Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing

by Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, Kathryn Bowers

In the spring of 2005, cardiologist Barbara Natterson-Horowitz was called to consult on an unusual patient: an Emperor tamarin at the Los Angeles Zoo. While examining the tiny monkey’s sick heart, she learned that wild animals can die of a form of cardiac arrest brought on by extreme emotional stress. It was a syndrome identical to a human condition but one that veterinarians called by a different name—and treated in innovative ways.

This remarkable medical parallel launched Natterson-Horowitz on a journey of discovery that reshaped her entire approach to medicine. She began to search for other connections between the human and animal worlds: Do animals get breast cancer, anxiety-induced fainting spells, sexually transmitted diseases? Do they suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, bulimia, addiction?

The answers were astonishing. Dinosaurs suffered from brain cancer. Koalas catch chlamydia. Reindeer seek narcotic escape in hallucinogenic mushrooms. Stallions self-mutilate. Gorillas experience clinical depression.

Joining forces with science journalist Kathryn Bowers, Natterson-Horowitz employs fascinating case studies and meticulous scholarship to present a revelatory understanding of what animals can teach us about the human body and mind. “Zoobiquity” is the term the authors have coined to refer to a new, species-spanning approach to health. Delving into evolution, anthropology, sociology, biology, veterinary science, and zoology, they break down the walls between disciplines, redefining the boundaries of medicine.

Zoobiquity explores how animal and human commonality can be used to diagnose, treat, and heal patients of all species. Both authoritative and accessible, offering cutting-edge research through captivating narratives, this provocative book encourages us to see our essential connection to all living beings.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals, Health, Medicine, Nature, Biology

Audio

First published June 12, 2012

About the author

Barbara Natterson-Horowitz, M.D., earned her degrees at Harvard and the University of California, San Francisco. She is a cardiology professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and serves on the medical advisory board of the Los Angeles. Zoo as a cardiovascular consultant. Her writing has appeared in many scientific and medical publications.

Reviews

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall: this book is an amazing synthesis of facts from the human and veterinary perspectives with an overarching theme about the importance of one health. In summary, this book is about how humans and animals live, die, evolve, get sick, heal in their natural settings plus a plethora of interesting other topics. Highly recommend to anyone interested in medicine, science, animals, public health, and one health 10/10

The Good: This book is written so, so well. There is a lot of information in it and definitely fact dense, but it doesn't read dry or heavy at all. The author does an incredible job synthesizing facts and interesting stories and anecdotes making this book interesting and engaging throughout. Zoobiquity is a term coined by the author and it basically means having a comparative approach to medicine and disease. As doctors, we tend to get pigeonholed by our cases and own individual experience. This book is basically stating that if human MDs, public health experts, veterinarians, and other experts in given fields all work together then we will have a better knowledge and understanding of different diseases. I found this quote really summarized the heart of this book and concept:

“Our essential connection with animals is ancient, and it runs deep. It extends from body to behavior, from psychology to society—forming the basis of our daily journey of survival. This calls for physicians and patients to think beyond the human bedside to barnyards, jungles, oceans, and skies. Because the fate of our world’s health doesn’t depend solely on how we humans fare. Rather it will be determined by how all the patients on the planet live, grow, get sick, and heal.”

Though I loved every chapter my favorites were Roar-gasm (yes, all about sex), Scared to Death, and Fat Planet.

The Bad: I wish it was longer!!! Disclaimer, I am a veterinarian so I loved everything about this book. Many of the topics presented in this I use every single day as a zoo/aquatic vet and I find it interesting how novel many of these theories are to human MDs. A bit frustrating that vets have had this zoobiquitous philosophy and comparative approach forever, yet people seem to respect it much more when it comes from human MDs. You need to be interested in these topics and/or a fan of non-fiction to enjoy this read.

Favorite/Intersting Quotes:
“When women buy a box of plastic ovulation-predictor sticks, they are purchasing fertility-detection technology that a stallion’s nostrils can provide for free.”

“In a world where no creatures are truly isolated and diseases spread around as fast as jets can fly, we are all canaries and the entire planet is our coal mine. Any species can be a sentinel of danger, but only if the widest array of healthcare professionals is paying attention.”

“Preventive medicine isn’t just for people. Keeping animals healthy ultimately helps keep humans healthy.”

