Pump: A Natural History of the Heart
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-12 03:19:20
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Bill Schutt
- ISBN：B08WK7FN7T
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Summary
A journey into the heartbeat of life on Earth。
Millennia ago， when we first began puzzling over the mysteries of the human body， one organ stood out as vital。 The heart was warm， it was central， and it moved as it pumped blood。 The ancient Egyptians treated it with reverence， mummifying it separately from the body so that the soul inside it could be weighed。 Aristotle believed that it was the seat of consciousness。 Over the centuries， science has dispelled the myths， but our fascination with the heart has endured。
From the origins of circulation， still evident in some microorganisms today， to the enormous hearts of blue whales， we journey with Bill to beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood， and under the sea to learn about the world’s most natural antifreeze， flowing through the veins of icefish。 And we follow him through human history， too， as scientists hypothesize wrongly and rightly about what is arguably our most important organ， ultimately developing the technologies that have helped us study the heart—and now， in the most cutting-edge labs， the tools that will help us regenerate it。
Deeply researched and engagingly told， Pump is a fascinating natural history sure to be loved by readers of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson。
Millennia ago， when we first began puzzling over the mysteries of the human body， one organ stood out as vital。 The heart was warm， it was central， and it moved as it pumped blood。 The ancient Egyptians treated it with reverence， mummifying it separately from the body so that the soul inside it could be weighed。 Aristotle believed that it was the seat of consciousness。 Over the centuries， science has dispelled the myths， but our fascination with the heart has endured。
From the origins of circulation， still evident in some microorganisms today， to the enormous hearts of blue whales， we journey with Bill to beaches where horseshoe crabs are being harvested for their life-saving blood， and under the sea to learn about the world’s most natural antifreeze， flowing through the veins of icefish。 And we follow him through human history， too， as scientists hypothesize wrongly and rightly about what is arguably our most important organ， ultimately developing the technologies that have helped us study the heart—and now， in the most cutting-edge labs， the tools that will help us regenerate it。
Deeply researched and engagingly told， Pump is a fascinating natural history sure to be loved by readers of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson。
Reviews
Francis Tapon
，
The hallmark of a great book is when it engages a semi-interested reader。I was semi-interested in the heart。My wife is extremely interested in the heart， so I read this book with the hope that I can engage with her in some fun conversations。Although this book is educational， it didn't grip me。I found myself turning the pages quickly， looking for a juicy and memorable passage。Still， it's an outstanding book for anyone who wants to learn about the heart that exists in the Animal Kingdom。 The hallmark of a great book is when it engages a semi-interested reader。I was semi-interested in the heart。My wife is extremely interested in the heart， so I read this book with the hope that I can engage with her in some fun conversations。Although this book is educational， it didn't grip me。I found myself turning the pages quickly， looking for a juicy and memorable passage。Still， it's an outstanding book for anyone who wants to learn about the heart that exists in the Animal Kingdom。 。。。more
Randy
，
Karl Ove Knausgaard’s six-volume autobiographical novel cycle “My Struggle” opens: “For the heart， life is simple: it beats for as long as it can。 Then it stops。” Pretty straightforward， mission-wise。 But Bill Schutt’s “Pump: A Natural History of the Heart” reminds us that the underlying biological mechanisms powering this rhythmic dance of life are in fact quite complex。 Anthropocentric readers might understandably come to “Pump” assuming it is about the human heart， but “human” is absent from Karl Ove Knausgaard’s six-volume autobiographical novel cycle “My Struggle” opens: “For the heart， life is simple: it beats for as long as it can。 Then it stops。” Pretty straightforward， mission-wise。 But Bill Schutt’s “Pump: A Natural History of the Heart” reminds us that the underlying biological mechanisms powering this rhythmic dance of life are in fact quite complex。 Anthropocentric readers might understandably come to “Pump” assuming it is about the human heart， but “human” is absent from the title and except for some medically technical explanations of how a person’s ticker does its business， there seem to be more invertebrates than vertebrates in the first half of the book。 Generalists will find Schutt’s history of the evolution of the heart to be dauntingly detailed， with textbook-like descriptions （some helpful illustrations are included） of various adaptations that would eventually feature in our own four-chambered hearts （such as muscle contraction）。 But even though much here seems to be wide of the subject—the mating rituals of horseshoe crabs， cutaneous （i。e。， skin） respiration in earthworms， vampiric bats （Schutt， a bat expert， notes that only three of the 1，400 species of bats are bloodsuckers）—the connecting thread soon becomes evident: after creatures first came ashore some 375 million years ago and split off to become reptiles， birds， and mammals， the “pump” changed to accommodate different environments and challenges。 The second half of “Pump” is quite different， with science taking a backseat to history， as Schutt recounts how the cardiocentric ideas of ancient philosophers （Aristotle） and physicians （Hippocrates） sent science in the wrong direction for centuries， as the heart was seen as the seat of the soul， the intellect， and the emotions （this notion still holds some figurative sway; Schutt humorously points out that we might otherwise be singing along to Janis Joplin’s “Piece of My Brain” or reading Joseph Conrad’s “Brain of Darkness”）。 