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Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth: A Celebration of Scientific Eccentricity and Self-Experimentation
A witty celebration of the great eccentrics who have performed dangerous scientific experiments on themselves for the benefit of humankind
Many scientists have followed the advice of the great Victorian doctor Jack Haldane to “never experiment on an animal if a man will do” and “never ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.” He and his father inhaled poisonous gasses to test the efficacy of the prototype gas mask they had invented. When breathing gasses under pressure he suffered the smoking ears and screaming teeth of the title.
The stories in Norton’s new book are astonishing, disturbing or absurd. The zoologist Frank Buckland made a concentrated effort to widen the nation’s diet by personally testing everything that crossed his path, from boiled elephant’s trunk to slug soup. Some medics deliberately contracted deadly blood diseases in the hope of finding cures. Then there was the surgeon who was fired and subsequently won the Nobel Prize for thrusting a catheter into his own beating heart.
Many scientists have followed the advice of the great Victorian doctor Jack Haldane to “never experiment on an animal if a man will do” and “never ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.” He and his father inhaled poisonous gasses to test the efficacy of the prototype gas mask they had invented. When breathing gasses under pressure he suffered the smoking ears and screaming teeth of the title.
The stories in Norton’s new book are astonishing, disturbing or absurd. The zoologist Frank Buckland made a concentrated effort to widen the nation’s diet by personally testing everything that crossed his path, from boiled elephant’s trunk to slug soup. Some medics deliberately contracted deadly blood diseases in the hope of finding cures. Then there was the surgeon who was fired and subsequently won the Nobel Prize for thrusting a catheter into his own beating heart.
408 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2010
34 people are currently reading
518 people want to read
About the author
Trevor Norton
10 books5 followersTrevor Norton was an Emeritus Professor at the University of Liverpool, having retired from the Chair of Marine Biology. He has published widely on ecological topics. He was also an Honorary Fellow at the Centre for Manx Studies on the Isle of Man where he lived.
(1940 - February 2021)
(1940 - February 2021)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
March 29, 2017
We are all curious by nature, none more so than scientists.
------------------------------------------------
In the attic of his home Haldane had kitted out a laboratory with an airtight chamber so that he could investigate the effects of various gases. He sometimes enlisted his daughter Naomi to keep an eye on him and, if he collapsed, to flush out the poison gas, drag him out of the chamber and perform artificial respiration.
She was twelve at the time.
Oh, those wacky scientists! Where would we be without them? No, really - where would we be without them?
Dead, probably, killed by now easily curable diseases or any of the many other scourges science has fought tirelessly (and bravely) to eradicate.
Norton takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of centuries of courageous and possibly slightly insane souls, who used themselves as guinea pigs in experiments on everything from radioactivity to underwater explosions. The subject matter is fascinating and the author's writing is pretty humorous, so I'm just going to let him sell his own book.
In 1886, August Bier was experimenting with the idea of injecting cocaine into the spinal cord to block the nerves serving muscles below the point of injection. With his hapless assistant as his volunteer, Bier:
. . . enthusiastically tickled the soles of Hildebrandt's feet with a feather, pinched his skin with hooked forceps, jabbed his thigh to the bone with a surgical lance, plucked hair from his pubes, stubbed out a lighted cigar on his skin, whacked his shins with a heavy hammer and for a finale violently squashed and yanked his testicles.
Luckily, the lower half of the "volunteer's" body was numb - until the effects of the cocaine wore off. This has something of a sideshow feel to it, but as a result, surgical procedure was changed forever.
As you might have guessed from the above excerpt, the Ick-Factor is strong in this book so do not imbibe with food. Take the case of John Hunter who transferred some "loathsome matter" from a patient with clap into incisions that he had cut on his own penis. Then there was Frank Buckland, a science writer known for having an "unusual" palate:
While visiting a cathedral to investigate a manifestation of 'fresh martyr's blood', he did indeed find wet patches on the floor. He tasted one and announced, "Bat's urine." I wonder how many samples he had tasted to distinguish bat's urine from, say, a rat's or a bishop's?
And finally, let's take pity on the poor scientists involved in shark research. Craig Ferreira not only needs to take blood samples from the frightening beasts, but:
To determine whether a male is sexually active, Craig has to feel the external 'claspers' that serve as a penis.
No matter how bad a day you're having, at least you will NOT be expected to touch a shark's willy.
This is a pretty fun though occasionally cringe-inducing read that should be enjoyed by fans of Mary Roach. And if there's one lesson to be learned from this book . . . well, I'll let Norton tell you.
Perhaps the moral is that it is far better to write up the report than to take part in the experiments.
------------------------------------------------
In the attic of his home Haldane had kitted out a laboratory with an airtight chamber so that he could investigate the effects of various gases. He sometimes enlisted his daughter Naomi to keep an eye on him and, if he collapsed, to flush out the poison gas, drag him out of the chamber and perform artificial respiration.
She was twelve at the time.
Oh, those wacky scientists! Where would we be without them? No, really - where would we be without them?
Dead, probably, killed by now easily curable diseases or any of the many other scourges science has fought tirelessly (and bravely) to eradicate.
Norton takes the reader on a whirlwind tour of centuries of courageous and possibly slightly insane souls, who used themselves as guinea pigs in experiments on everything from radioactivity to underwater explosions. The subject matter is fascinating and the author's writing is pretty humorous, so I'm just going to let him sell his own book.
In 1886, August Bier was experimenting with the idea of injecting cocaine into the spinal cord to block the nerves serving muscles below the point of injection. With his hapless assistant as his volunteer, Bier:
. . . enthusiastically tickled the soles of Hildebrandt's feet with a feather, pinched his skin with hooked forceps, jabbed his thigh to the bone with a surgical lance, plucked hair from his pubes, stubbed out a lighted cigar on his skin, whacked his shins with a heavy hammer and for a finale violently squashed and yanked his testicles.
Luckily, the lower half of the "volunteer's" body was numb - until the effects of the cocaine wore off. This has something of a sideshow feel to it, but as a result, surgical procedure was changed forever.
As you might have guessed from the above excerpt, the Ick-Factor is strong in this book so do not imbibe with food. Take the case of John Hunter who transferred some "loathsome matter" from a patient with clap into incisions that he had cut on his own penis. Then there was Frank Buckland, a science writer known for having an "unusual" palate:
While visiting a cathedral to investigate a manifestation of 'fresh martyr's blood', he did indeed find wet patches on the floor. He tasted one and announced, "Bat's urine." I wonder how many samples he had tasted to distinguish bat's urine from, say, a rat's or a bishop's?
And finally, let's take pity on the poor scientists involved in shark research. Craig Ferreira not only needs to take blood samples from the frightening beasts, but:
To determine whether a male is sexually active, Craig has to feel the external 'claspers' that serve as a penis.
No matter how bad a day you're having, at least you will NOT be expected to touch a shark's willy.
