I got this book sometime during Covid, but I wasn’t in a state of mind to focus on health and body. All I wanted was light escapism. However, this year, I have been looking to up my health and wellness game, and this book seemed like a good refresher to update me on the body (the last time I read this much in-depth about the human body was for my Grade XII exams), and so I was hoping this book would cover more about some of the advances we made in medical science since then.
The Body: A Guide for Occupants is a fascinating overview of the human body, covering everything from anatomy and physiology to the history of medicine and the latest scientific findings.
It’s beautifully structured—each chapter covers one system of the human body—and, in many ways, resembles a textbook. Some of the anatomical information in the book is a bit textbookish, I”ll admit, and most of the tidbits of information weren’t all that new to me. But I loved the stories of all the medical advancements (and, in some cases, no progress). Most of the scientists in the book were unknown people, and I loved how they made some of the most critical discoveries that make our lives much healthier and longer.
Warning: There are some squeamish parts. Bryson sometimes describes in excruciating detail some of the terrible treatments (in particular, surgery pre-anesthesia) in the past. One scene about a mastectomy from the early 1900s sticks in my mind like some horror story. While reading about the history of medicine, I felt somewhat relieved that I live in our current era.
I loved how he made me perceive and appreciate my body in ways I hadn’t thought about too much before.
The great paradox of the brain is that everything you know about the world is provided to you by an organ that has itself never seen that world. The brain exists in silence and darkness, like a dungeoned prisoner. It has never felt warm sunshine or a soft breeze. To your brain, the world is just a stream of electrical pulses, like taps of Morse code. And out of this bare and neutal information it creates for you – quite literally creates – a vibrant, three-dimensional, sensually engaging universe.
I have to say that he also made me a trifle anxious about my health. He emphasizes how little we know about the human body and how it functions. Considering that I already have a mistrust of doctors and the health/hospital system, this was not reassuring to read about.
One aspect I loved about the book is the detailed research. Bryson dives deep, interviews experts, and reads through scientific papers. The bibliography and references in this book span almost 20 pages. And he does all this with wry humor and curiosity, reducing complex scientific topics into easy and intelligible language. Whether explaining the intricacies of DNA, the activities of different organs, or the history of medical discoveries, Bryson informs in a useful and amusing way.
Anyone with an interest in human biology or medicine will love this book!
