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The Body Factory: From the First Prosthetics to the Augmented Human
A young man has a horrible motorcycle accident. He wakes up in the hospital to discover that one of his arms has been amputated. Then a portrait on the wall of his hospital room begins to speak to him. The subject of the painting introduces himself as Ambroise Par, the French barber-surgeon who revolutionized the art of amputation. From this wonderfully absurd premise, the two begin an imaginary conversation that takes them through a sweeping history of surgical amputation, from the Stone Age to the Space Age. Unencumbered by pathos or pedagogy, this graphic novel explores the world of amputation, revealing fascinating details about famous amputees throughout history, the invention of the tourniquet, phantom limb syndrome, types of prostheses, and transhumanist technologies.
Playfully illustrated and seriously funny, The Body Factory is sure to delight anyone interested in the history and future of medicine and how we repair--and even enhance--the body.
Playfully illustrated and seriously funny, The Body Factory is sure to delight anyone interested in the history and future of medicine and how we repair--and even enhance--the body.
168 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2017
3 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
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July 13, 2021
AMBROISE PARÉ: "Feeling any better?"
MC: "Yeah, actually. I started working again, and that's done me some good. Apparently I'm not the first one-handed baker. My stump is healing well. I'm almost ready to get a temporary prosthesis. And in 3 to 6 months, once the swelling has gone down a bit more, I'll be able to get a permanent one! Life is pretty good. Although I still have some trouble with the looks I get. I think people look at me differently, you know? But it seems that it's actually only a reflection of how I see myself. And once I've fully accepted my new self, I'll feel better."
AMBROISE PARÉ: "Yes, well, I'm not your shrink. Let's get moving. There's more to see!" pg. 89
Don't read this while eating breakfast, that's my advice.
It's a frank little graphic novel about amputation, prosthetics and transhumanism.
Sure, it's illustrated as a cartoon, but it's pretty graphic. You've been warned.
The book starts out with our white MC having a normal morning. He wakes up, takes a shower. Gets dressed. Drinks coffee and has breakfast with his WOC girlfriend. They laugh and read the paper and kiss. He grabs his jacket and puts on his helmet and gets on his motorcycle.
He wakes up in the hospital, and his left arm is missing.
"Holy shit." pg. 9
He's crying and upset when he hears a voice. It's Ambroise Paré, the French physician. From, you know, 1550 or whenever.
CHAPTER ONE: AMPUTATION
Ambroise walks MC through the history of amputation. Literally. He talks about the oldest known amputation (6,900 years ago), amputations in mythology (Vishpala), amputation in the medieval era (pretty horrifying). He discusses the Renaissance and his and Dominique-Jean Larrey's advancements in amputation. He discusses the invention of surgical anesthetic and the movement from antisepsis to asepsis. Tourniquets.
He goes through the MC's own modern procedure, which makes the MC very squeamish.
The MC is quite depressed due to his arm being amputated. He imagines all the stuff he can no longer do. His girlfriend tries to comfort him, but obviously it's something he's going to have to work out on his own. She can be there for him, but he's got to get over the psychological trauma.
CHAPTER TWO: PHANTOM LIMB
In this chapter, Paré discusses and explores phantom limb with the MC. I won't go into detail.
MC remains depressed. He struggles to do all the stuff he never gave a second thought to before. Even relaxing - playing videogames - is challenging with only one hand. His girlfriend is always there, cheering him on, and he has to go to therapy a lot.
He sees the paralympic games and gets extremely excited. Which leads to
CHAPTER THREE: PROSTHESES
Paré walks him through all the different kinds of prosthetics, and through the history of prosthetics.
CHAPTER FOUR: TRANSHUMANISM
Paré talks about the future of humanity.
"It's not new to want to surpass your biological limits and rise above your state of being simply mortal." pg. 126
Augmented humans. A sci-fi future. A future like the one presented in something like Battle Angel Alita, where most humans have at least some augmented body parts, and it's considered 'weird' to be fully biological. Technology is discussed. Are we already transhumans, due to the use of vaccines and cochlear implants? Is moving toward a transhuman future dangerous, or the highest aspiration? Ethics: Will this lead to a future of rich transhumans and poor laborers who could never afford such augmentations? Can we eliminate cancer through transhumanism? What about the issue of eugenics?
TL;DR The MC drinks coffee all the time, which I like. He's the kind of guy who sits in a café drinking coffee and reading Ghost in the Shell (which, of course, is a form of joking by the author).
