Description

How does the body work? This question has intrigued and occupied mankind since soothsayers first peered into animal entrails. From the primitive medicine of ancient Egypt to the mind-boggling achievements of modern laboratories, the healing craft has been a fascinating part of man's progress. Explorers of the Body is a history of medicine told through lively stories of the men and women who made the great breakthroughs in our understanding of human physiology: Edward Jenner, Gregor Mendel, Marie Curie, Jonas Salk, William Harvey, Louis Pasteur, Joseph Lister, and many others.

"Explorers of the Body is an exceptionally good book, both amusing and educational."

-Isaac Bashevis Singer

"Lots of good medical lore-and juicy."

-Kirkus Reviews

"The author has accomplished a tour de force."

-Nature

"An engrossing account of the medical milestones upon which 20th Century medicine is based."

-Library Journal

"Factual accounts often stranger and more dramatic than fiction.Among the many lively anecdotes is the story of the unusual collaboration between bacteriologist-writer Paul de Kruif and Sinclair Lewis, which produced the latter's prize-winning novel Arrowsmith."

-Publishers Weekly