“Of course, all animals have different things to learn while traversing the arc that takes them from sexually immature, vulnerable child to reproductively capable, developed adult. In our case, those include advanced language skills and critical thinking. But there’s one feature that defines adolescence in species from condors to capuchin monkeys to college freshmen. It’s a time when they learn by taking risks and sometimes making mistakes...Modern parents can take comfort from the fact that most of our teenagers come through adolescence, too- perhaps a little bruised, maybe a little humiliated, but stronger for the journey.”

“One thing you can say about meals in the wild: they’re never boring. Every bite requires a life-or-death focus on two things: getting food and avoiding becoming food. If an animal cannot find and secure consistent meals, he will die of starvation. If he’s not vigilant, he will fall to predation. In nature, eating is drenched with danger, risk taking, stress, and fear.”

“So certain were experts that neonates felt no pain that through the mid-1980s major surgeries on newborn babies were sometimes performed without anesthesia. These included major cardiovascular procedures requiring prying open rib cages, puncturing lungs, and tying off major arteries. Though provided with no pharmacologic agents to blunt the pain that cracking ribs or cutting through the sternum might have induced, babies were given powerful agents to induce paralysis—ensuring an immobile (and undoubtedly terrified) patient on whom to operate. Jill Lawson’s remarkable story of her premature son, Jeffrey, and his unanesthetized heart surgery provides a heartbreaking account of such a procedure. After Jeffrey’s death in 1985, Lawson’s campaign to educate the medical profession about the need to treat pain in the young literally changed the field. And likely led to improved awareness of pain in animals, too. bA technique called clicker training pairs a metallic tick-tock! with a food treat every time the animal performs a desired behavior. Eventually the animal comes to associate the sound of the clicker with the feel-good neurochemical rewards of the food. When the treat is discontinued, the animal will continue doing the behavior, because”

[Jim · Rating 1 out of 5]

So far, this is not going well. She's acting like she discovered something new & then leaves an incorrect impression about how & when animal & human medicine diverged so much. It's really a topic worthy of discussion in this book & I hope she gives it more time. If she doesn't, I won't be finishing the book. As it is, most of her examples are fairly ridiculous so far. Well read, though.

The book has gotten better, but I'm reeling. I've known quite a few doctors & vets. The best often explained things to us in terms of animals & vice versa. My uncle & a couple of other vets used to fix up people as needed. We've always swapped medicines with our animals. Anyone who has raised animals & kids knows there's a lot of similarities both physically & psychologically. I read synopsis of a lot of scientific animal studies, so it's quite daunting to listen to this highly trained doctor admit to this level of ignorance.

She confesses to being cloistered from the real world as a top cardiologist & psychiatrist. She points out & admits to the snobbery of the medical community, how the 'top' doctors like neurosurgeons look down on mere vets even though it's tougher to get into vet school. She also correctly points out that vets look down on human doctors since they merely work on one species of animal, one that can usually talk, but similarities between species is all news to her! That's some ivory tower she's been living in. It's scary.

Update: I tried, but the woman is just too divorced from reality. I guess that's what comes of devoting yourself to as much study as she has & growing up without any pets. It's just too much to bear, though. You'd think she'd realize how much she owes to animal studies already, but she seems clueless. How a heart surgeon could be is beyond me.

I don't know what crazy theories they teach in shrink school now, but again, you'd think she'd realize people have animal urges & didn't emerge as from the caves very long ago by evolutionary standards. She really needs to go live on a farm for a few years.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was good enough, but could have been so much better. The overall theme is that there are significant parallels between human and animal health that have been overlooked due to the bifurcation of human and veterinary medicine; this is explored through chapters on problems like cancer, substance abuse, heart ailments, and self-harm. It turns out that some recent "discoveries" in human health have long been known, analogously, by vets; so we should look for more connections to improve health for members of every species. So far, so good.

The book was written by a doctor collaborating with a science journalist, and the dumbed-down additions to the text stand out so much they may as well have been printed in a different color: "In other words, a common genetic 'blueprint' instructed the embryos of Shamu, Secretariat, and Kate Middleton to grow different, yet homologous, limbs: steering flippers, thundering hooves, and regal, waving arms." I probably don't need to quote the sentence that came before to make it obvious that this gloss is unnecessary for comprehension. Now multiply that across the entire book. And yet, the paragraphs that I assume were written by the doctor are perfectly pleasant to read and don't require this kind of dressing up, unless you assume the audience consists of recalcitrant 10th graders.

I'm not entirely sure this book deserves to be damned with two stars instead of three, or my "magazine-article-as-book" tag. The central thesis is worthwhile and lots of the examples are interesting. But the presentation borders on Natalie-Angier-ish and the examples pile up in a way that tells you more about horses or koalas than the developing field of "one health." It did make me impatient and seemed less thoughtful than Spillover, which deals with similar material.