The author also serves up some off-the-beaten-path medical science history， first noting the well-known practice of bloodletting using leeches and then the not-so-well-known technique of inserting said leeches into the vagina to form blood blisters that would make new brides twice-over virgins。 Only towards the end of the book does Schutt turn his attention to modern advances in cardiology （cardiac catheterization， heart transplants） and looks to the future， coming full circle with reporting on experiments with zebrafish， which are able to regenerate heart tissue—a holy grail for the human heart。 “Pump” is being marketed with comparisons to Mary Roach （both writers share a penchant for one-word titles and jokey footnotes） and Bill Bryson （whose recent “The Body” offers an amiable tour）。 But Roach and Bryson are better-organized writers who don’t swamp readers with technical details。 Still， Schutt’s scientific and academic background enrich this ambitious connect-the-evolutionary-dots story of the complex organ at the center of our bodies （and lives）。 Recommended。 （Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced digital reader copy）。 。。。more
Alicia
，
I was a big fan of Schutt's book Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History and also have a particular interest in the heart after my thirty-seven year old （healthy until it happened） cousin ended up having a heart transplant that was successful going on a year and a half。 So I was curious what Schutt would add and share about his extensively researched subject。 This book is circuitous storytelling with the bit of humor that I can appreciate in other nonfiction writers like Mary Roach。 He doesn't I was a big fan of Schutt's book Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History and also have a particular interest in the heart after my thirty-seven year old （healthy until it happened） cousin ended up having a heart transplant that was successful going on a year and a half。 So I was curious what Schutt would add and share about his extensively researched subject。 This book is circuitous storytelling with the bit of humor that I can appreciate in other nonfiction writers like Mary Roach。 He doesn't limit his subject to the heart of a human but instead talks about the animal kingdom and many intersecting elements like blood and medical history。 I was fascinated by the stories of Baby Fae who was born a year after me who had had a primate heart transplanted in the hopes that a xenotransplant might help the tiniest of patients but what they learned was a bit about the blood types of primates as well as functionality with the doctor concluding if the blood type had been the same， Baby Fae might still be alive。 But Schutt then parlays that story into other hearts that we can learn from in terms of growth and/or regeneration like snakes who are constrictors or pigs or newts。 And that's just one offshoot that proved fascinating。 Animals who are hibernators have better heart health。 The future of organ transplantation is likely growing your own set of extra organs from stem cells。 Leeches used to be used in vaginas to make it appear that a woman was a virgin when she might not have been。 If you're going outside to shovel snow， you shouldn't eat a big meal ahead of time and should be extra careful if you're a smoker or if you've just had alcohol， too many heart attacks happen during this overexertion because of vasoconstriction。 And the list of cool factoids goes on and on。It's got an organization that isn't apparent to me but does work in highlighting in essay-like format with nifty quotes from past and present about things like how for many years the heart was considered the center of the body。 Always a fun ride with Schutt's choice of research and writing。 I'm glad I got an advanced copy to read via Netgalley！ 。。。more
Allyson Dyar
，
One of my undergraduate degrees is in Biology/Human Anatomy and Physiology and as a requirement of the bachelor’s degree， I had to take Comparative Anatomy。At the time， I didn’t really enjoy the course but as I read more and more books on various Human Anatomy and Physiology subjects， the more I appreciated what I had learned in the course。Pump: A Natural History of the Heart takes the reader through the anatomy and some physiology of the heart。 Not just human， but all critters -- vertebrate and One of my undergraduate degrees is in Biology/Human Anatomy and Physiology and as a requirement of the bachelor’s degree， I had to take Comparative Anatomy。At the time， I didn’t really enjoy the course but as I read more and more books on various Human Anatomy and Physiology subjects， the more I appreciated what I had learned in the course。Pump: A Natural History of the Heart takes the reader through the anatomy and some physiology of the heart。 Not just human， but all critters -- vertebrate and invertebrate -- because no matter what kind of critter you are， you need to get sustenance to your various cells and organelles。 To do this， all your cells need to either directly access the substances or have a circulatory system of some kind to get stuff to your individual cells。 I was particularly taken with the story of the beaching of a blue whale and the fascinating efforts of scientists to harvest the heart， which was huge！ There is an illustration of the author sitting next to the displayed heart and he is dwarfed by its size。 Since I mentioned the illustration， the book is full of great pencil illustrations by Patricia J Wynne。 These drawings really helped me understand the points that Dr Schutt was making （and brought me back to my undergrad days）。 The rest of the book is just as enchanting。This isn’t to say that this book is a hard read。 Not at all。 Dr Schutt takes the complex subject of showing the reader how various species pump or diffuse blood and nutrients throughout the body culminating on how the human heart pumps blood as well as the various instruments that doctors use to monitor and keep the human heart healthy。 And he does all these heavy discussions with a liberal dose of humor。 （As a side note， I wish I had taken biology courses with Dr Schutt as just about all my teachers in college were dour。）I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject， even those， like myself who have had advanced schooling。 Dr Schutt is a really gifted writer who took a complex subject and made it fun to read and when you add the illustrations， it made it a joy to read and I suspect， you’ll enjoy it too。[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion which I have given here。] 。。。more
Bill
，