The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy
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- Create Date：2021-11-11 10:19:16
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jonathan Reisman
- ISBN：1250246628
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Summary
In this fascinating journey through the human body and across the globe， Dr。 Reisman weaves together stories about our insides with a unique perspective on life， culture， and the natural world。
Jonathan Reisman， M。D。―a physician， adventure traveler and naturalist―brings readers on an odyssey navigating our insides like an explorer discovering a new world with The Unseen Body 。 With unique insight， Reisman shows us how understanding mountain watersheds helps to diagnose heart attacks， how the body is made mostly of mucus， not water， and how urine carries within it a tale of humanity’s origins。
Through his offbeat adventures in healthcare and travel， Reisman discovers new perspectives on the body: a trip to the Alaskan Arctic reveals that fat is not the enemy， but the hero; a stint in the Himalayas uncovers the boundary where the brain ends and the mind begins; and eating a sheep’s head in Iceland offers a lesson in empathy。 By relating rich experiences in far-flung lands and among unique cultures back to the body’s inner workings， he shows how our organs live inextricably intertwined lives―an internal ecosystem reflecting the natural world around us。
Reisman offers a new and deeply moving perspective， and helps us make sense of our bodies and how they work in a way readers have never before imagined。
Jonathan Reisman， M。D。―a physician， adventure traveler and naturalist―brings readers on an odyssey navigating our insides like an explorer discovering a new world with The Unseen Body 。 With unique insight， Reisman shows us how understanding mountain watersheds helps to diagnose heart attacks， how the body is made mostly of mucus， not water， and how urine carries within it a tale of humanity’s origins。
Through his offbeat adventures in healthcare and travel， Reisman discovers new perspectives on the body: a trip to the Alaskan Arctic reveals that fat is not the enemy， but the hero; a stint in the Himalayas uncovers the boundary where the brain ends and the mind begins; and eating a sheep’s head in Iceland offers a lesson in empathy。 By relating rich experiences in far-flung lands and among unique cultures back to the body’s inner workings， he shows how our organs live inextricably intertwined lives―an internal ecosystem reflecting the natural world around us。
Reisman offers a new and deeply moving perspective， and helps us make sense of our bodies and how they work in a way readers have never before imagined。
Reviews
Em Meurer （emcanread）
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The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human AnatomyJonathan Reisman⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 🌟: 5 / 5 📚: Part anatomy text， part travelogue， and part medical memoir， Dr。 Jonathan Reisman guides readers through the wonders of the body with empathy and enthusiasm。💭: I’ve read my fair share of popular science books about medicine and anatomy， and， as one can expect from reading a lot on the same topic， The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human AnatomyJonathan Reisman⚡️ I was provided an audio-ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 🌟: 5 / 5 📚: Part anatomy text， part travelogue， and part medical memoir， Dr。 Jonathan Reisman guides readers through the wonders of the body with empathy and enthusiasm。💭: I’ve read my fair share of popular science books about medicine and anatomy， and， as one can expect from reading a lot on the same topic， it can and does get repetitive。 When I say that this book is a massively pleasant surprise， I mean it。Part of what made this book stand out to me from other medical memoirs is the genuine curiosity that Reisman brings to his work。 No matter how small， gross， or obscure， every facet of anatomy discussed in this book is written about with enthusiasm and wonder。 You can tell that anatomy is something that the author is truly fascinated by， rather than just being part of his job。There’s a huge humanizing element in this story of the body， and it’s the people that Dr。 Reisman works with when their bodies unexpectedly fail。 Animal organs aren’t just a model to study in basic anatomy labs， they’re a connection to home in many immigrant kitchens。 The liver isn’t just a lump of an organ that filters toxins in the body， it’s a desperately needed transplant for a dying father。 Fat isn’t just a shameful tie to an obesity epidemic， it’s a way of life and staple food for indigenous Alaskans。 A brain isn’t just an enigmatic lump of nerves， it’s the author’s own experience with the swelling and side effects of altitude sickness。 