Overview

Who is not interested in how the body works: how it grows, develops, and ages; how it goes wrong; how it has inspired artists and been the focus of ceremony and ritual? The extraordinary human body has been one of the great subjects of fascination and enquiry over the centuries. The Oxford Companion to the Body presents many of the results of this curiosity from a wide variety of viewpoints, including those of writers, life scientists, historians, philosophers, health professionals, artists, psychologists, anthropologists, theologians, and many others. The Companion is a fascinating and authoritative guide to every aspect of the body. It provides concise and readable accounts of the structure and function of all the major systems of the body, and the causes of disorders which affect them. Interwoven with this coverage of the science of the body are entertaining and informative articles on social and religious attitudes to the body, its decoration and mutilation throughout history, the ceremonies and myths that surround the body, and its significance for artists, philosophers and writers. Although the contributors are international experts, it is written for a wide audience, and will appeal to anyone seeking an approachable reference to the human body, as well as to those studying or working in related fields. Included in the Companion: - Over 1000 entries, from addiction and Adam's rib to witchcraft and X-rays, and over 350 expert contributors, under the guidance of a distinguished editorial board. - Extensive coverage of subjects relating to the body, from the molecular events in individual cells to the nude in art, from birth to funeral practices, from ape man to space travel, and the biomedical sciences in their cultural and historical contexts. - Over 750 pages with 150 illustrations and 8 pages of colour plates. - Alphabetically arranged entries with full cross-referencing, comprehensive indexing, and suggested further reading. The Companion is a unique and important reference source, which will be invaluable to anyone with an interest in the human body Colin Blakemore is Professor of Physiology, University of Oxford. His research interests include vision and the development of the brain, and he has written and broadcast on many issues, ranging from consciousness and mad cow disease, to mobile phones and ethical issues in medical research. Sheila Jennett is Emeritus Professor of Physiology, University of Glasgow. Starting from a background in clinical medicine, her research interest in cardiorespiratory function has included responses to analgesics, to high and low oxygen, and to exercise.

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9780198524038

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Reviews

this book is a hugely good read ... This volume is perfect for browsing, simultaneously comprehensive and eclectic, and great fun! British Medical Journal

Artist's model, anthropomorphism, ballet, beauty spots, belly button, blushing, bobbitry, coronary artery bypass, corset... Over 1000 entries on the human body, from a few lines (bloodshot) to several pages (funeral practices) make up this splendid volume, interspersed with illustrations. There cannot be a book that is more of a pleasure to dip into at random. I began with the belly button entry, which reads: 'The yogi contemplating his navel often figures for Westerners as an object of amusement.... In reality nothing could be further from the truth.... The navel provides a focus for spiritual concentration.' This conveys the tone; very rarely does an item warrant a strictly biological portrait. The editors asked only a handful of medical experts to contribute and most of the authors, while academics, are theologians, historians, philosophers, anthropologists and artists. 'Nipples' are examined in a fascinating essay by art historian Mary Sheriff. Her entry includes not only an exhaustive yet accessible explanation of the physical function of the tips of the mammary glands, but also examines their representation, from 16th-century portraits up to American security guards harassing women for breastfeeding in public in the 1990s. The international scope of the entries is impressive. Under Beauty Contests, Miss America is examined alongside the Miss Hibiscus Quest in Fiji and Guatemalan Maya Queen. But even in a volume this size (over 700 pages), you can't please everyone, and every reader will feel something they consider essential has been left out. But this Companion does not attempt to be a definite reference book on the human form. Rather it is a series of essays, often highly opinionated, on bits of our bodies and their place in the world. Review by Dea Birkett. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Colin Blakemore is Professor of Physiology at the University of Oxford, and Director of the McDonnell-Pew Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oxford. He is a past president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Sheila Jennett is Emeritus Professor at the University of Glasgow, where she was head of the Department of Physiology.

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