[Jamie Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is high school: there are jocks and nerds and stoners along a carefully graduated and strictly maintained social order. It is true in medicine as well. At the top are the brain and cardiac surgeons, and at the bottom the Family Practice physicians (note that the hierarchy has nothing to do with who actually saves more lives). And veterinarians? Please, the average doctor would just as soon consult a Ouija board. This is unfortunate because, as Zoobiquity shows, human doctors could learn a lot from their veterinary colleagues. The amount of overlap between humans and other kinds of animals is considerable and results in some illuminating observations about psychology, etiology, and evolutionary biology.

The author is a cardiologist who also consults at the Los Angeles zoo, so she has seen plenty of cases of convergent behavior and illness, and each chapter of the book covers a different broad category, such as sex, addiction, virology, and psychological conditions like self-harm. Each is illuminated with case studies showing a gradient of behavior that stretches across the animal kingdom, in which humankind is simply one data point on the continuum. In addition, some behaviors which are considered pathological in humans have clear evolutionary roots that were at one time successful survival strategies (successful in the sense that they allowed the animal to live long enough to reproduce and pass along the genes for the behavior).

The chapter on addiction starts with her describing the drug safe in her office, an elaborate contraption of timers and passwords where access to each different type of drug is isolated from the others. It is designed, of course, to prevent theft by doctors and nurses struggling with their own demons. The most insightful parts of the chapter deal with what we have learned from animals about addiction as reward/relief, and how that can point us toward more humane and effective treatments.

Substance abusers can learn healthy behaviors that provide the same (albeit less potent) good feelings they used to seek from a bottle, a pill, or a needle. In fact, that may be what makes some rehab programs so effective for certain addicts. If you look at the behaviors these program encourage – socializing, companionship, anticipation, planning, and purpose – they’re all part of an ancient, calibrated system that doles out internal neurochemical rewards. (p. 109)

The chapter on self-harm sees it as a troubling manifestation on the far end of what started out as grooming behavior, similar to addiction in its anticipation/reward/release cycle.

Release … and relief – those are the same reasons cutters give for why they cut. The same intensity and promise of sudden relief we might get from pulling a single strand of hair or picking a pimple, dialed way, way up, leads cutters to carve lines in their skin with razor blades. If we accept that this behavior is on the same spectrum as less destructive forms of grooming, as my veterinarian colleagues would suggest, then self-mutilation is truly grooming gone wild. (p. 168)

The book is full of observations, anecdotes, and case studies that make the reader pause and think about his or her own behaviors that are usually so automatic they are rarely examined for any deeper psychological or evolutionary meaning. We can learn a lot from seeing how our animal cousins behave, and human doctors could benefit from spending more time talking to veterinarians about commonalities among their patients.

[boxer_dogs_dance · Rating 5 out of 5]

A doctor and a journalist team up to research and explore common medical issues between people and various animals.

I was especially interested in the chapters on intoxication, eating disorders and cutting.

I learned from this book and enjoyed the process. There is an extensive bibliography

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I honestly cannot think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book. Natterson-Horowitz is a doctor who was asked to do cardiovascular surgery on a tamarin. While trying to "reassure" the monkey pre-surgery, she learned about the risks of a condition called capture myopathy found in animals. She's shocked to find this condition, well-studied among vets, bears a striking resemblance to an emerging heart condition in humans. This gets her thinking: What else do vets know all about that could help humans? The answer, it turns out, is quite a lot.

With the help of a science journalist, Natterson-Horowitz has created a compulsively readable, entertaining, and enlightening book about the intersection of human and non-human medicine. She has fascinating chapters on cardiology, cancer, sex, addiction, fear, obesity, mental illness, sexually transmitted diseases, and adolescence. She finds endless unexpected corollaries and begins to ask how studying these issues in animals could teach us more about humans. The results, as I mentioned, are riveting. The information she so smoothly conveys opens up all source of captivating ideas, questions, and avenues for investigation and collaboration.

The only (small) flaw with this book was her obsession with coming up with new terms. "Zoobiquity" for instance, which I'm not sure is really going to catch on) or a syndrome called F.R.A.D.E. which stands for "fear/restraint associated death events" and is more than a little forced. I don't know, perhaps all doctors do that. Regardless, it's a tiny flaw, and I suspect many of my friends and relatives will be receiving this book as a gift.