The book is quite educational - I learned a lot. The book not only deals with education about limb amputation, prosthetics, and transhumanism - but it also examines what a human's response is to having a limb amputated and some of the things they go through psychologically. It's also a funny book, Chochois adds her little touches of humor, it's amusing. There's even a Spiderman joke in here.
I would not recommend reading it while eating, due to gore.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK:
MC: "Yeah, actually. I started working again, and that's done me some good. Apparently I'm not the first one-handed baker. My stump is healing well. I'm almost ready to get a temporary prosthesis. And in 3 to 6 months, once the swelling has gone down a bit more, I'll be able to get a permanent one! Life is pretty good. Although I still have some trouble with the looks I get. I think people look at me differently, you know? But it seems that it's actually only a reflection of how I see myself. And once I've fully accepted my new self, I'll feel better."
AMBROISE PARÉ: "Yes, well, I'm not your shrink. Let's get moving. There's more to see!" pg. 89
Don't read this while eating breakfast, that's my advice.
It's a frank little graphic novel about amputation, prosthetics and transhumanism.
Sure, it's illustrated as a cartoon, but it's pretty graphic. You've been warned.
The book starts out with our white MC having a normal morning. He wakes up, takes a shower. Gets dressed. Drinks coffee and has breakfast with his WOC girlfriend. They laugh and read the paper and kiss. He grabs his jacket and puts on his helmet and gets on his motorcycle.
He wakes up in the hospital, and his left arm is missing.
"Holy shit." pg. 9
He's crying and upset when he hears a voice. It's Ambroise Paré, the French physician. From, you know, 1550 or whenever.
CHAPTER ONE: AMPUTATION
Ambroise walks MC through the history of amputation. Literally. He talks about the oldest known amputation (6,900 years ago), amputations in mythology (Vishpala), amputation in the medieval era (pretty horrifying). He discusses the Renaissance and his and Dominique-Jean Larrey's advancements in amputation. He discusses the invention of surgical anesthetic and the movement from antisepsis to asepsis. Tourniquets.
He goes through the MC's own modern procedure, which makes the MC very squeamish.
The MC is quite depressed due to his arm being amputated. He imagines all the stuff he can no longer do. His girlfriend tries to comfort him, but obviously it's something he's going to have to work out on his own. She can be there for him, but he's got to get over the psychological trauma.
CHAPTER TWO: PHANTOM LIMB
In this chapter, Paré discusses and explores phantom limb with the MC. I won't go into detail.
MC remains depressed. He struggles to do all the stuff he never gave a second thought to before. Even relaxing - playing videogames - is challenging with only one hand. His girlfriend is always there, cheering him on, and he has to go to therapy a lot.
He sees the paralympic games and gets extremely excited. Which leads to
CHAPTER THREE: PROSTHESES
Paré walks him through all the different kinds of prosthetics, and through the history of prosthetics.
CHAPTER FOUR: TRANSHUMANISM
Paré talks about the future of humanity.
"It's not new to want to surpass your biological limits and rise above your state of being simply mortal." pg. 126
Augmented humans. A sci-fi future. A future like the one presented in something like Battle Angel Alita, where most humans have at least some augmented body parts, and it's considered 'weird' to be fully biological. Technology is discussed. Are we already transhumans, due to the use of vaccines and cochlear implants? Is moving toward a transhuman future dangerous, or the highest aspiration? Ethics: Will this lead to a future of rich transhumans and poor laborers who could never afford such augmentations? Can we eliminate cancer through transhumanism? What about the issue of eugenics?
TL;DR The MC drinks coffee all the time, which I like. He's the kind of guy who sits in a café drinking coffee and reading Ghost in the Shell (which, of course, is a form of joking by the author).
The book is quite educational - I learned a lot. The book not only deals with education about limb amputation, prosthetics, and transhumanism - but it also examines what a human's response is to having a limb amputated and some of the things they go through psychologically. It's also a funny book, Chochois adds her little touches of humor, it's amusing. There's even a Spiderman joke in here.
I would not recommend reading it while eating, due to gore.
NAMES IN THIS BOOK:
June 3, 2018
Continuo il mio viaggio alla scoperta del mondo delle graphic novel con un altro titolo di Bao Publishing: La Fabbrica dei Corpi, di Heloise Chochois. Anche questa volta, come tante altre volte, voglio mettere in chiaro subito che le mie capacità artistiche sono pari a quelle di una lucertola, e che non posso esprimere nessun giudizio sulla qualità sul disegno in sé. Ma posso darvi un giudizio di pancia, senza arroganza - e prendetelo così com'è.
