The Human Body: A Basic Guide to the Way You Fit Together

Wooden Books

by Moff Betts

From single-celled embryo to fully grown human, Dr. Betts charts the major systems of the body, its interrelated organs and the revelations of microbiology. Find out why you couldn't live without bacteria or cholesterol; how your kidneys and lungs are mirror images of each other; and why you are a mix of your grandparents but only a meeting of your parents. Illustrated with rare historical engravings and beautiful contemporary drawings, The Human Body charms and informs as it reveals how the most complex organism in the world fits together.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Health

58 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sophie Crane]

This small, pocket-sized book defined itself in the introduction as a fairly simple version of what we know about the human body. It contains 30 double-pages, of which left side is text and right side is a picture, or a graphic, or mostly a mix of pictures for better illustration of what is explained on the left side.


The book is full of fascinating and contrasting information. Each double-page is a roughly different topic, so many disciplines are touched along the way. Starting from genetics and evolution, going deeper into physiology, immunology, and endocrinology, ending with chakras, yin-yang, and detailed description of major hormones and neurotransmitters. Basic biochemistry and glossary at the end are also very simple and useful, as they bring down the most of the basics to a couple of thinly-written double-pages.


The book comes from a series (Wooden books), in which you can find many other interesting topics, like crop circles, mazes and labyrinths, or useful formulae. Definitely something to choose from.

[Napoleon Bramos]

Πυκνογραμμένο, γι αυτόν τον λόγο στους μη έχοντες την απαραίτητη γνώση ανατομίας, φυσιολογίας και ιατρικής να είναι δυσκολονόητα και αρκετές φορές προσωπικά ανέτρεξα σε εξωτερικές σημειώσεις για να αντιληφθώ το νόημα!

[Sam]

I really like the books in the series. This one was pretty good. As usual the illustrations were very cool, and the tone is engaging and often fun. It has some history included to help the read understand how our understanding of the human body arrived at where it is. It also discusses the limits of our understanding, as well as non-Western concepts of the human body.