[Marijan Šiško · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knjiga je vrlo zanimljiva, kako za amatere, tako i za profesionalce. Ima sasvim dovoljno osvrta na engleskom, pa ću ja ovaj napisati na hrvatskom.
Autorica uglčavnom prilično dobro argumentira svoje teze o povezanosti humane i životinsjke patologije, negdje vrlo uvjerljivo (bolesti ovisnosti, infekcije, debljina), negdje manje (STD, poremećaji prehrane), ali svakako otvara oči na činjenicu da nema jasnog prijelaza između biologije čovjeka i biologije svih ostalih živih bića. i da čak i od crva možemo nešto naučiti. 4.5

[Elizabeth☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my TBR for a long time. I am so glad I finally picked it up.

This is an engaging look at how medical doctors confer with veterinarians (which doesn't happen as often as it should). The chapters are divided into various ailments and diseases and the connections made sense.

It seems the tides are turning and these doctors confer more and more.

If you love animals and our connection to their world, I definitely recommend this one.

[Luis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intellectually illuminating. Sensational. If you fail to read Zoobiquity, you'll miss out on understanding the most important paradigm to reemerge since the Age of Enlightenment.

[Vaishali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eye-opening, though hyper-focused on salacious topics like sex and cutting. One phrase sums up the premise : "Our physical body structures evolved over hundreds of millions of years. Perhaps modern human emotions too have evolved over millennia."

Excerpts :
-------------
"Koalas in Australia are in the middle of a rampant epidemic of chlamydia. Veterinarians there are racing to produce a koala chlamydia vaccine."

"Chimpanzees in the wild experience depression and sometimes die of it."

"All living organisms, including plants, are long-lost relatives."

"Whether it’s a hagfish excreting a protective coating of slime over a clutch of eggs … or a Gombe chimp demonstrating a termite-fishing technique to a juvenile, animal parents of all kinds are invested in how their transitioning offspring fare."

"Trillions of invisible creatures make our intestines their home, a dark teeming world scientists call the microbiome... as few as 1 out of every 10 cells in our bodies may actually be human."

"Within our microbiomes there are two dominant groups of bacteria : the firmicutes and bacteroidetes... these bacteria break down food we can't digest on our own. The geneticists made an interesting discovery : obese humans had a higher proportion of firmicutes in their intestines; lean humans had more bacteroidetes. As the obese humans lost weight over the course of a year, the microflora in their guts started looking more like lean individuals..."

"Dragonflies... these insects are amongst the fittest animals on earth. Extraordinarily lean and muscular, over 300 million years dragonflies have evolved so perfectly to the acrobatic demands of hovering, bobbing, and looping-the-loop, Marden calls them world-class elite animal athletes."

"Gradually, Watts challenged the bears' tastebuds... she traded mango for apple, then spinach, celery, peppers, and tomatoes... Soon when the keepers showed up for a meal, the bears were as enthusiastic as human foodies, sniffing out the exotic offerings at a new gastropub."

"Recently, a 3rd year veterinary student … was holding a free vaccination clinic for neighborhood dogs and cats. She was approached by a local woman who angrily asked why the animals received free healthcare while the people were left to fend for themselves… The resourceful student, Brittany King, set to work creating a “One Health Clinic.”


.

[Margaret Stohl · Rating 5 out of 5]

They had me at stallion with erectile dysfunction. :) Couldn't put it down, and I'm not a big non-fiction person. Also bought it for my parents and then found my eleven-year-old reading it. So there you go.

[Sophie Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cool book. I liked it. I really enjoyed the medical discussion, the author had a great voice; and I took away some very fun facts.


However, I feel like it’s tough for us to draw these incredible parallels about humans and animals without addressing the elephant in the room: the way we actually treat these species. The only real takeaway lesson from this book is that physicians should not look down on veterinarians and that we can learn from veterinary medicine in application to humans (in other words, use animals as yet another means to an end (even if that end is pretty noble)). I just feel like it’s missing a logical connection after discussing how animals are afflicted with all the same physical and mental health problems as us that WE as humans are the ones who are often putting the animals through these problems. To talk about depression in animals without factory farms feels like a small disservice. But maybe that’s just the animal lover (read: vegan) in me.

3.25/5✨

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting thesis: There are parallels between human and animal models of disease (for example, takotsubo cardiomyopathy in humans and capture myopathy in prey animals, like small monkeys). But being a medical geek, I would have liked more detail regarding pathophysiology. I also would have liked more depth and insight in the authors' conclusions, apart from "physicians and veterinarians should collaborate." For example, does the comparative study of human and animal diseases give us an evolutionary perspective on disease and health? Altogether, an interesting book, if a little underdeveloped.

