The Wisdom of the Body

by Sherwin B. Nuland

After he won the National Book Award for How We Die, physician and popular medical writer Sherwin Nuland noticed that book critics kept referring to his next book, The Wisdom of the Body, as How We Live. Rather than fight the tide, he embraced the nickname and reissued the book. How We Live is a fascinating examination of the machinery of life. Dr. Nuland begins his meditation with a hair-raising account of a medical emergency that nearly ends in disaster: a 40-year-old woman almost bleeds to death on the operating table as he and other doctors struggle frantically to find the source of the hemorrhage. Eventually, Dr. Nuland and his team are able to locate the cause--a rare aneurysm of the splenic artery--and repair it. The patient survives. How We Live, Dr. Nuland tells us, grew out of the experiences of that night and his certainty that Marge Hanson lived because of her own will and the surgical team's will not to let her die. That "will to live" is what Dr. Nuland calls the Human Spirit, and spirit is very much a part of the body's wisdom.

Each chapter of How We Live focuses on a different biological function, from the work of the lymph nodes to the process of pregnancy and birth. The heart, the nervous and digestive systems, the sex organs, and the brain are all explored and commented on with clarity and grace. But Dr. Nuland is not content with merely providing an operating manual for the body. He is in a constant state of wonder at what a miraculous and mysterious thing the body is: a dynamic system of parts all working in concert, infused with that fierce, intangible quality--the human spirit.

Genres: Science, Medicine, Medical, Nonfiction, Health, Personal Growth, Philosophy

395 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Sherwin Nuland was an American surgeon and author who taught bioethics and medicine at the Yale University School of Medicine. He was the author of The New York Times bestseller and National Book Award winning How We Die, and has also written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New Republic, Time, and the New York Review of Books.

His NYTimes obit: http://nyti.ms/1kxNtQC

Reviews

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

There really was a lot of good information in this book, but my personal tastes do not accommodate the far-too-many
sentences such as this one, found on p. 123 in my edition:

"The unheard din of living is the symphony before which the chorale of the spirit soars in song."

I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the body's biology and how things function. Yes, it does indeed seem miraculous, if you really stop to consider how much has to happen in order to have a body conceived, formed, developed and sustained, but...sheesh. How about presenting the facts and leaving the wonderment to the reader? The book seemed to grow more turgid the further I progressed, so I finally gave up after 160 pages.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very imformative, very helpful and interesting - but the RIGHTEOUSNESS of the man! Another noble exclamation of "How wonderful and fulfilling my career is! How humble I feel in saving a life!" and I might just gag. So as long as this is used as a textbook-like reference, all is good. As a novel, one begins to develop a disturbing urge to stalk and possibly club the author.

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nuland writes a book on how to age gracefully. Because he's a surgeon, I was looking forward to a detailed description of changes to the body that happen to the aging process. That's not what he did. Yes, he did explain the value to healthy lifestyle choices; however, Nuland writes primarily about healthy choices of attitude. He probably has some sound things to say, but I had trouble paying attention, especially to the sections that were more abstract. When I was in my 20s, I enjoyed books about philosophical principles. Now that I'm almost 50, I want books that are more concrete. Don't tell me; show me. For this reason, I enjoyed the sections that depicted specific people. But when he had passages about worldly wisdom--his or well-known philosophers, poets and literary figures--I was less engaged. If you want to spend an evening conversing with a well-rounded man, pick up this book. He's a good person, but I wouldn't say that he has the last word on the process of aging.

[Sharlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found myself recapping what I've learnt in school from reading Nuland's book. There's no better way to describe the human spirit and physiology as how Nuland did. His choice of words has left me captivated and inspired, and no doubt in awe. The slight humour (perhaps unintended) injected throughout the book made it even better. Excellent read, hands down.

[Astir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less compelling follow-up that gets oddly into theistic proselytism at the end. Nuland is at his best when he illustrates using real cases in which he's surgery's House MD; he can't quite do this when explaining such elements of life as how is babby formed.

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Wisdom of the Body' is something like a high school biology class level of detail, but with relief provided by captivating stories, scattered literary allusions, philosophical musings, occasional wry humor and a general sense of wonder and awe that is, dare I say 'infectious'. He cites not just great physicians of history but writers and poets who have commented on various mysteries of the body which I appreciated. Medical terminology and is frequently explained and etymologies from Greek or Latin roots elucidated which I found useful and interesting. The debt to the past does not go recognized by Dr. Nuland throughout. His descriptions of several desperate surgeries is fascinating--take heed of the number of anesthesiologists hovering around your operating table!