This is a pretty fun though occasionally cringe-inducing read that should be enjoyed by fans of Mary Roach. And if there's one lesson to be learned from this book . . . well, I'll let Norton tell you.
Perhaps the moral is that it is far better to write up the report than to take part in the experiments.
June 5, 2017
Even if it took me over a year to read this, it was a wonderful read! For a very long period, I had the volume in the car and I was reading it only on long trips, aloud, so both me and my husband (who was the one driving) would enjoy this remarkable work.
It is a VERY interesting book, about (pretty mad) scientists (and not only) who performed dangerous experiments on themselves, all for the benefit of humankind. Thank you, all you mad and brave people, for helping us get to the way things are today, the world would have been very different (in a bad way, I think) if it weren't for you!
Trevor Norton adds a very nice touch with his dry and sarcastic British humor. The only aspect I didn't like, the one that stopped me giving this work 5*, was that it jumps too quick from one topic to another, making only passing reference to some events which maybe would have deserved some more detailing.
It is a VERY interesting book, about (pretty mad) scientists (and not only) who performed dangerous experiments on themselves, all for the benefit of humankind. Thank you, all you mad and brave people, for helping us get to the way things are today, the world would have been very different (in a bad way, I think) if it weren't for you!
Trevor Norton adds a very nice touch with his dry and sarcastic British humor. The only aspect I didn't like, the one that stopped me giving this work 5*, was that it jumps too quick from one topic to another, making only passing reference to some events which maybe would have deserved some more detailing.
October 21, 2015
I loved this book! It jumps around a lot, from disease to deep sea diving, from surgery to sharks, but it's all interesting and the writing is good. Perhaps even better than good.
The book starts out in the 18th century with surgeon and inveterate (obsessed, arrogant, and at times highly unethical) cadaver collector, John Hunter.
The first chapter opens, "In the eighteenth century medical men were either cultured physicians well-versed in the theory of medicine, or surgeons, practical men with saws." Trevor Norton's writing continues to be terse and yet full of detail, with a lot of deadpan, well-timed humor.
The opening paragraph continues. "Both [physicians and surgeons] were steeped in ancient lore and received wisdom. Medical research was stagnant and patients were little better off than their great great grandparents had been. The along came a Scottish farmer's lad called John Hunter who changed surgery from a trade into a science."
Norton goes on to tell the story of Hunter's surgical escapades, which transitions nicely into the question of anesthesia and leads to many tales of experimentation with various gasses and chemicals, the first drug injections, blood-letting and infusions, fatalities and obstacles and startling leaps forward.
Attention turns to infections and parasites. Scientists who intentionally (or unintentionally, not considering the fact that someone with gonorrhea, for example, might also have syphilis) infected themselves with everything from syphilis to bladderworms, hookworms, fluke and malaria.
Norton's contextualization of self-experimentation is often as interesting, if not more interesting than the experiments themselves. We get a nice, if quick history of advances made in the discovery of cholera to bomb squads to shark investigation and deep sea exploration. We learn a bit about London, for example, of the 1800s when Norton turns the spotlight on Dr. John Snow, considered "the father of epidemiology", as he fights against superstition and other mythology that muddles the potential study of infectious disease.
Snow embarks on what is considered to be "the first ever epidemiological study." Instead of listening to the crackpot theories about what is making people sick, drew a map of 600 victims and "discovered that all those who caught cholera had drunk water from the Broad Street pump...Although he couldn't name the causal organism, Snow had no doubt that cholera was a waterborne disease originating from contaminated drinking water. It did not convince anyone..." In fact, people were offended that Snow would suggest they change their habits and, according to the London Times, preferred dying a horrible death to listening to some outsider upstart.
So, not only does the book jump through time and space weaving compelling tales of pioneering men (and I mean men. There are very few moments in this book that aren't about men). It also sheds lights on cultural, community and individual attitudes toward new ideas and technologies. And we see how discoveries, such as that avoiding contaminated drinking water will prevent cholera, and eating fresh fruit will prevent scurvy, are not always quick to be publicly heeded or acknowledged. A lot of people chose cholera over finding a new well to drink from. And it took more than a hundred years for ships to take precautions in order to help prevent sailors from getting scurvy. And some of the things we think we're discovering have been known for eons. Known and then forgotten. Or known in other cultural settings. Knowledge isn't something we gain necessarily, but has a maze-like, ebbing and flowing existence.
After a chapter on transfusions and gradual discovery of blood types, Norton starts a chapter on the heart and first heart surgeries. While in Chinese medicine people have probably been listening to pulses for millennia and seemed to have a better sense of the bodies systems, in the west to seemed to take until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for scientists to begin to make sense of the circulatory and pulmonological systems. "The heart was many things," Norton writes. "Before it was known to be the body's engine for moving blood." Norton gives Werner Forssmann due credit though in his own time his risky experimentation with catheterization went largely un-noted.
This chapter on Forssman and hearts brings us to World War II, during which Forssman was a surgeon, and Norton uses this to shift the focus to bombs. He sets the scene by describing the immense bombing attack on London, the hours and hours civilians spent in shelters, if lucky enough to get there and back in one piece. He quotes one woman as responding, when asked where her husband is, "He's in the army, the bloody coward." In this chapter he talks about the dangerous and often fatal work of dismantling bombs and also a bit about bomb technologies. And the work some of the scientists do to understand the impact of bombs under water brings us to, well, water.
Sharks sharks and more sharks! The jaws of 1916. (Eek!) And divers and more divers. And a bit of flying, too.
This is by no means a perfect book or an exhaustive study of any of its subjects. But it's a great and entertaining overview of some of the risky and experimental work scientists have done to try to push into unknown medical and technological and other scientific territory. I found myself as I turned the last page, thinking of "The Violinist's Thumb" and the extraordinary nimbleness with which some science writers move from topic to topic and back and forth in time.
The book starts out in the 18th century with surgeon and inveterate (obsessed, arrogant, and at times highly unethical) cadaver collector, John Hunter.
The first chapter opens, "In the eighteenth century medical men were either cultured physicians well-versed in the theory of medicine, or surgeons, practical men with saws." Trevor Norton's writing continues to be terse and yet full of detail, with a lot of deadpan, well-timed humor.
The opening paragraph continues. "Both [physicians and surgeons] were steeped in ancient lore and received wisdom. Medical research was stagnant and patients were little better off than their great great grandparents had been. The along came a Scottish farmer's lad called John Hunter who changed surgery from a trade into a science."
Norton goes on to tell the story of Hunter's surgical escapades, which transitions nicely into the question of anesthesia and leads to many tales of experimentation with various gasses and chemicals, the first drug injections, blood-letting and infusions, fatalities and obstacles and startling leaps forward.
Attention turns to infections and parasites. Scientists who intentionally (or unintentionally, not considering the fact that someone with gonorrhea, for example, might also have syphilis) infected themselves with everything from syphilis to bladderworms, hookworms, fluke and malaria.