[Pınar Aydoğdu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benim için oldukça ufuk açıcı, harika bir okuma deneyimi oldu. İnsanı diğer hayvan türlerinden bağımsız düşünmememiz gerektiğini, veteriner hekimlerle insan hekimlerin ortaklaşa çalışmalarının önemini vurgulayan akıcı bir kitap. İnsan sağlığı, psikolojisi ve toplum yapısının güveni aslında hayvanlar aleminin diğer türlerinin neden hastalanıp nasıl iyileştiğine, topluluk olarak nasıl yaşadıklarını gözlemlemeye bağlı. Bu kitap da bol örneklerle bunu çok iyi açıklyor.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natterson-Horowitz, a cardiologist /psychiatrist, draws a distinct link between shared conditions and diseases in all of the animal kingdom. I liked this as a chaser for Frans de Waal's books I've read on animal intelligence.

[Pia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zoobiquity is a surprisingly well-referenced, knowledgeable pop-science book (some of you will know it's hard to find these!) which deals with the concept of human animal, and other animal medicine. It essentially says that the human medical world would be vastly improved and probably a great deal more efficient in certain areas, if medical doctors trained only in the human body let go of their condescending bias towards veterinarians (which is a generalisation, but can be frankly seen throughout the world), and actually collaborated with them, sharing knowledge and wisdom.

This is established in two ways. First, the authors explore just how much we share in common with animals. From extended adolescence and risk-taking behaviour to zoonoses. It explores the concept that many diseases in the world are not just found in humans, but also animals, and aside from ticks and rabies, these include cancer, certain heart diseases, mental illnesses such as compulsion disorders, binge eating, anorexia, self-injury, as well as STDs and other illnesses. Not only that, but it explores that many animals - from spiders to ungulates - find masturbation enjoyable, a great deal of animals experience the chemical phenomenon known as orgasm, many have sex for pleasure (not just the myth of the dolphin and the pig, which is ridiculous).

The second way this is established is to explore specific case studies where human doctor interaction would have - or has actually been - vastly improved by interaction with veterinarians. This includes the fact that the West Nile Virus outbreak in the USA in the late 1990s could have been identified far earlier if the CDC had listened to a veterinarian who specialised in birds and had identified a flavivirus there (the CDC later revised their position and manuals to include a zoonotic department as a result of this). It also includes the fact that relatively recently doctors identified stress-triggered heart failure, and called it 'takotsuba syndrome,' when in fact this condition is probably what has been known as 'capture myopathy' amongst veterinarians for decades. Time and time again, the book demonstrates that human beings are directly influenced in matters of health beneficially, when human doctors collaborate with animal doctors.

One of the things I found interesting and thought-provoking as someone with mental illness, was how the book found examples of a great spectrum of mental illness out in the wild. How, in some cases, it wasn't even pathological. And the author makes a speculative position that some mental illnesses may be natural survival behaviours spun out of control.

This united a lot of things about the animal kingdom I've picked up over the years, but with a refreshing philosophical stance that human animals really just are on the same level as our other animal cousins and relatives; and the sooner we realise that, the sooner our health will reap the tangible benefits.

I found the book well-organised, with a lot of flow between chapter content. The chapters themselves covered a lot of different animal examples, researchers, and theories without necessarily seeming cluttered, incoherent or disorganised. A few times in the book an idea or hypothesis was hinted at, but then forgotten and abandoned. But given how much actual knowledge was being imparted in a pop-science format, I find this easily forgiveable.

There are going to be points where the pop-science writing is jarring. There were a few times where I thought 'I've read contradicting, solid science in this area from peer-reviewed sources and I suspect this may be wrong or outdated,' but I tend to evaluate popular science within the category of popular science (i.e. this is not a peer reviewed academic article spouting jargon left, right and centre); so for that, I can only give this book five stars (closer to four and a half, but Goodreads doesn't distinguish).

