[alert variation=”alert-info”]Publisher: Basic Books
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Kindle, Audible
Purchase: Powell’s | Amazon | IndieBound | Barnes & Noble | iBooks[/alert]
Gavin Francis, M.D. is a Scottish author whose third book is entitled Adventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour From the Cranium To the Calcaneum. He is in practice as a General Practitioner. While his first two books centered on his experiences in the Arctic Europe and in Antarctica, this book is an exploration of the human body from head to toe. The information about the body for the layperson is supplemented with origins/history of medical knowledge and illustrated with his own personal experiences during his medical education and clinical experience.
The book is subdivided into sections of the body (brain, head, chest, abdomen…) with individual chapters covering some elements of the section (Head: eye, face, inner ear). In these sections Dr. Francis relates interesting stories of the how medical knowledge developed and was modified over the centuries. He blends this knowledge with his first hand experiences learning about the subject or with patient cases – their presentation, diagnosis and treatment – to solidify understanding. In addition to teaching one about these entities, he adds personal observations of his feelings and opinions, which allows the reader to observe to a degree the life of a physician as he cares for patients.
His writing and “story telling” is easy and pleasant to read. There is interesting information presented in each chapter, which those not in the medical field will be surprised to learn. It brings the matter presented to life, and is not just another text on anatomy, physiology, or disease with significant dry information. This is an enjoyable, general, interesting perusal of the human body and human being, which even an older retired physician enjoyed.
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