Norton's contextualization of self-experimentation is often as interesting, if not more interesting than the experiments themselves. We get a nice, if quick history of advances made in the discovery of cholera to bomb squads to shark investigation and deep sea exploration. We learn a bit about London, for example, of the 1800s when Norton turns the spotlight on Dr. John Snow, considered "the father of epidemiology", as he fights against superstition and other mythology that muddles the potential study of infectious disease.
Snow embarks on what is considered to be "the first ever epidemiological study." Instead of listening to the crackpot theories about what is making people sick, drew a map of 600 victims and "discovered that all those who caught cholera had drunk water from the Broad Street pump...Although he couldn't name the causal organism, Snow had no doubt that cholera was a waterborne disease originating from contaminated drinking water. It did not convince anyone..." In fact, people were offended that Snow would suggest they change their habits and, according to the London Times, preferred dying a horrible death to listening to some outsider upstart.
So, not only does the book jump through time and space weaving compelling tales of pioneering men (and I mean men. There are very few moments in this book that aren't about men). It also sheds lights on cultural, community and individual attitudes toward new ideas and technologies. And we see how discoveries, such as that avoiding contaminated drinking water will prevent cholera, and eating fresh fruit will prevent scurvy, are not always quick to be publicly heeded or acknowledged. A lot of people chose cholera over finding a new well to drink from. And it took more than a hundred years for ships to take precautions in order to help prevent sailors from getting scurvy. And some of the things we think we're discovering have been known for eons. Known and then forgotten. Or known in other cultural settings. Knowledge isn't something we gain necessarily, but has a maze-like, ebbing and flowing existence.
After a chapter on transfusions and gradual discovery of blood types, Norton starts a chapter on the heart and first heart surgeries. While in Chinese medicine people have probably been listening to pulses for millennia and seemed to have a better sense of the bodies systems, in the west to seemed to take until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for scientists to begin to make sense of the circulatory and pulmonological systems. "The heart was many things," Norton writes. "Before it was known to be the body's engine for moving blood." Norton gives Werner Forssmann due credit though in his own time his risky experimentation with catheterization went largely un-noted.
This chapter on Forssman and hearts brings us to World War II, during which Forssman was a surgeon, and Norton uses this to shift the focus to bombs. He sets the scene by describing the immense bombing attack on London, the hours and hours civilians spent in shelters, if lucky enough to get there and back in one piece. He quotes one woman as responding, when asked where her husband is, "He's in the army, the bloody coward." In this chapter he talks about the dangerous and often fatal work of dismantling bombs and also a bit about bomb technologies. And the work some of the scientists do to understand the impact of bombs under water brings us to, well, water.
Sharks sharks and more sharks! The jaws of 1916. (Eek!) And divers and more divers. And a bit of flying, too.
This is by no means a perfect book or an exhaustive study of any of its subjects. But it's a great and entertaining overview of some of the risky and experimental work scientists have done to try to push into unknown medical and technological and other scientific territory. I found myself as I turned the last page, thinking of "The Violinist's Thumb" and the extraordinary nimbleness with which some science writers move from topic to topic and back and forth in time.
October 11, 2013
The first half of this book is five stars all the way. Reading about early efforts at amputations, self experimentation with anesthesia, self exposure to diseases in order to discover how they transmit and what their effects are, and eating anything and everything to broaden the national diet...you can't make this stuff up. It's both lose-your-lunch nauseating and laugh-out-loud funny. They are also impossible to quit reading.
The book slows down a bit in the second half as Norton turns his attention to pioneering exploits under and atop the sea, as well as in the air. These are good stories, but lack the sickeningly compelling aspects of the early chapters. Norton is a very clever and consistently funny author, however, so the book never becomes tiresome. And the shark attack stories liven up that second half considerably.
Don't read this one after a heavy meal.
The book slows down a bit in the second half as Norton turns his attention to pioneering exploits under and atop the sea, as well as in the air. These are good stories, but lack the sickeningly compelling aspects of the early chapters. Norton is a very clever and consistently funny author, however, so the book never becomes tiresome. And the shark attack stories liven up that second half considerably.
Don't read this one after a heavy meal.
March 11, 2014
This book is not very tightly organized, with a tendency to stray from the point into yarning and tangents. I recognize that this can be quite frustrating for people (indeed it was for me at times), but overall I felt like the rambles gave context to the derring-do and made the bravery of self-experimenters more poignant.
April 8, 2020
Mr. Norton took on a tough topic. He wrote about high-risk experimentation which often could have produced beneficial results for humanity, but frequently resulted in every form of agony and/or death you can imagine. It did this for over 300 pages. There are stories of poisoning, the bends, shark attacks, freezing, being slammed with incredible G-forces, dying horribly from diseases, bleeding out, etc...........
To lighten the mood, which indeed required lightening frequently, he inserted bad jokes. Consistently bad jokes. Instead of lightening the text, they made it worse in a new way.
Additionally, he included too many examples of his wide-ranging subjects. This resulted in one step up from lists on occasion.
Add to this the moment where Mr. Norton compared the Himalayan Alps to an outbreak of zits on a schoolboy's face. That is just bad writing, period.
Please take this review as a preventative against an unpleasant reading experience, and call me in the morning.
To lighten the mood, which indeed required lightening frequently, he inserted bad jokes. Consistently bad jokes. Instead of lightening the text, they made it worse in a new way.
Additionally, he included too many examples of his wide-ranging subjects. This resulted in one step up from lists on occasion.
Add to this the moment where Mr. Norton compared the Himalayan Alps to an outbreak of zits on a schoolboy's face. That is just bad writing, period.
Please take this review as a preventative against an unpleasant reading experience, and call me in the morning.
August 16, 2013
I always get a huge kick out of books like this. As a professor of sciences, especially anatomy and physiology for nurses, I love hearing new stories about the medical profession or scientists who went out of their way to test ideas or concepts or new advancements. Yes, it is sad that some of them hurt themselves or killed themselves, trying to advance the field of medicine or chemistry or other fields by trying things out on themselves...but frankly, that's preferable to these corporations today who think nothing of giving dangerous unknown drugs or treatments such as the 'vaginal/bladder mesh' or vaccines that don't have a possibility of working, or other such things to 'volunteers' who have no concept of how dangerous these are. The idea of informed consent is being misused since these volunteers are swayed by the money offered, and do not know the science behind the treatments.
The author of this book was very British, and though he wrote on some American people who practiced on themselves, a good percentage of the people he wrote about were British or European, which was fine with me as I had read more about Americans before. His humor was very droll. And the writing was typical of the other side of the pond. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the last part of the book was not in keeping with the first part of the book on physicians and scientists...the author went off topic and wrote about flight, including space flight. I enjoyed reading about that, but it is misleading when the title of the book makes it sound like all the book was going to be about was basically medical science. That's the main reason I didn't give it five stars. The book is an enjoyable read...