The actual style of the writing itself was engaging. It struck me as fair, it tried to avoid being too generalistic, it wasn't proscriptive or didactic, letting a lot of the case studies speak for themselves. The collaboration between these two authors was a success, tonally and in terms of information imparted. And though it may not be likely, I hope they find reason to work together again, since the results are eminently enjoyable and educational at the same time.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this book. "Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing" provides a novel perspective on understanding human disease and health by looking at similarities and differences found in animals, both domestic and wild (and even dragonflies -- is that a bug?). The book also looks at the evolution of health and disease dating back to the time of the dinosaurs. Also, the authors also nicely dives into mental health issues "across species" which I found really interesting. I particularly enjoyed the chapters "Fat Planet," "Leaving The Nest," "Grooming Gone Wild", and "Zoobiquity." I've read plenty about the West Nile Virus when it infected people here in the US a few years ago and actually knew someone who was diagnosed with it. But I particularly appreciated the story about a veterinarian's role behind its accurate identification on North American soil in the last chapter. Had no idea. This story (and the whole book) made the picture of public and personal health in my mind look a whole lot broader. Not to mention the health of my beloved pets! Despite being a very scientific book, the personal anecdotes infused with a sense of humor keeps it a very entertaining read.

[Jennifer Ridgway · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, a (human) cardiologist and consultant for a zoo, takes us into the new world of Zoobiquity: trying to learn about humans by looking at other animals (and vice versa). While we have a history of using animals in our research (medical, pharmacological, beauty), doctors have not tended to be open to veterinarian medicine and animal studies as a way to learn about or gain insight into human biology.

Horowitz et al are looking to change that. She goes into various animal situations/conditions and likens them to human conditions. For example, what can we learn about the transmission of human STDs from koala bears with chlamydia (an unfortunate epidemic) or about cutting from parrots to pluck themselves until they are bald of feathers?

Very interesting - I found myself sharing tidbits from the book everytime I picked it up.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't give many five star ratings! This was the most interesting book I've read in years! It should be required reading in EVERY medical school. Written by a cardiologist and a science writer, carefully documented, and informed by veterinarians and wildlife biologists, this book brings it all together - and encourages a One Health approach, where physicians for ALL species can learn from each other, to the benefit of all. WHO KNEW that animals had similar problems with addictions, mental health, heart problems, STDs, and obesity? Unfortunately, the arrogance of the human medical community has delayed our understanding of so many of our health problems - but now there's no excuse.

It's easy and fun to read, and every page is filled with a "Wow! Did you know this?" tidbit. Nearly drove my spouse crazy with my "sharing"!

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming from a background of medical anthropology and disease ecology, I found this book to be one of the best written books on the subject. There are books out there with more detailed information but that is not the purpose of this book- this book exposes the reader to "zoobiquitous" thinking and does an excellent job providing simple examples without getting lost in the details. For those like me that are more interested in the science of her anecdotes, there is a reference section in the back of the book that may be used for further research. This book is an easy read that is difficult to put down and excellent for anyone interested in human/wildlife interactions. The author is not shy, talking about topics ranging from heart disease and cancer to self mutilation and drug addictions in the animal world. Fascinating stuff!

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the author interview with Terry Gross. But I think that 30 minutes was all the material she had. Her premise is that as a physician she has learned more about human disease and behavior by working with veterinarians. But she explores the two disciplines in parallel and does not bring them together. Topics vary and include syncope, eating disorders, obesity, cancer, pathogens, MI, addictions, sexuality, and self mutilation. But the information is presented as fleshed-out bullet points listing the species in which the disorders have been documented. Not only is this annoying and boring to read, it detracts from her premise. To provide a list of species means to exclude other species that might have the affliction but it hasn't been documented.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am loving this book. I am not even half way through it and I want to buy it for ALL my veterinary friends, as well as my MD friends...as well as ANYONE who has any interest in science or animals or health or people....

It is well written, definitely written for the "non" doctor person, but enough science to appeal to the scientist as well. I'll admit there are a few things that I, as a veterinarian, have caught as questionably factual, but not enough to take issue with the author.

Will continue my review when I finish the book, which will proably be this weekend!

[Kenrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

My biggest issue with the book was (1) some claims felt a bit broad and (2) each chapter seemed a bit too self-contained, so that reading the entire thing got repetitive by the end. Still, it's a really wonderful collection of insights and a compelling argument for a more holistic approach to pan-species medicine.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book that not only needs to be in the hands of people, but more importantly, needs to be in the hands of medical doctors. A clear and cogent book about one Health, I would put this on the top of every To Read list. Written by a medical doctor, it's a real wake-up call.

[Ramil Kazımov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitabın ingilizce ismi "Zoobiquity". Yazarımız insan biyolojisine ve hastalıklara yaklaşımda doktorların ve veterinerlerin işbirliğinin öem arz ettiğini anlatmış bizlere. Ve yazarımız kendisi de bir hayvan olan insanın diğer (daha az zekalı) hayvanlarla duygusal ve biyolojik olarak birçok ortak hususiyeti paylaştığını anlatmış. Biyolojik ve evrim yaklaşımlı kitapları seven biri olarak ben bu kitabın baya beğendim. Benim gibi evrimsel biyoloji konusuna ilgi duyanların kaçırmaması gereken bir kitap olduğunu düşünüyorum.

