There’s a lot of territory to cover, so nothing is terribly in-depth, but the book is an interesting, thought-provoking overview of what we know so far about what makes us tick. His notes and bibliography at the end are impressive, and I plan to use the latter as a source for future reading material. Scientists whose ideas were initially met with scorn were later awarded Nobel prizes.Īnother rather chilling recurring theme of the book is how little we know about the body, aging, and diseases, even in this modern age when we’re supposed to have it all figured out (right?). What struck me most in this book is that so many discoveries and theories that are common knowledge today were initially rejected. Besides the abundance of facts about human anatomy, a subject I felt I needed to learn more about, there’s fascinating medical history and biographical information about pioneers in the field of medicine. ( )Īt the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed by the waterfall of facts descending upon me, but once I settled into his style, I really enjoyed this. If there's one criticism, it's that the statistics are heavily UK- and US-centric, when it would have been interesting to read about perspectives from other countries and continents, but maybe this would have exceeded the scope of the book. I particularly enjoyed learning about the pioneers in anatomy and physiology (almost invariably men, since medicine was, until fairly recently, a male prerogative), occasionally paying with their lives (when studying tropical diseases, for example), and who are now often all but forgotten. The book is both entertaining and educational, based on the latest research in the field, though I often wished he had gone into more depth on a particular topic, but then I have a background in nursing for anyone coming to the topic without prior knowledge, it is probably pitched about right. His warm and engaging prose makes the subject matter accessible for anyone interested in a human's inner workings and is filled with jaw-dropping facts, fascinating statistics and interesting anecdotes, giving the reader a new appreciation for the bag of bones we call our body. Bill Bryson takes the reader on a tour of the human body, from head to toe and from conception and birth to death, covering the major organs and systems as well as what happens when things go wrong (in chapters on diseases and cancer). The Body: A Guide for Occupants is described as an 'owner's manual for everybody'.
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