The author of this book was very British, and though he wrote on some American people who practiced on themselves, a good percentage of the people he wrote about were British or European, which was fine with me as I had read more about Americans before. His humor was very droll. And the writing was typical of the other side of the pond. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the last part of the book was not in keeping with the first part of the book on physicians and scientists...the author went off topic and wrote about flight, including space flight. I enjoyed reading about that, but it is misleading when the title of the book makes it sound like all the book was going to be about was basically medical science. That's the main reason I didn't give it five stars. The book is an enjoyable read...
July 28, 2017
#引言
《冒烟的耳朵与尖叫的牙齿》是英国科学家特雷弗·诺顿编写的一本科普小品文集。书名副标题中自体实验者是指以医学家和生理学家为代表的科学家甘冒生命危险，通过在自己身上做实验来验证理论，获取知识的故事。
#主要内容
本书的附录中列出了书中所阐述的科学家、生卒年月和其主要事迹。概括一下，医学和生理学部分主要涉及到如下内容：解剖与麻醉、药学、寄生虫病、由微生物引发的疾病（如胃溃疡、伤寒）、放射医学、维生素、血液病、血管成形术和心内壁显影术、预防毒气。
除了医学和生理学相关知识外，本书作者还介绍了试飞员、亲身研究鲨鱼的人，运用热气球研究宇宙射线的科学家，深潜员、亲身漂流研究海难后求生策略的人。后一类研究者确实也甘冒极大风险，但我觉得在自己身上做医学实验的人，其事迹更为感人。而且相关领域内容广博，材料细碎、不好评价。
至于像Frank Buckland先生那样虽然在渔业技术上有建树，但本书主要记叙的是他尝遍世间野味的故事，我觉得意义并不甚大。
#医学从蒙昧进入科学
本书主要讲述的是人体实验的故事，在最后一章中也指出了开展人体实验的必要性：首先是某些病只有人才会得（比如黄热病）：第二是在人体细胞上未发生有害效果不意味着在人体上无害（如TGN1412这种单抗药）：第三是动物实验未必有参考价值：比如青霉素能致死豚鼠，阿司匹林能毒死猫。但我觉得最为有趣的是，通过“实验”，医学是怎样慢慢转变为一门科学的。
##老西医也不见得真
本书指出在十六、十七世纪，庸医、江湖骗子在西方同样大行其道，贩卖包治百病药丸的走方郎中，观察人的尿液即可诊病的“大师”、用磁石为人治病的医生、用汞和锑给人治病（不治还好、一治更糟）。而且有些医生存心良善，但由于个人经验有限，往往也会得出似是而非的结论。比如Samuel Thomson(1769-1843),其所著的《Physick for families》，虽然不乏“一分预防强于十分治疗”这样的真知灼见，但也有“寒”导致“闭汗”而成为万病之源这样的观点。说到药剂，西方人挖掘草药、以形补形的做法同样源远流长，比如英国草药医师John Gerard于1597年发表了《植物志》（Herball)内就有大量这样的例子。
##解剖与实验
本书第一篇就讲解剖（autospy)，并强调这是医学发展的根基。这一篇内容写得十分戏谑，看似一致在讨论当时的医生如何千方百计收集供解剖的死尸，但其实重点在于强调通过观察和实验来获取正确的知识：
例如18世纪的医学家John Hunter先生对他学生琴纳就说：“你没有答偏，但为何空想，为何不做实验试？"这位医生说到做到。他提出了一个假说，认为淋病和梅毒是一种疾病的两个阶段，于是自己给自己移植了硬下疳，九死一生侥幸活命，最终说明这种假说是错误的，唯一成就是硬下疳被命名为“亨特式硬结”。
##对照组
本书提及了在现代医学发展的早期，对照组是如何用来证明结论的：在18世纪，John Hunter就针对“淋病”是一种自限性疾病做了对照组实验。一组病人采用了通常的治疗办法，另一组仅给予用面包卷做成安慰剂药片。而航海医学之父James Lind在HMS Salibury号上所做的实验就更为细致，他对24个症状相似的病人开展正交性对照组实验，最终得出了“新鲜的橙子和柠檬能治坏血病”这样的真理。
##调查统计，确定相关性
本书第六章“渴望疾病”中介绍了十九世纪英国医生John Snow在应对霍乱疫情时运用统计分析方法推断传播途径的成功案例。John Snow根据公共卫生部门整理的病人死亡统计表，在地图上逐一标注，发现患病与否取决于饮用水来源，于是得出推论霍乱是通过受污染的饮用水传播的，而不是“瘴气”。
与此同时，本书作者也指出：
医学研究固有的危险，来源于医学研究的结论有赖于外在因素与特定疾病的相关性。这导致同样的统计分析的方法往往会得出不同的结论。例如同样是研究霍乱传播途径，德国科学家Max Pettenkofer绘制了德国霍乱传播的地图，发现患病者主要在潮湿低地，于是依然坚持“瘴气说”。
##现代技术推进医学发展
### 用显微镜确定病原体和寄生虫传播途径
最终确定霍乱传播的途径的是德国科学家Robert Koch。他和他的助手借助显微镜发现了霍乱弧菌。并通过从受感染的动物上分离——在培养皿中培养——接种到健康动物上证实的过程，陆续确定了炭疽、淋病、麻风、肺炎、伤寒和梅毒的病原体，为抗生素、疫苗研究铺平了道路。
与此同时，显微镜也在研究血吸虫、肠道钩虫、疟原虫的传播路径、在人体内的寄生路径方面大显身手。如果没有显微镜技术的成熟，本书中为了研究这些寄生虫而吃尽苦头乃至丧命的科学家就无意义了。
###用化学方法确定药物组分
在运用化学方法人工合成药物之前，化学在测定已知药物的有效组分也居功厥伟。本书指出安全用药的前提是确定剂量，而确定剂量有赖于提纯。当化学对于混合物组分分析较为成熟后，1803年，德国药剂师Friedrich Serturner逐步摸索出了系统分析药物组成，确定活性成分的方法：提纯了鸦片，发现了吗啡。
### 放射医学确定人的生理机理
本书记叙了伦琴先生发现X射线后，它在医学上的作用马上就被人重视，发明了运用钡餐诊断胃肠疾病的方法。但是对心脏就没有合适的办法。德国医学家Werner Forssmann创造血管内导管技术，并在自己身上实验，从而先后实现了对心脏的直接给药、发明了心内壁显影术，开创了血管成形术。
通过以上例子，我觉得现代医学的思考方式、探索方式、工具手段都是和现代科学技术极为密切地联系在一起的。它是现代科学技术的一部分。
#作为小品文来欣赏
本书是典型的英国小品文，讲求的就是举重若轻，妙趣横生，而不是系统完整的把某项科学知识解释清楚。本书的重点也在于人的勇于冒险、无私奉献，不在于讲解具体的原理。要想对本书涉及的技术有所了解，应该去读《众病之王：癌症传》、《基因：亲密的历史》（讲遗传病）、《心外传奇》这样的书。