[Johan Haneveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually I'm not that much of a career enthusiast that I start to read books in my free time that have to do with my profession. I usually keep work and the rest of my life separated. However, I chose my job as the editor of the Dutch veterinary journal for a reason, and that is that I am quite interested in biology, love animals, love studying their ways of life, and their diversity. I am still a bit sad that I did not study biology in college. But I did study biomedical sciences! And I did that because I am interested in the way the human body works as well, and how DNA, cel machinery and the environment come together to determine human health and sickness. So to read something that brings these interests together (there's even mention of dinosaurs and fish in the book) was enticing in the end. At my work I have read (and written) a lot about 'one health'- the idea that there's not much difference between human beings and animals, they inhabit a single ecosystem, and micro-organisms don't differentiate between them as hosts. As the Q-fever epidemy showed, the health of e.g. goats cannot be separated from the health of the people living around the farms where the goats are kept. The author of this book proposes to take the concept one step further: zoobiquity is her neologism. She uses this term to describe a approach that to understand etiology of illnesses in humans, looks at animals -not laboratory animals, but animals in their natural habitat. For these animals have eating disorders just as we do, they develop addictions, they get fat in certain circumstances, they develop stereotypical behaviour and damage themselves. Understanding the factors involved in these behaviours in animals helps us to understand why people show these behaviours. The main lesson is that we are not as much in control of our behaviour as we believe we are: our behaviours are not a matter of choice, really, but develop from an interaction between us, our genes (formed by aeons of evolution) and our environment. When there's a mismatch between environment and individual, behavioural patterns that are meant to help the inidividual thrive will start to backfire. To remedy these illnesses (e.g. obesitas) we not only have to ask an individual to change their behaviour, we have to change the environment. I think this is an important point to make, as we live in a society that does not fit with the species we are. Packed in communities of thousands, close upon one another in trains and buildings, the stress of the office for eight hours a day, food we not have to hunt for and electricity to fiddle with our circadian rhythm ... it's a wonder we are not having more stress than we have now. This book helps us see ourselves as creatures in an ecosystem, not the untouchable lords of creation we have held ourselves to be. And it's written in a very engaging style, with lots of very interesting facts, stories and anecdotes. Recommended for anyone with a fleeting interest in health or biology or our stressful society and how we cope with that.

[Crosby · Rating 5 out of 5]

From pet canines sucking toads to derive "highs", to pet birds plucking their own feathers despite the pain, to adolescent antelopes daring predatory cheetahs to attack them, this book is a fascinating trip through the similarities in the animal world to equivalent human behavior. The examples are just a few of the correlations. The canine example is from a chapter describing how humans (and all animals) are built neurologically to derive rewards from life through participating in activities that release neurotransmitters that reinforce the action. Whether it is spending time on face book, running a marathon, exercising, eating chocolate, achieving high scores in the classroom, hitting targets on a shooting range, finding a special someone in life, everyone wants (chemically speaking) the endorphin reward for doing so. Some have figured out ways to get around the need to work for the reward by indulging in things like alcohol, pot, (or sucking on toads to get the hallucinogen from skin secretions in the cases of the dogs) etc ---the shortcut so to speak. Shortcuts lead to less motivation for working towards goals in life. This is the premise of the authors as part of what comprises the "Zoobiquity" theme of the book. They cite example after example of the equivalency of life experiences in animals to the correlate in humans. Abnormal human behaviors such anorexia, intentionally harming oneself by cutting and others are correlated with the animal examples of the same behavior. The recklessness of human adolescence is correlated to the same type of behaviors in "adolescent" animals. The book is divided into chapters where the human condition is defined then numerous examples of the same conditions experienced by animals follows. There are chapters on eating disorders, drug taking, heart problems,anxiety attacks, obesity, adolescence, cancer, sex, depression (yes, animals suffer from depression as well), sexually transmitted diseases, etc. For those people interested in veterinary medicine, human medicine and just biology in general, this book is an important read. It is one of those "big thinker" books that leaves the reader saying time after time "that makes sense", "so that is why" and eventually those with a good background in biology and medicine can't help but try to relate their own experiences and readings to this concept. It helps tremendously that one of the authors is a physician who has had multiple professional interactions with veterinarians and has a co-author who writes in a very accessible science oriented manner. The two women have written not only an entertaining read but in my opinion, an important read. I fully agree with Discover Magazine naming it "Best Book of the Year".