With each chapter， Reisman offers anecdotes about different anatomical parts， from major organs to something as simple as snot， that helped him to humanize the human body and allows readers to glimpse a more empathetic view of the hard sciences of life。Through a combination of science facts， patient anecdotes， travel stories， and personal reflections， The Unseen Body is the perfect balance of engaging and educational that all creative scientific nonfiction should try to be。 There were so many new things that I learned， and it never felt too confusing or like I needed to know about topics ahead of time to understand what was being discussed。 While some parts definitely made me feel queasy （sorry to everyone out there who are fascinated by eyeballs， but they are definitely not for me）， this is an anatomy book that I will definitely highly recommend。 Favorite fun fact of the book: it’s illegal to buy or sell lungs as organ meat in the US！ 。。。more
Lisa Lajimodiere
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What a fast-paced multi-faceted journey into the unseen body。 For a naturalist turned doctor， this was quite the ride from learning about tanning animal hides to high altitude sickness to trekking through the wilderness in Russia。 It was a perfect mix between anecdotes and medical terminology。 Enough medical history and yet current medical references （Coronavirus as an example）。 “Like skin; every part of the human body can be broken down into layers。” Although the author has only been practicing What a fast-paced multi-faceted journey into the unseen body。 For a naturalist turned doctor， this was quite the ride from learning about tanning animal hides to high altitude sickness to trekking through the wilderness in Russia。 It was a perfect mix between anecdotes and medical terminology。 Enough medical history and yet current medical references （Coronavirus as an example）。 “Like skin; every part of the human body can be broken down into layers。” Although the author has only been practicing medicine for 10 years， I was very surprised and impressed by his valuation of the current medical system。 Having the foresight but also the resolve to discuss things such as not waking patients due to the importance of uninterrupted sleep was refreshing but at the same time irritating because so many physicians still do this。 Another example was blood tests which require blood samples which in turn has the sometimes consequence of causing anemia。 I greatly appreciated his discussion of obesity and navigating the medical system。 Again， l appreciated his “hot take” on fat shaming as well the mixed messages （some） physicians give overweight patients。 The thoughtfulness of this section and WHY obesity is still seen as a choice when diseases like diabetes， high blood pressure， and even addictions do not have the same visceral reactions from the medical community as well as our community as a whole。 Overall， this book was a great surprise and I enjoyed every minute of it。 This is definitely a 5/5 star non-fiction read （listen） for me and I will most definitely recommend this to others。 This book would be a perfect Segway for lovers of “Body: An Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson。 Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy to listen to and share my humble thoughts and opinions。 。。。more
Donna Huber
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A good mix of memoir， medical history， and anatomy & physiology。 As a science geek， I loved it。 If you know a medical student or someone that is thinking about going into medicine， this would make an excellent gift。 Read my full review at Girl Who Reads。 A good mix of memoir， medical history， and anatomy & physiology。 As a science geek， I loved it。 If you know a medical student or someone that is thinking about going into medicine， this would make an excellent gift。 Read my full review at Girl Who Reads。 。。。more
James （JD） Dittes
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There's an ability shared by the best science writers。 So much of nature is unseen--from the atom to galaxies， from bacteria to the inner workings of human bodies--and this leaves science writers needing a distinct set of tools to connect readers to the unimagined worlds they are describing。In The Unseen Body， Jonathan Reisman wields these tools of analogy and simile with expert effect。 His exploration of anatomy reminded me of Brian Greene's similarly illustrative writings on physics。Reisman dr There's an ability shared by the best science writers。 So much of nature is unseen--from the atom to galaxies， from bacteria to the inner workings of human bodies--and this leaves science writers needing a distinct set of tools to connect readers to the unimagined worlds they are describing。In The Unseen Body， Jonathan Reisman wields these tools of analogy and simile with expert effect。 His exploration of anatomy reminded me of Brian Greene's similarly illustrative writings on physics。Reisman draws on two resources for his insights。 His medical references are mostly from his medical residency in Boston， leading me to wonder how many years of medical practice he actually has。 