医学是一门极为高深专精的学问。网上教学有教编程、力学、数学、物理学、生物学、电子技术的，文学、历史学之类更是不胜枚举，但没有敢讲医学的——大概是怕我这样的人一知半解，反成大患。
#一点小教训
本书提及了特发性血小板减少型紫癜是一种如此可怕的血液病，我曾有位同学患此病，当时我无知，读了这本书才非常佩服他。本书也教我一个乖，眼科医生用检眼镜一闪一闪照我眼球，是在看我眼底的毛细血管（浦肯野树）。
#附记
本书收听自静雅思听，感谢阿拉伯的海伦娜提供文本，以便确认众位科学家的姓名。本文主要是内容摘抄，这是因为本书讲的是专门学问，不方便我不懂装懂、大放厥词。
《冒烟的耳朵与尖叫的牙齿》是英国科学家特雷弗·诺顿编写的一本科普小品文集。书名副标题中自体实验者是指以医学家和生理学家为代表的科学家甘冒生命危险，通过在自己身上做实验来验证理论，获取知识的故事。
#主要内容
本书的附录中列出了书中所阐述的科学家、生卒年月和其主要事迹。概括一下，医学和生理学部分主要涉及到如下内容：解剖与麻醉、药学、寄生虫病、由微生物引发的疾病（如胃溃疡、伤寒）、放射医学、维生素、血液病、血管成形术和心内壁显影术、预防毒气。
除了医学和生理学相关知识外，本书作者还介绍了试飞员、亲身研究鲨鱼的人，运用热气球研究宇宙射线的科学家，深潜员、亲身漂流研究海难后求生策略的人。后一类研究者确实也甘冒极大风险，但我觉得在自己身上做医学实验的人，其事迹更为感人。而且相关领域内容广博，材料细碎、不好评价。
至于像Frank Buckland先生那样虽然在渔业技术上有建树，但本书主要记叙的是他尝遍世间野味的故事，我觉得意义并不甚大。
#医学从蒙昧进入科学
本书主要讲述的是人体实验的故事，在最后一章中也指出了开展人体实验的必要性：首先是某些病只有人才会得（比如黄热病）：第二是在人体细胞上未发生有害效果不意味着在人体上无害（如TGN1412这种单抗药）：第三是动物实验未必有参考价值：比如青霉素能致死豚鼠，阿司匹林能毒死猫。但我觉得最为有趣的是，通过“实验”，医学是怎样慢慢转变为一门科学的。
##老西医也不见得真
本书指出在十六、十七世纪，庸医、江湖骗子在西方同样大行其道，贩卖包治百病药丸的走方郎中，观察人的尿液即可诊病的“大师”、用磁石为人治病的医生、用汞和锑给人治病（不治还好、一治更糟）。而且有些医生存心良善，但由于个人经验有限，往往也会得出似是而非的结论。比如Samuel Thomson(1769-1843),其所著的《Physick for families》，虽然不乏“一分预防强于十分治疗”这样的真知灼见，但也有“寒”导致“闭汗”而成为万病之源这样的观点。说到药剂，西方人挖掘草药、以形补形的做法同样源远流长，比如英国草药医师John Gerard于1597年发表了《植物志》（Herball)内就有大量这样的例子。
##解剖与实验
本书第一篇就讲解剖（autospy)，并强调这是医学发展的根基。这一篇内容写得十分戏谑，看似一致在讨论当时的医生如何千方百计收集供解剖的死尸，但其实重点在于强调通过观察和实验来获取正确的知识：
例如18世纪的医学家John Hunter先生对他学生琴纳就说：“你没有答偏，但为何空想，为何不做实验试？"这位医生说到做到。他提出了一个假说，认为淋病和梅毒是一种疾病的两个阶段，于是自己给自己移植了硬下疳，九死一生侥幸活命，最终说明这种假说是错误的，唯一成就是硬下疳被命名为“亨特式硬结”。
##对照组
本书提及了在现代医学发展的早期，对照组是如何用来证明结论的：在18世纪，John Hunter就针对“淋病”是一种自限性疾病做了对照组实验。一组病人采用了通常的治疗办法，另一组仅给予用面包卷做成安慰剂药片。而航海医学之父James Lind在HMS Salibury号上所做的实验就更为细致，他对24个症状相似的病人开展正交性对照组实验，最终得出了“新鲜的橙子和柠檬能治坏血病”这样的真理。
##调查统计，确定相关性
本书第六章“渴望疾病”中介绍了十九世纪英国医生John Snow在应对霍乱疫情时运用统计分析方法推断传播途径的成功案例。John Snow根据公共卫生部门整理的病人死亡统计表，在地图上逐一标注，发现患病与否取决于饮用水来源，于是得出推论霍乱是通过受污染的饮用水传播的，而不是“瘴气”。
与此同时，本书作者也指出：
医学研究固有的危险，来源于医学研究的结论有赖于外在因素与特定疾病的相关性。这导致同样的统计分析的方法往往会得出不同的结论。例如同样是研究霍乱传播途径，德国科学家Max Pettenkofer绘制了德国霍乱传播的地图，发现患病者主要在潮湿低地，于是依然坚持“瘴气说”。
##现代技术推进医学发展
### 用显微镜确定病原体和寄生虫传播途径
最终确定霍乱传播的途径的是德国科学家Robert Koch。他和他的助手借助显微镜发现了霍乱弧菌。并通过从受感染的动物上分离——在培养皿中培养——接种到健康动物上证实的过程，陆续确定了炭疽、淋病、麻风、肺炎、伤寒和梅毒的病原体，为抗生素、疫苗研究铺平了道路。
与此同时，显微镜也在研究血吸虫、肠道钩虫、疟原虫的传播路径、在人体内的寄生路径方面大显身手。如果没有显微镜技术的成熟，本书中为了研究这些寄生虫而吃尽苦头乃至丧命的科学家就无意义了。
###用化学方法确定药物组分
在运用化学方法人工合成药物之前，化学在测定已知药物的有效组分也居功厥伟。本书指出安全用药的前提是确定剂量，而确定剂量有赖于提纯。当化学对于混合物组分分析较为成熟后，1803年，德国药剂师Friedrich Serturner逐步摸索出了系统分析药物组成，确定活性成分的方法：提纯了鸦片，发现了吗啡。
### 放射医学确定人的生理机理
本书记叙了伦琴先生发现X射线后，它在医学上的作用马上就被人重视，发明了运用钡餐诊断胃肠疾病的方法。但是对心脏就没有合适的办法。德国医学家Werner Forssmann创造血管内导管技术，并在自己身上实验，从而先后实现了对心脏的直接给药、发明了心内壁显影术，开创了血管成形术。
通过以上例子，我觉得现代医学的思考方式、探索方式、工具手段都是和现代科学技术极为密切地联系在一起的。它是现代科学技术的一部分。
#作为小品文来欣赏
本书是典型的英国小品文，讲求的就是举重若轻，妙趣横生，而不是系统完整的把某项科学知识解释清楚。本书的重点也在于人的勇于冒险、无私奉献，不在于讲解具体的原理。要想对本书涉及的技术有所了解，应该去读《众病之王：癌症传》、《基因：亲密的历史》（讲遗传病）、《心外传奇》这样的书。
医学是一门极为高深专精的学问。网上教学有教编程、力学、数学、物理学、生物学、电子技术的，文学、历史学之类更是不胜枚举，但没有敢讲医学的——大概是怕我这样的人一知半解，反成大患。
#一点小教训
本书提及了特发性血小板减少型紫癜是一种如此可怕的血液病，我曾有位同学患此病，当时我无知，读了这本书才非常佩服他。本书也教我一个乖，眼科医生用检眼镜一闪一闪照我眼球，是在看我眼底的毛细血管（浦肯野树）。
#附记
本书收听自静雅思听，感谢阿拉伯的海伦娜提供文本，以便确认众位科学家的姓名。本文主要是内容摘抄，这是因为本书讲的是专门学问，不方便我不懂装懂、大放厥词。
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2021
După ce soţia sa, Catherine, naşte fără dureri, Charles Dickens scrie: „Cloroformul e la fel de sigur în administrare pe cât e de miraculos în efecte”. Când şi regina Victoria optează pentru cloroform la ultimele două naşteri, numindu-l apoi „nespus de încântător”, popularitatea substanţei este asigurată.