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the 19th century the same doctor that would treat humans in a town would also treat that town's animals. This is before the era of specialists, fancy hospitals and the basic separation of people and things that technology tends to bring to us on all levels as we advance. Of course medicine has "improved" vastly since the olden era, but author Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz explains that having that understanding between man and animal can lend far more value to the world of medicine and even just philosophical understanding of the nature of life far beyond what our sophisticated modern medicine can tell. This is what this book explores and for her, it is an important connection and realization.

Animals suffer from the same things we all do. In fact biologically we are deeply connected. One of the more intriguing chapters was on sexuality (titled: Roar-gasm) where the author makes a connection between things like the sex appeal of Elvis's curled lip and the animal kingdom. If you are intrigued by this chapter I encourage you to pick up a copy of The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature by Matt Ridley.

But sexuality is only one small piece of the pie in the connection of human and animal. Diseases are a big one, and probably the one connection that has lead to the most advancement in medicine as a result. But diseases go well beyond the typical cancers and heart disease. Animals can suffer from drug addictions, depression and even anorexia. The treatment of these diseases for animals can have a healing effect on humans too.

One of the most touching chapters was "Leaving the Nest" that explores not just the process of growing up and spreading one's wings but also the aspect of bullying. Bullying is very prevelant in the animal kingdom too, as evidenced by those with the alpha personality. It is a test of dominance and strength, and the author points out that by observing how the various species reacts and evolves from these events can help us learn how to start looking for our solutions to the same complex issues our youth faces.

The summary of the book is a perfect summary for life that many can find useful: "Our essential connection with animals is ancient, and it runs deep. It extends from body to behavior, from psychology to society--forming the basis of our daily journey of survival. This calls for physicians and patients to think beyond the bedside to barnyards, jungles, oceans and skies. Because the fate of our world's health doesn't depend solely on how we humans fare. Rather, it will be determined by how all the patients on the planet live, grow, get sick, and heal"

[Rachael F · Rating 5 out of 5]

A time ago I wanted to be a vet. So when I came across this book it sparked a curiosity in me. There are very few medical popular science books around, and even fewer veterinary related ones. And I have to say it was a truly illuminating book, and one anyone interested in medicine (be it animal or human) or science should read.

Although written by two authors, Zoobiquity is written from the perspective of Dr Natterson, a doctor, and her journey discovering comparative medicine. The book is very easy to follow, and you don't need a insane amount of scientific knowledge to read it (which in my experience, a lot of "mainstream" popular science requires). I'm only 19, but I could have easily read this book at 16.

Zoobiquity takes us on a journey comparing important issues in the medical community (obesity, cancer, STD's, mental health) with how they play out in the animal kingdom. And the facts you learn from it! Did you know dinosaurs got cancer?

The way the book is written in an accessible way. The work doesn't feel "dumbed down", yet it doesn't make you feel stupid reading it. It's written in a friendly tone, with a few popular culture references, but sounds intelligent enough to be taken seriously.

More importantly, it feels like you're reading a revolutionary book. Right at the beginning, the book states that doctors and vets barely talk to each other, and I have the sneaking suspicion that she's right. This book is written to draw attention to the overlap between animal and human medicine, to encourage more discussion, and to look for ideas and cures outside the realms of the human hospital and into the natural world.

It is by no means an easy read, it requires you to think. But isn't that what you want from a good science book?

[Virginia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did you know that even insects may be capable of orgasm? Or that given the opportunity most animals will gorge to the point of becoming morbidly obese? Or that STDs are threatening to kill off California sea lions and Australia's beloved koala?

"Zoobiquity" is a sometimes insightful and educational read on the astonishing similarities and connections between animals and humans, as far as health goes anyway. Some of the ideas presented are surprising and fun to read about. But much of the rest won't be to someone who isn't indoctrinated into the dogmatic "scientific" belief that animals are so vastly different than man. The overall theme, that studying animals can provide useful help in dealing with our own human-health predicaments (good for us but I can see how this might quickly turn south for animals), shows how science's regard for viewing animals as decidedly less-than, is only hurting HUMAN progress in the area of health & disease in the long run. If you see it as a wake up call to scientists, it is quite useful. As an informative read for the lay, it is less promising. I rated the book a 3 overall, because it was enjoyable at times. But the overriding assumption that we all lack common sense and the book's failed efforts at wit and satire, made it hard to get through at times.