The Epilogue is an interesting summation of Nuland's philosophical stance wonderfully stated. I might not agree with every word, but cannot deny that it is the result of a deeply thoughtful physician of the body and how a lifetime of rumination about the nature of the mind-body-spirit connection. I read his book, 'How We Die' many years ago and while I forget many of the details, the ending is not to be missed, haha. Not sure which was written first but they stand together as fine additions to the tradition of M.D. literature. Solid 4-stars, perhaps falling short only by being a bit dated (1997) and the paucity of drawings to clarify the endless complexity.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every so often when I start to question/doubt myself, I read a book on 'humans'. It puts things in perspective on how unique we are. I am.
Nuland's book served its purpose - I feel invigorated, mindful, in awe with my body. With yours.
It took me about 100 pages to surpass Nuland's writing on how great he is a surgeon. It gets better. His writing is more humble. He takes you on a journey within your body - there is no sugar coating. Our bodies are a disaster waiting to happen. But all the other worries/questioning/bludgeoning in general becomes less when you become mindful of all the activities happening inside you, within you.
Caveat: You do need foundational knowledge of biology...okay maybe a bit more than foundational.
I will definitely be reading his other book (How We Die).

[Beth Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does our scientific understanding of human biology bring to the exploration of spirituality? The author unapologetically embraces a philosophical stance which excludes the existence of the supernatural - and yet his writing exudes a deep sense of spirituality. By surveying what we know about the workings of the human body and mind, down to the cellular and subcellular levels, Nuland eloquently builds his case. A treasure of a book - and I can't wait to now read "How we die"

[Jim Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Note: this author quickly became my all time favorite writer, leading me to buy all of his wonderful books, enjoying each and every one of them!)

His sequel to "How We Die" - both must reads for better appreciation and understanding of our human life cycle and the medical insights behind that life, both living and dying in these two companion books.

I confess to having 'discovered' his "How We Die" book at our local YMCA's used book sale for $1 while I was waiting for my wife to come out from our swim, attracted to this book's cover notice of its awards - seemed strange to be interested in such a title, but so glad I did, leading to wonderful reading of Dr. Nuland's amazing books - have read them all by now.

see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at http://www.trioweb.org/resources/book...

[Remo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tras petarlo fuerte con Cómo morimos. el doctor Nuland escribió este, "Cómo vivimos", que se centraba no en los mecanismos que hacen que acabemos picando el billete sino en algunos de los que nos permiten seguir disfrutando de esta pelota de barro que llamamos hogar.
El problema es que mientras que el primero era todo business, al grano y cabeza baja y paso rápido, aquí al autor entre anécdota y anécdota se le escapan largos párrafos sobre lo mucho que mola ser cirujano, así en abstracto, y lo importante que es tener una actitud positiva en la vida y unas cuantas cosas prescindibles más. Claramente relleno, o peor aún, ganas de escucharse a sí mismo. Las historias médicas que cuenta siguen siendo fascinantes pero su densidad es tristemente menor que en el primer libro.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed How We Die: Reflections of Life's Final Chapter so I decided to try this book as well. Unfortunately I did not like this book as much. I was hoping for more details about specific patients' stories but instead got a lot of information about medicine and how the body works. As I tend to read a lot of medical memoirs and forensic nonfiction, none of the information was new. In fact, I was ultimately bored. For these reasons, this book got such a negative rating.

[Aleksandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Jak umieramy" było lepsze, ale to też warte chwili. Czyta się przyjemnie, choć chyba za dużo filozoficznych wstawek i dość sporo powtarzania tego samego. Może też trochę zbyt szczegółowe, jak na popularnonaukową lekturę, momentami szczegółowe opisy są dość nużące.
All in all, Shep Nuland to moje odkrycie ostatnich miesięcy. Utwierdził moje przekonanie, że życie może istnieć w tak wąskim zakresie, wymaga spełnienia tak licznych warunków, a jednocześnie gdy już jest, odznacza się wyjątkową wytrwałością i wykorzystuje mechanizmy, o jakich się nam nie śniło, by nie dać się zdusić. "Jak doskonałym tworem jest człowiek..."
I nie tylko, dotyczy to wszystkich organizmów żywych.

[Stevejs298 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book from Dr. Nuland. He does such a great job of explaining complicated science to the general reader. I'm not willing to take the time to understand it completely. But even just reading it once, you get both the gist of the inner workings of the human body as well as some important details. His descriptions of some of the medial procedures - the heart transplant in particular - give you a sense of the awesomeness of the people who perform this work.

[Jim Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all time favorite authors with easy to read understandings of the human body and life process. (also titled "How We Live" in its paperback edition - the human spirit as described by this noted physician and author).

see this and more than a hundred other organ donation/transplant related books - many with my personal reviews - at http://www.trioweb.org/resources/book...

[Mary Karpel-Jergic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whereas I thoroughly enjoyed his book on how we die, I found this book rather tedious. Far too much biological detail for me. However, there were glimpses of the man within the text and I would have liked to have had more.

