of medicine, philosophy, and human biology, from laypersons to researchers and scientists.-Tina Chan, SUNY Oswego © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