Nicăieri nu devine ea mai populară decât la petrecerile profesorului Simpson, în a cărui reşedinţă din Edimburgh „în loc de muzică şi dans… oaspeţii erau trataţi cu o expediţie pe tărâmurile insensibilităţii”. Văduva unui medic local îşi aminteşte că în tinereţe „profesorul îşi făcea experimentele cu cloroform pe noi, fetele. Mama noastră nu se temea de nimic, ba chiar era nespus de încântată să sacrifice, dacă era nevoie, o fiică sau două pe altarul ştiinţei”.
Simpson devenise apostolul cloroformului, numindu-l pe Dumnezeu însuşi primul anestezist. Când a luat o coastă ca să creeze femeia, acesta „a trimis un somn adânc peste om, iar omul a adormit; Domnul Dumnezeu a luat una dintre coastele lui şi a închis carnea la locul ei”.
Simpson exhiba cu fiecare ocazie virtuţile cloroformului, orb la defectele acestuia. Când o tânără moare la două minute după ce i se administrase o doză de cloroform pentru o operaţie de extragere a unei unghii încarnate, Simpson respinge sugestia că anestezicul ar fi fost de vină. Ştia doar că e lipsit de pericol – fiindcă, nu-i aşa, îl încercase pe el însuşi.
Însă rata deceselor urca. În cele din urmă, o cercetare bazată pe mai mult de 800000 de operaţii făcute sub anestezie a scos la iveală că decesele cauzate de cloroform erau de patru ori mai multe decât cele puse pe seama eterului. Multe dintre aceste decese, deşi victimele fuseseră oameni tineri şi viguroşi, se petrecuseră aproape instantaneu, de parcă pacienţii ar fi fost împuşcaţi în inimă. Asta se întâmpla cu mulţi ani înainte ca medicii să stabilească faptul că între anesteziere şi doza fatală ce provoacă oprirea inimii e doar un pas mic.
Nicăieri nu devine ea mai populară decât la petrecerile profesorului Simpson, în a cărui reşedinţă din Edimburgh „în loc de muzică şi dans… oaspeţii erau trataţi cu o expediţie pe tărâmurile insensibilităţii”. Văduva unui medic local îşi aminteşte că în tinereţe „profesorul îşi făcea experimentele cu cloroform pe noi, fetele. Mama noastră nu se temea de nimic, ba chiar era nespus de încântată să sacrifice, dacă era nevoie, o fiică sau două pe altarul ştiinţei”.
Simpson devenise apostolul cloroformului, numindu-l pe Dumnezeu însuşi primul anestezist. Când a luat o coastă ca să creeze femeia, acesta „a trimis un somn adânc peste om, iar omul a adormit; Domnul Dumnezeu a luat una dintre coastele lui şi a închis carnea la locul ei”.
Simpson exhiba cu fiecare ocazie virtuţile cloroformului, orb la defectele acestuia. Când o tânără moare la două minute după ce i se administrase o doză de cloroform pentru o operaţie de extragere a unei unghii încarnate, Simpson respinge sugestia că anestezicul ar fi fost de vină. Ştia doar că e lipsit de pericol – fiindcă, nu-i aşa, îl încercase pe el însuşi.
Însă rata deceselor urca. În cele din urmă, o cercetare bazată pe mai mult de 800000 de operaţii făcute sub anestezie a scos la iveală că decesele cauzate de cloroform erau de patru ori mai multe decât cele puse pe seama eterului. Multe dintre aceste decese, deşi victimele fuseseră oameni tineri şi viguroşi, se petrecuseră aproape instantaneu, de parcă pacienţii ar fi fost împuşcaţi în inimă. Asta se întâmpla cu mulţi ani înainte ca medicii să stabilească faptul că între anesteziere şi doza fatală ce provoacă oprirea inimii e doar un pas mic.
June 9, 2019
In this case, both title and subtitle provide potential readers with an accurate estimation of the book’s style. Although Norton is an emeritus professor of marine biology at the University of Liverpool, the book is clearly a romp, written with perhaps less inhibition than was necessary given the subject matter. One expects stories of scientists doing awful things to their own and others’ bodies in the name of science, but there are also bright excursions into grave robbing, radium poisoning, biological weaponry, electric shock treatments, and surprises that have dispersed bomb disposal units.
November 10, 2021
Interesting, but disjointed, most of the chapters just consist of anecdote after anecdote. Almost completely UK-centric, the author makes you wonder about the characters who decided to experiment upon themselves in the hope of gaining fame or making a great discovery. The stories held together better the farther into the 20th century they were set. Ultimately interesting, read this book bit by bit and wonder if you, too would be "stupid" enough to pull some of these stunts while grateful that these men (and one woman) did so.
June 16, 2018
I'm not sure whether I should be pleased or concerned about the fact that in the interest of science people experimented on themselves. I enjoyed the book, even if I felt a bit squeamish at times.
January 14, 2019
100% interesting
February 4, 2020
Fascinating book that includes pretty much a gasp per page. The author's tone is often tongue-in-cheek: one can miss the joke if not paying attention. Glad I read this one.
