A Guide to Operating and Maintaining a Human Body
October 17, 2016
In this fascinating book, Hamblin, a medical doctor and senior editor at the Atlantic, discusses why stomachs rumble, how much sleep we need, what causes cancer, and many more questions about the plethora of human bodily functions. Drawing on his experiences creating a video series (with the same title) for the Atlantic, he combines his own medical knowledge with consultations with scientists and doctors in different fields. Each chapter focuses on a category of “body usage,” starting with the body’s “superficial” parts such as skin and eyes, then moving into feeling, eating, drinking, relating, and finally dying. His explanations are thoughtful and interesting and often framed by a specific story or research study that provides context and clarifies why the answers are not always cut-and-dried. He delves into the many ways technology is driving medicine, touching on topics such as epigenetics (the role environment plays in gene expression), dysbiosis (disruption of the microbial system), and hormone therapy to support a person’s sense of gender identity. Challenging what one interviewee calls the “scientific misinformation and marketing-based ‘facts’ ” we are bombarded with daily, this book will be a useful tool for helping people get in touch with their own bodies.