This fascinating look at the human
body – ranging from normal everyday functions like laughing
and sleeping to bizarre physical occurrences including “werewolves”
and “unicorns” -- is presented in 24 short, stand-alone
chapters. The author, an Edinburgh, Scotland physician and
author of Adventures in Human Being, among others
books, shares his knowledge with warmth, compassion, and humor,
and with the occasional footnote elaborating some curious
tangential idea. Narrator Thomas Judd reads the book with
precision and animation, and relays a tone of professionalism
while keeping things light.
In addition to the four subjects mentioned above, chapters
in Shapeshifters examine conception, bodybuilding,
scalp, birth, rejuvenation, tattooing, anorexia, hallucination,
puberty, pregnancy, gigantism, gender, jetlag, bone-setting,
menopause, castration, prosthetics, memory, death, and transformations.
The text contains no dull moments or dry jargon. Professional
anecdotes mix with facts, figures, legends, and history to
produce an eye-opening account of bodies changing, growing,
adapting, healing, and sometimes sickening.
One particularly memorable anecdote involves Francis’s
encounter (while still a young medical student) with a female
unicorn, i.e., a woman with a two-inch horn growing out of
her forehead. After describing his shock at finding what was
hidden beneath her hair, he elaborates on horns and unicorns,
including their representations in artwork, literature, and
history.
Although the good doctor clearly has an interest in pathologies,
Francis never presents these curiosities in a way that dehumanizes
his patients. While some of the medical conditions might be
disturbing, he makes sure to include information on the people
suffering from the diseases to remind readers that beneath
the symptoms are regular people with feelings that need to
be respected.
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