January 14, 2021
Very funny and informative
September 10, 2021
A very engaging and readable look at the scientists who through their novel approach and willingness to be their own guinea pigs changed the face of scientific understanding. Plus it’s funny too!
Read
February 12, 2024Stole this from my father who stole it from a holiday resort so I'd have something to read that wasn't 'North and South'. The cycle of violence is truly tragic.
January 17, 2012
I checked this one out from the library at work. It's a basic collection of science anecdotes, mostly from the Enlightenment period up through WWII. The author is a British marine biologist, so most of the scientists mentioned are British, and the modern-day stories in particular naturally focus on the author's mostly British contemporaries in the marine sciences.
One fairly clear agenda that the author has is wanting to recognize various scientists who made major "home front" contributions during WWI and especially WWII, often risking their lives to develop all sorts of non-weapon technologies necessary for the war effort, such as bomb disposal and submarine escape hatches. Many of them were Quaker conscientious objectors, and received no medals or official recognition of some of the dangerous experiments they performed on themselves to save lives on the battlefield.
There are a number of gross-out moments, mostly related to the symptoms of various terrible things either self-inflicted or applied to the public due to bad science.
I suspect there are fewer post-war anecdotes thanks largely to the standardization of experimental procedures with regards to informed consent and other protections for test subjects. Overall interesting, but not engrossing (as evidenced by it sitting on my shelf half-read for a few months).
One fairly clear agenda that the author has is wanting to recognize various scientists who made major "home front" contributions during WWI and especially WWII, often risking their lives to develop all sorts of non-weapon technologies necessary for the war effort, such as bomb disposal and submarine escape hatches. Many of them were Quaker conscientious objectors, and received no medals or official recognition of some of the dangerous experiments they performed on themselves to save lives on the battlefield.
There are a number of gross-out moments, mostly related to the symptoms of various terrible things either self-inflicted or applied to the public due to bad science.
I suspect there are fewer post-war anecdotes thanks largely to the standardization of experimental procedures with regards to informed consent and other protections for test subjects. Overall interesting, but not engrossing (as evidenced by it sitting on my shelf half-read for a few months).
Read
January 21, 2014O carte extrem de provocatoare, Ochi holbaţi şi păr vâlvoi. Experimente medicale ciudate care ne-au salvat viaţa a lui Trevor Norton, apărută la Editura Trei în 2011, este o incursiune fascinantă în diferite perioade ale istoriei medicinii, mai exact concentrându-se pe momentele de răscruce, care au schimbat cu adevărat faţa medicinii moderne. Cartea lui Trevor Norton îţi aminteşte că nu chiar atât de demult accesul oamenilor la binefacerile medicinii nu era mai mult decât o ruletă rusească. Trecând în revistă experimente uimitoare, periculoase şi, în acelaşi timp, tragi-comice, Trevor Norton zugrăveşte o istorie pe care adesea o uităm şi faţă de care ne e greu să ne raportăm, din perspectiva modernităţii.
Citind cartea lui Trevor Norton, Ochi holbaţi şi păr vâlvoi. Experimente medicale ciudate care ne-au salvat viaţa, ideea care mi-a rămas întipărită pe tot parcursul lecturii a fost nu „wow, ce descoperiri minunate s-au făcut de-a lungul timpului în domeniul medicinii”, ci… cât de barbarii au fost oamenii secole la rând (şi, din anumite puncte de vedere, sunt şi acum, dar asta e o altă discuţie). (recenzie: http://bookaholic.ro/privind-inapoi-c...)
Citind cartea lui Trevor Norton, Ochi holbaţi şi păr vâlvoi. Experimente medicale ciudate care ne-au salvat viaţa, ideea care mi-a rămas întipărită pe tot parcursul lecturii a fost nu „wow, ce descoperiri minunate s-au făcut de-a lungul timpului în domeniul medicinii”, ci… cât de barbarii au fost oamenii secole la rând (şi, din anumite puncte de vedere, sunt şi acum, dar asta e o altă discuţie). (recenzie: http://bookaholic.ro/privind-inapoi-c...)
July 13, 2015
If you have an interest in the history of Science, love gory stories of self experimentation or simply need ideas for your next weekend project then pick up this book.
From tales of anaesthetic free surgery to anaesthetic sniffing parties, Anthrax to Yellow fever (seriously though the research on yellow fever is some of the grossest stuff in there....you need to check it out!) and the freezing heights of the stratosphere to the freezing depths of the ocean Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth will leave you grossed out, shocked and in awe of our scientific forefathers (& mothers).
This book reminds us that much of what we take for granted came with much personal sacrifice from people who often just wanted to find either a better way of doing things or to simply answer those niggling questions in the back of their mind.
I particularly recommend this to any Science Teachers out there. Not only will it give you a better understanding of much of the history of science, you'll also come away with plenty of new stories to regale your students with (whether they want you to or not!)
.....On second thought maybe don't try any of the experiments at home.... :-)
From tales of anaesthetic free surgery to anaesthetic sniffing parties, Anthrax to Yellow fever (seriously though the research on yellow fever is some of the grossest stuff in there....you need to check it out!) and the freezing heights of the stratosphere to the freezing depths of the ocean Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth will leave you grossed out, shocked and in awe of our scientific forefathers (& mothers).
This book reminds us that much of what we take for granted came with much personal sacrifice from people who often just wanted to find either a better way of doing things or to simply answer those niggling questions in the back of their mind.
I particularly recommend this to any Science Teachers out there. Not only will it give you a better understanding of much of the history of science, you'll also come away with plenty of new stories to regale your students with (whether they want you to or not!)
.....On second thought maybe don't try any of the experiments at home.... :-)
April 4, 2015
Reading the book from this time point, where most of the lessons the people in this book sent forward to us, you wonder how anyone lived to tell the future people ANYTHING. The book covers how people scientists and enthusiasts the how why and where of the interaction of the human body and the world. How do we catch diseases? How can we do surgery and keep the patient still while we're cutting away at 'im? How do we survive the depths of the sea, or heights of the sky? What can we eat and still live? etc... Many of the people who found this out found it out with their own bodies and others (like prisoners, assistants, and well some unfortunate who happened a long sometimes.)
Today we see the same types of persons trying to discover a cure for Ebola, and to find out what is killing bees etc... While it is hard to wonder after reading the book, why anyone would do such a thing... they are our heroes. Written with humor as well a worth while read, where every chapter takes you on a new endeavor.
Today we see the same types of persons trying to discover a cure for Ebola, and to find out what is killing bees etc... While it is hard to wonder after reading the book, why anyone would do such a thing... they are our heroes. Written with humor as well a worth while read, where every chapter takes you on a new endeavor.
November 16, 2016
Usually the Amazon recommender system is busy suggesting I buy twenty other wallets like the wallet I just bought. But sometimes, Amazon really delivers with its recommendations, suggesting a book I've never heard of, but know I will love as soon as I read the description. With Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth, though, their machine learning algorithms nailed it.