Still， the spirit of discovery infuses this work， and he's much closer in time to a layman's perspective than a more established doctor might be。（I listened to this book as a confirmed layman。 This is why I judge it for its ability to instruct。 You'll need to find a review by someone else to evaluate his medical bona fides。）The second resource is Reisman's experiences abroad。 A kayak trip along Siberian rivers illustrates his description of the circulatory system。 He travels to Israel where he legally eats lung and reports on that organ's properties。 Other reports from Iceland and India are also illuminating。The audiobook I listened to， read by Robert Petkoff， really helped me to appreciate the book， which was provided to me by MacMillan Audio and NetGalley in return for this review。 。。。more
Mark
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LJ 146 （10） October 2021
Jesse
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Interesting tales from Dr Reisman's life。 Given the wealth of experience from which he draws， a little grandiosity can be excused Interesting tales from Dr Reisman's life。 Given the wealth of experience from which he draws， a little grandiosity can be excused 。。。more
Robin
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Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook。 Dr。 Jonathan Reisman takes readers/listeners on a journey through the human body but also through various world locales。 He explains the functions of different organs while sharing unique anecdotes about medicine in other countries and even shares how some organs function differently in some extreme locations。 Being the biology nerd that I am， a lot of this was not new information for me， but Dr。 Reisman's Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this audiobook。 Dr。 Jonathan Reisman takes readers/listeners on a journey through the human body but also through various world locales。 He explains the functions of different organs while sharing unique anecdotes about medicine in other countries and even shares how some organs function differently in some extreme locations。 Being the biology nerd that I am， a lot of this was not new information for me， but Dr。 Reisman's presentation still made it interesting。 It's great for science lovers。 Upper elementary and high school teachers could also share some snippets/chapters with their students as well。 。。。more
Nancy
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THIS WAS TOTALLY MY JAM！ 💯I loved the medical information being imparted through funny， awkward & heartwarming real life studies。 You will hear stories about different cultures， interesting places & even poop！Dr Reisman takes you on a trip through your insides。 You’ll learn something interesting & laugh while you’re at it。 I loved the book！！ Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio， I pre-ordered the book！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nima Morgan
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An amazing and fascinating journey through the body。 Dr。 Reisman explains and explores the body through personal stories and patient cases， making this book very interesting。 An easy and enjoyable read。 Would highly recommend this book to anyone who may have any remote interest in their body and how it functions。 Thank you for the ARC of this book。 #TheUnseenBody， #MacmillanAudio， #NetGalley
Casey
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The Unseen Body explores anatomy through a unique lens。 Dr。 Reisman combines medicine with travel stories and nature metaphors to explain the complex， beautiful ecosystem of the human body。 This certainly could be understood by a reader with any level of knowledge on the body。 The writing is straightforward and digestible。 I bet it would be great on audio。The book was less travel-forward than expected， but overall， a well-rounded and interesting read。 I particularly enjoyed the patient stories t The Unseen Body explores anatomy through a unique lens。 Dr。 Reisman combines medicine with travel stories and nature metaphors to explain the complex， beautiful ecosystem of the human body。 This certainly could be understood by a reader with any level of knowledge on the body。 The writing is straightforward and digestible。 I bet it would be great on audio。The book was less travel-forward than expected， but overall， a well-rounded and interesting read。 I particularly enjoyed the patient stories tied into each chapter。It includes specific detail on the human body and animal bodies which could make readers squeamish。 I had a hard time with a scene in a slaughterhouse。 Folks should consider their comfort levels before diving in。 I would recommend to science-oriented readers for a refreshing take on the body or anyone looking to learn about the body without it feeling like a textbook。 。。。more
Melissa Rochelle
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