La Fabbrica dei Corpi fa parte della collana Octopus - un progetto in cui le graphic novel si mettono a parlare di scienza. La collana era stata annunciata mesi fa - io l'ho saputo quando ho ricevuto Non è te che aspettavo - e mi ha incuriosito molto l'idea che tutti questi disegni potessero non solo raccontare storie emozionanti e strappalacrime, ma anche insegnare qualcosa, parlare di scienza. E credo sia superfluo specificare quanto ci sia bisogno di parlare di scienza oggi, in modo accessibile a tutti, chiaro ma sincero.
La Fabbrica dei Corpi ha una trama semplicissima: incidente in moto, perdita di un braccio e il dramma che ne consegue. Tuttavia differenza delle altre graphic novel che ho letto, qui non ci sono (troppe) scene strappalacrime - al contrario: l'amputazione del protagonista diventa il pretesto per raccontare la storia delle amputazioni nel corso dei secoli, e poi per parlare di protesi e di transumanesimo.
È vero che non abbiamo davanti un trattato di ortopedia - è vero che se avete mai sentito parlare di "bodyhacking" non scoprirete molto più di quanto già sappiate - ma è anche vero che un testo del genere può affascinare i più giovani e i più digiuni del tema.
I disegni sono pazzeschi - e il dettaglio anatomico in certi punti è ben superiore a quello che ci si potrebbe aspettare. Nel complesso è un gran bel lavoro di divulgazione scientifica - che si legge in un soffio, e che può aiutare a avere un po' meno paura della diversità - in tutti i sensi.
Se vi piace il genere "fumetto scientifico", vi consiglio di dare un'occhiata a Niels Feynman's time travelling adventures su Tapas: ci lavorano due artiste che conosco, una artista americana e una sarda, da quasi due anni - e per quanto io mi trovi scomoda a leggere su Tapas, la storia è niente male!
June 10, 2020
Il dolore è vitale! Ci insegna a evitare situazioni pericolose, a sottrarcene. Immagina di mettere per sbaglio la mano su una piastra incandescente. Se non sentissi dolore potresti lasciarti cuocere a puntino.
August 12, 2017
Excellente vulgarisation servie par son ton léger, sa petite dose d'humour, et surtout un superbe trait et des couleurs doucement saturées. Vraiment très agréable à lire, le rythme est fluide, on apprend beaucoup, bref : tout ce que ce doit d'être la vulgarisation !
September 23, 2024
The Body Factory is a quick and interesting read with vivid and clear art about an often difficult subject, amputation. This work of graphic nonfiction uses the framing device of a man who has his arm amputated after a motorcycle accident and communicates with Ambroise Paré, the father of modern amputation, to learn about the past, present, and future of amputation and prosthesis. Most of the book sticks to the scientific facts more than anything, but the framing story helps give it some heart, showing some of the emotions the protagonist goes through with the amputation and the journey to getting his prosthetic arm.
The book is broken into four main sections. The first chapter covers amputation itself, covering the history of amputation as well as the actual medical process of amputating a limb and the different parts that can be amputated. The second chapter covers phantom limb pain, and it does a great job explaining why and how it happens, the ways it can present, and the history of our knowledge of phantom limb pain (which is much shorter since many people didn't want to be seen as having a mental illness and thus didn't report that they experienced it). The third chapter covers the history and present of prosthesis, looking at the different types of prosthetics that have existed in the past, and new developments that are happening now. The final chapter covers transhumanism, the concept of using science and technology to essentially create new evolution in the future of humanity.
I honestly always have concerns when I open a book about disability because there's so much ableist content out there that's published under the guise of being progressive, especially when the author isn't writing about their own experiences, but I'm glad to say that wasn't really what I experienced here. For full clarity, I am disabled, but I am not an amputee and I was not born with any limb difference, so perhaps someone more directly impacted than me would see things here that I did not. I know that for some people who were born with limb differences that prosthetics are a complicated issue, and that isn't addressed here, but the focus of this book is very specifically amputation, so I don't necessarily think this is a problem. Transhumanism in particular can be a sticky subject in the disability community at large (and for me it brings to mind capitalism, classism, ableism, eugenics, and concerns about what transhumanism would/could look like for chronic pain patients, just to name my biggest thoughts there), but I feel like this did a good job of avoiding painting it as a utopian ideal and addressing some of the bigger concerns here (particularly classism and eugenics).