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.

[PMP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of treasures of knowledge and poetry, and also the best sex scene I’ve ever read.

[Isam · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read, very thought provoking, specially the epilogue!

[Belle Meade School]

612

[Megr · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a advanced science lesson than info for the layman and fun antidotes. DNF

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Dr. Nuland's writing can be a little old fashioned and dense, but my main complaint is his personal musings and anecdotes. In the chapter on sex, a story of him as a young boy being hit in the groin with a baseball was a little jarring, even if it did explain how certain anatomical features work.

My other issue was with the anti-atheist and anti-skeptical tropes that Dr. Nuland used. Despite him repeatedly writing that he attributed none of the wonder of what he calls the human spirit to the supernatural, he writes things like how science is just another belief system, and that "TRUE skeptics" keep their minds open because anything is possible. This makes him come across as someone prepared to dismiss criticism of his own ideas.

I've liked other of Dr. Nuland's books, and I enjoyed the medical stories and explanations in this book of how the body is put together and works, but this one was a real struggle to get through.

Because I read the paper edition of this book, I'll include my highlights here:

Sharon was speaking about that of the human spirit which sustained her. But it would be a mistake to rely on it as necessarily a factor in recovery from sickness. There are those who don't give up and yet die anyway - just as there are those who do give up and yet live in spite of their "wrong attitude". ... My clinical observation leaves me with conflicting beliefs. For every Sharon Fisher, I have known a dead optimist. p. 64

The human way is that the simplest stimuli are sufficient to send all manner of signals along all manner of pathways, and to make something vastly complex of what was biologically meant to be quite clear. Sexual reproduction is apparently too direct for us - we have taken on this enormous bundle of baggage we call sexuality. The first small stirrings of sensual thought inevitably lead to an uproar of possible response, taking us finally to regions of mental reconnaissance unknown to any other creature, and demanding choices that determine the pattern of an individual's life - and through him and millions like him, the pattern of a culture. p. 159

There is probably no human function more genetically predetermined and yet more susceptible to nurture and individual variation than the method by which we reproduce our kind. p. 177

What we call the mind is an activity .... p. 349

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought it after thorougly enjoying How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter, and I don't think this "sequel" is as good, but it is still very enjoyable. You are served a lighthanded overview in anatomy and physiology which is informative while being entartaining - you have less of the drama of How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter, though, so, gross at the next statement may seem, it is less of a page turner.

[Melsene G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information and well written as all of Dr. Nuland's books are. This one, however, was not easily digestible for the layman. The text is detailed with lots of science, biology, and more, and I plowed through it nonetheless. I'm sure I absorbed some scientific facts but it is not for the casual reader. Chapters deal with specific topics including: lymphs, cells, love, birth, heart, blood, stomach, brain and nervous system. The bottom line is that the body is miraculous and works together with its billions of parts.

Shep is one of the most thoughtful writers of this genre and thus I am somewhat determined to read all his works.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author (an MD) does a great job of creating a very readable book on anatomy in terms the common person can understand and appreciate. As a person fascinated with all things medical, I especially enjoyed the true life accounts of medical situations interspersed throughout. With everything that's required to occur inside of us at any given moment, it truly is a miracle that we are walking around!

[Andrew Rothstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

How is our humanity connected to our biology? Why are we more than the sum of our biological parts?
These two questions drive Nuland's book. Each chapter is an overview of a core human biological system, followed by a connection to the human spirit, usually through the story of an individual.

Nuland is awestruck by the complexity of the human body and its ability to integrate some many functions and then enable us to exceed what the body systems can do alone.

Well worth the read.

[Mark Melendez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting perspectives. Mixes philosophy with anatomy and physiology.

You will learn a great deal about the human body with this book and the added musings and ideas around the hows and whys of the body, tie nicely into a philosophy about the body that you can accept, add & subtract from, and eventually formulate your own philosophy of the body.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having read How We Die, I searched his other books and have been equally as pleased. How we live describes the body processes of how we live with interesting case studies that make the information more palatable than simply straight up.

[Bob Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read when I was going through recovery and rehibilitation from a heart transplant this wisdom helped me not only be compliant with Dr's orders and a regiment of medications, but to trust my body to respond in certain ways positively and negatively (I am now 12 years out).

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best parts of this book are the anecdotes from real medical cases. Sadly, there are not nearly enough of those, and Sherwin Nuland has a tendency to be pedantic elsewhere. This reads like a textbook in many spots.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me quite a while to get through this book...but I did thoroughly enjoy it. I wish there were more books of his to read! This book seemed more technical than How We Die, and I know I won't remember most of the technical stuff, but I feel 5% smarter for having read the book.