Read more
Dr. Sherwin Nuland, author of the National Book Award-winning How We Die, once again combines knowledge, compassion, and elegance of expression to shed light on the workings of our bodies from the perspective of a surgeon. Dr. Nuland recounts age-old legends about the functions and "personalities" of the body's organs and, in riveting vignettes of the surgery he has performed, he describes the connections between myth and reality. A brilliant blend of science and folklore, The Mysteries Within reveals the enigmas not only of the body but also of the human imagination.
List of contents
ContentsINTRODUCTION
1 THE STOMACH: A LITTLE BOY'S BIG SECRET
2 THE STOMACH: SOUL, SPIRIT, AND CENTRALITY
3 THE STOMACH: GHOSTLY GASES, MYSTICAL ACIDS
4 THE LIVER: DUMB LUCK AND THE SURGEON
5 THE LIVER: SOURCE OF LIFE
6 THE SPLEEN: ORGAN OF MYSTERY, ORGAN OF MELANCHOLY
7 THE HEART: CRACKING THE VALVE
8 THE HEART: THE FIRST AND LAST DYING
9 THE UTERUS: THE HYSTERICAL PASSION
10 REPRODUCTION: BABIES IN BOXES
EPILOGUE
INDEX
About the author
Sherwin B. Nuland M.D., F.A.C.S., is clinical professor of surgery at Yale School of Medicine, where he has taught since 1962. HOW WE DIE was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His most recent book is THE WISDOM OF THE BODY, published in paperback as HOW WE LIVE.
Summary
Dr. Sherwin Nuland, author of the National Book Award-winning How We Die, once again combines knowledge, compassion, and elegance of expression to shed light on the workings of our bodies from the perspective of a surgeon. Dr. Nuland recounts age-old legends about the functions and "personalities" of the body's organs and, in riveting vignettes of the surgery he has performed, he describes the connections between myth and reality. A brilliant blend of science and folklore, The Mysteries Within reveals the enigmas not only of the body but also of the human imagination.
Additional text
Frank Huyler San Francisco Chronicle This is a book about more than medicine. It is also about the rise of Western thought, the ways in which the past inhabits us, and a powerful reminder that we do have a history....Nuland is a gifted and deeply intelligent writer.