As a whole, I think this book is a great introduction to amputation and prosthetics. It doesn't get super in depth because of its length, but it does cover a lot of ground in a short space. I would definitely recommend checking it out!
The book is broken into four main sections. The first chapter covers amputation itself, covering the history of amputation as well as the actual medical process of amputating a limb and the different parts that can be amputated. The second chapter covers phantom limb pain, and it does a great job explaining why and how it happens, the ways it can present, and the history of our knowledge of phantom limb pain (which is much shorter since many people didn't want to be seen as having a mental illness and thus didn't report that they experienced it). The third chapter covers the history and present of prosthesis, looking at the different types of prosthetics that have existed in the past, and new developments that are happening now. The final chapter covers transhumanism, the concept of using science and technology to essentially create new evolution in the future of humanity.
I honestly always have concerns when I open a book about disability because there's so much ableist content out there that's published under the guise of being progressive, especially when the author isn't writing about their own experiences, but I'm glad to say that wasn't really what I experienced here. For full clarity, I am disabled, but I am not an amputee and I was not born with any limb difference, so perhaps someone more directly impacted than me would see things here that I did not. I know that for some people who were born with limb differences that prosthetics are a complicated issue, and that isn't addressed here, but the focus of this book is very specifically amputation, so I don't necessarily think this is a problem. Transhumanism in particular can be a sticky subject in the disability community at large (and for me it brings to mind capitalism, classism, ableism, eugenics, and concerns about what transhumanism would/could look like for chronic pain patients, just to name my biggest thoughts there), but I feel like this did a good job of avoiding painting it as a utopian ideal and addressing some of the bigger concerns here (particularly classism and eugenics).
As a whole, I think this book is a great introduction to amputation and prosthetics. It doesn't get super in depth because of its length, but it does cover a lot of ground in a short space. I would definitely recommend checking it out!
May 13, 2023
This book is a graphic nonfiction book about a young man having his left arm amputated after a motorcycle accident. As the main character awakens in his hospital room, a portrait on the wall begins talking to him. He thinks he is losing his mind, only to learn that this painting on the wall is none other than Ambroise Pare, the father of amputation.
Ambroise takes the main character on a journey through history - leaping through walls and time traveling to ancient eras to learn about phantom limbs, prosthetics, surgical amputation throughout history, and even up to the present with 3D printed hands and something called targeted reinnervation - which reanimates and reroutes nerves to control prosthetic devices by moving them to other parts of the body.
This title was translated from French. I would have liked to see a glossary and reference list in the back of the book, but alas, non. Young people interested in science and medicine would appreciate this book!
Ambroise takes the main character on a journey through history - leaping through walls and time traveling to ancient eras to learn about phantom limbs, prosthetics, surgical amputation throughout history, and even up to the present with 3D printed hands and something called targeted reinnervation - which reanimates and reroutes nerves to control prosthetic devices by moving them to other parts of the body.
This title was translated from French. I would have liked to see a glossary and reference list in the back of the book, but alas, non. Young people interested in science and medicine would appreciate this book!
December 15, 2021
It’s a great primer on almost the surgical techniques of an amputation. It humanizes the process of getting a prosthesis and explains the history and value behind becoming whole. It does a great job explaining literally without words the process someone has to go through. It jumps into the future and the possibility of using augmented humans for eugenic purposes but also how we’re nearly at that terrifying future.
March 2, 2024
One of the weirdest books I’ve ever read: A graphic novel about amputation, prosthetics, biology and transhumanism, wrapped up in a fantastical trope of a historical portrait coming to life to teach the protagonist how to come to terms with his lost limb. A creative way to talk about the history and future of this medical procedure, amputation. I especially liked the part about transhumanism.
Some illustrations are graphic, but medically so.
“Shit” and “fuck” are used once each.
Some illustrations are graphic, but medically so.
“Shit” and “fuck” are used once each.
October 23, 2023
It seems strange to be so excited about a graphic novel about amputation - but it was SO good. I feel like I learned a lot about amputation and prosthetics. I feel like the main character was displayed really well - the reader was able to see him process the tragedy of losing a limb, but was also able to see how he was able to learn and grow despite his new disability.
December 19, 2025
This graphic novel was a wonderful introduction to the process of amputation and the technological developments regarding prosthetics. I learned a lot about this technology, and I was introduced to the concept of transhumanism, which I look forward to learning more about in other works.
January 9, 2021
Più interessante che bello, questo graphic novel ripercorre la storia delle amputazioni e delle protesi dalla loro nascita fino al transumanesimo (in questa seconda fase si perde anche un po'). Sicuramente originale.