I love humorous, well-written books about science (Mary Roach is my spirit author). Norton's book is all over the place, but in a good way. He tells the story of many professional and amateur scientists who, for one reason or another, decided that they themselves should be intimately involved in their experiments. In some cases, they worry that a subject other than themselves won't relay the experience in sufficient detail. In other cases, they ethically can't bring themselves to experiment on someone else, but also can't live without seeing the experiment performed. And sadly, in some cases, they ended up not continuing to live, because of their experiments.
I love humorous, well-written books about science (Mary Roach is my spirit author). Norton's book is all over the place, but in a good way. He tells the story of many professional and amateur scientists who, for one reason or another, decided that they themselves should be intimately involved in their experiments. In some cases, they worry that a subject other than themselves won't relay the experience in sufficient detail. In other cases, they ethically can't bring themselves to experiment on someone else, but also can't live without seeing the experiment performed. And sadly, in some cases, they ended up not continuing to live, because of their experiments.
August 13, 2013
I really, really enjoyed this book, especially the first 75% of it. The first 75% of the book focused on the medical world and was SUPER interesting. If you don't like sciency type stuff then you will be bored to tears. It covered things like self-experimentation with anesthesia, toxic chemicals, blood types, medicines, and how knowledge regarding diseases such as scurvy and malaria grew.
Then the last 25% was about other (non chemical) experiments, such as breaking the sound barrier, diving deep underwater, and bombs.
Overall very well written-- though definitely NOT 'hysterical' as it says in the book description. There are a few witty one-liners, but that was it for humor. I learned a lot, no doubt.
Then the last 25% was about other (non chemical) experiments, such as breaking the sound barrier, diving deep underwater, and bombs.
Overall very well written-- though definitely NOT 'hysterical' as it says in the book description. There are a few witty one-liners, but that was it for humor. I learned a lot, no doubt.
June 9, 2014
This is a fascinating book which is entertainingly written. This is a book which just proves the adage, "Don't judge a book by its cover." An appalling cover hides a book full of fascinating anecdotes, intriguing historical snippets and a celebration of a group of relatively unknown scientists and their gift to humanity.
From cholera and smallpox to poison gas and breaking the sound barrier, humans have experimented on themselves to further the cause of science. This book takes a selection of these men (and women) and follows their incredible journeys.
This is a well written, entertaining (although at times the humour wears a little thin), and well constructed book. Just ignore the cover.
From cholera and smallpox to poison gas and breaking the sound barrier, humans have experimented on themselves to further the cause of science. This book takes a selection of these men (and women) and follows their incredible journeys.
This is a well written, entertaining (although at times the humour wears a little thin), and well constructed book. Just ignore the cover.
November 6, 2015
Full of interesting history about self-experimentation.
I thought I'd be reading about how drugs and medicines were synthesized and tested. I thought the entire book would be about testing different chemicals since humans have a very long history of utilizing different plants and extracts for healing, health benefits, or rituals. While, I was a little disappointed that the book didn't go on forever about these topics, I learned a lot about a much broader scope of scientific inquiry - everything from testing chemicals, to surgery techniques, to parasites, to bomb squads, to shark attacks, to deep sea diving, to hot air balloons. This book is a wild ride through the history of self-experimentation in the name of science.
I thought I'd be reading about how drugs and medicines were synthesized and tested. I thought the entire book would be about testing different chemicals since humans have a very long history of utilizing different plants and extracts for healing, health benefits, or rituals. While, I was a little disappointed that the book didn't go on forever about these topics, I learned a lot about a much broader scope of scientific inquiry - everything from testing chemicals, to surgery techniques, to parasites, to bomb squads, to shark attacks, to deep sea diving, to hot air balloons. This book is a wild ride through the history of self-experimentation in the name of science.
October 27, 2011
The book is a quick guide to self-experimentation. The book covers a wide range of topics; sharks, planes, speed, human anatomy, disease, and everything in between. I really like the book it was great and funny and it certainly made me laugh. The only problem is the organization of the book is terrible, or rather it lacks a good transitional arch. One moment you are reading about disease and then it jumps to anatomy, from sharks to the speed of sound. It's no even organized chronologically or topics, it's more like the author kind of finds any segway and goes with it. Still the book is tremendously enjoyable.
July 10, 2013
I quite enjoyed this collection of historical scientific tales. While I was familiar with a couple of the stories, I learned a bit along the way about bathyscapes and zoophagy and whatnot. The venereal disease section in particular was quite disturbing in terms of how many scientists self-experimented (and not always on oneself - the Tuskeegee Experiment is a dark blot on medical science).
The research seemed solid (tho I don't think Norton cited much in the way of sources) and the writing was entertaining, if a bit twee at times.
I may have to look up Trevor Norton's other books at some point.
The research seemed solid (tho I don't think Norton cited much in the way of sources) and the writing was entertaining, if a bit twee at times.
I may have to look up Trevor Norton's other books at some point.
July 25, 2013
I cannot express how happy I am that I decided to read this book. What I hoped from the back blurb was that I would be looking through a window into the exciting stories of discoveries and developments of technology and knowledge, but I got even more out of it than that. At times Norton's book reads like a fiction novel, for me, a point in its favor. I come across too much non-fiction that is dry and hard to swallow, but this book is not among that kind. It flows, and with each chapter (well organized and easy to understand chapters, to boot), I had new information I couldn't wait to talk about.
I would highly recommend this.
I would highly recommend this.
Read
June 6, 2014Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth is a brief history of scientific experimentation, featuring scientists and doctors who acted as their own test subjects, ingesting and injecting all manner of substances into their own bodies, all in the name of discovery. For example, zoologist Frank Buckland, who would eat *anything* in his quest to expand the human diet, and Nobel-prize-winning surgeon Werner Forssman, who injected a catheter into his own heart. Obviously, this book is not for the squeamish, but if you enjoy really entertaining non-fiction, check out Screaming Ears and Smoking Teeth.
Recommended by Abe
Recommended by Abe
December 10, 2011
I finished only half of this book before I had to return it to the library. I didn't think it was worth the overdue fines...
The science stories were interesting but not enough for my mind to hold on to continuing. I had known about some of the stories -- the need for cadavers (and the not-so-ethical ways they were obtained) to study during the development of the medical industry. The chapter on parasites were interesting, as were the bravely idiotic stories of self-experimentation that some doctors inflicted upon themselves. But in the end, my brain wanted to move onto fiction again.
The science stories were interesting but not enough for my mind to hold on to continuing. I had known about some of the stories -- the need for cadavers (and the not-so-ethical ways they were obtained) to study during the development of the medical industry. The chapter on parasites were interesting, as were the bravely idiotic stories of self-experimentation that some doctors inflicted upon themselves. But in the end, my brain wanted to move onto fiction again.
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