January 4, 2025
informative! gruesome!
May 16, 2024
Informative and quick paced (almost too fast paced). The artwork was well done but there were times the flow between pages was hard to follow. Not exactly sure who the target audience is for this, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
March 1, 2021
Not sure of "The Body Factory" is an apt title. But I did find it informative and interesting regarding the history, science and process of amputation. I liked how every time the guy went back to the factory(?) it showed the building getting taller from gaining more knowledge. Decent art and vibrant colors. For fans of Gender by Meg-John Barker.
June 1, 2023
Graphic novel incentrata sulla storia delle protesi, è ben fatto e spiega molto bene la storia a partire dalle amputazioni fino ad arrivare alle protesi moderne. Scientificamente accurato ed i disegni sono molto belli.
June 28, 2018
I enjoyed this graphic novel it but I felt it was kinda rushed. I felt there was so much more to say about the topics of disability, transhumanism, science and technology behind prosthetics. I wished it was longer and more detailed, but the illustrations and the style are beautiful.
I especially liked the irony and the jokes on something that most of the times is a serious if not dramatic issue: I think that books like this one are helpful in building an inclusive, informative narrative about disabilities. I will definitely recommend it to my students!
I especially liked the irony and the jokes on something that most of the times is a serious if not dramatic issue: I think that books like this one are helpful in building an inclusive, informative narrative about disabilities. I will definitely recommend it to my students!
October 10, 2021
An amputee is taken on a “Magic School Bus”-like journey with barber-surgeon Ambroise Pare through all the gross ways people used to amputate limbs and create prosthetics. Eventually, he travels to the future and considers transhumanism, augmentation, and the eugenics and socioeconomic hierarchies these expensive enhancements would create.
February 15, 2022
This is an interesting read, it presents the concept of the character losing his arm because of an accident and from there on the book easily took the reader into the history, consequences of prosthetics, and toward the end of the story brought about the concept of transhumanism. This is a unique book in a field where the medium is definitely limited with books about this specific disability.
April 14, 2025
Un très bel ouvrage didactique qui nous sert de porte d’entrée sur le sujet complexe de l’amputation et de tout ce que cela implique !
October 2, 2021
📚 “La fabbrica dei corpi” edito @baopublishing racconta la storia di un incidente in moto e dell’amputazione del braccio del protagonista. Le illustrazioni di @hchochois accompagnano il lettore nel viaggio del risveglio in seguito all’intervento e alla scoperta di tutti quei gesti che cambiano nella vita di una persona. Con una semplicità disarmante, si passa a scoprire quanto è diverso abbracciare qualcuno, fare colazione la mattina, vestirsi, bere un caffè, camminare per strada.
👻 In particolare, in una parte di questo volume si legge di una sindrome di cui non si sente parlare spesso: l’arto fantasma. Si tratta di disturbo percettivo dell'immagine corporea in cui si ha una sensazione anomala, spiacevole e dolorosa della presenza di un arto anche dopo la sua amputazione. Tale sensazione può far percepire la parte del corpo mancante come presente e funzionale (il cervello continua a operare con essa). Si può anche percepire dolore, bruciore, prurito, crampi e persino la paralisi della zona interessata.
🧠 In passato, la sindrome era considerata un disturbo psichiatrico. Oggi, nonostante sia riconosciuto che il dolore dell’arto è aggravato da fattori psicologici come ansia, depressione, stress, nuovi studi confermano che alla base del fenomeno vi siano soprattutto cause di natura neurologica. Infatti, il nostro cervello, in seguito alla perdita della parte del corpo, deve riorganizzare i cavi nervosi per adattarsi ai nuovi cambiamenti nel corpo. Per questo motivo non c'è nessun trattamento standard che aiuta tutti gli individui in generale e molte terapie sono a lungo termine e richiedono la partecipazione attiva della persona interessata.
💊 Necessitano di pazienza e resistenza, e possono essere: terapia dello specchio, terapia sensomotoria, indossare una protesi e terapia del dolore. Se possibile, una terapia del dolore preventiva potrebbe essere intrapresa durante o subito dopo l’operazione per evitarne l’insorgenza cronica.
👻 In particolare, in una parte di questo volume si legge di una sindrome di cui non si sente parlare spesso: l’arto fantasma. Si tratta di disturbo percettivo dell'immagine corporea in cui si ha una sensazione anomala, spiacevole e dolorosa della presenza di un arto anche dopo la sua amputazione. Tale sensazione può far percepire la parte del corpo mancante come presente e funzionale (il cervello continua a operare con essa). Si può anche percepire dolore, bruciore, prurito, crampi e persino la paralisi della zona interessata.
🧠 In passato, la sindrome era considerata un disturbo psichiatrico. Oggi, nonostante sia riconosciuto che il dolore dell’arto è aggravato da fattori psicologici come ansia, depressione, stress, nuovi studi confermano che alla base del fenomeno vi siano soprattutto cause di natura neurologica. Infatti, il nostro cervello, in seguito alla perdita della parte del corpo, deve riorganizzare i cavi nervosi per adattarsi ai nuovi cambiamenti nel corpo. Per questo motivo non c'è nessun trattamento standard che aiuta tutti gli individui in generale e molte terapie sono a lungo termine e richiedono la partecipazione attiva della persona interessata.
💊 Necessitano di pazienza e resistenza, e possono essere: terapia dello specchio, terapia sensomotoria, indossare una protesi e terapia del dolore. Se possibile, una terapia del dolore preventiva potrebbe essere intrapresa durante o subito dopo l’operazione per evitarne l’insorgenza cronica.
November 21, 2022
The framing tale for this brief history of amputation and prosthetics is a young man who loses an arm in a motorcycle accident. Each chapter starts with a depiction of him going through a new stage of healing and adjustment, arriving at the hospital, getting a prosthetic arm, and so on, and then launches into a guided tour of the topic, led by French physician Ambrose Pare, who pioneered the art of safe amputation. In between these colorful, fast-paced, somewhat cheeky history lessons are wordless sequences that show the patient's own experiences, done in a looser black-and-white style. The result is a graphic novel that is educational in two ways, explaining the history and science of amputation and prosthetics while also showing the impact the procedures have on the patient himself.
October 15, 2020
Chi ha stabilito che gli adulti non possano imparare cose nuove attraverso i libri illustrati?
Questa graphic novel illustra (in tutti i sensi) la storia delle protesi in medicina, partendo dalle primissime amputazioni archeologicamente documentate fino alle nuove tecniche all'avanguardia (che consentono, a volte, prestazioni migliori di quelle permesse dagli arti sani) inoltrandosi tra dilemmi etici e ingegneria fantascientifica. Tra gag spassose e situazioni inaspettate, l'autrice spazia attraverso concetti di medicina anche piuttosto complessi rendendoli accessibili e divertenti anche a chi è totalmente digiuno dell'argomento.
Apprezzatissimo.
Questa graphic novel illustra (in tutti i sensi) la storia delle protesi in medicina, partendo dalle primissime amputazioni archeologicamente documentate fino alle nuove tecniche all'avanguardia (che consentono, a volte, prestazioni migliori di quelle permesse dagli arti sani) inoltrandosi tra dilemmi etici e ingegneria fantascientifica. Tra gag spassose e situazioni inaspettate, l'autrice spazia attraverso concetti di medicina anche piuttosto complessi rendendoli accessibili e divertenti anche a chi è totalmente digiuno dell'argomento.
Apprezzatissimo.
June 19, 2025
The Body Factory is a non-fiction science graphic novel.
This story immediately jumps in to a man who awakes in the hospital as an amputee. After experiencing a motorcycle accident his life is changed forever.
I love how this story developed as the portrait behind the wall talking to the patient. Quickly the history of 'The Body Factory' is revealed. Informative and inspirational read as we learn through the lense of history the development of prosthetics.
The imagery was beautiful and well done. More along the lines of informative, 'how to' poster guides. The story is told in such a way to help the man come to the understanding of his condition and his future.
This story immediately jumps in to a man who awakes in the hospital as an amputee. After experiencing a motorcycle accident his life is changed forever.
I love how this story developed as the portrait behind the wall talking to the patient. Quickly the history of 'The Body Factory' is revealed. Informative and inspirational read as we learn through the lense of history the development of prosthetics.
The imagery was beautiful and well done. More along the lines of informative, 'how to' poster guides. The story is told in such a way to help the man come to the understanding of his condition and his future.
September 10, 2021
This covers not just past and possible future prosthetics but also the history of amputation and other medical history. While the added content was certainly relevant, it made the title feel not completely accurate.
The contemporary fictional story of the baker who is in accident and is led on a journey of medical history by a doctor stepping out of a painting is a bit weird. The story is quickly but emotionally told in wordless strips that are very beautiful. A whole story more heavily like this would be wonderful.
The contemporary fictional story of the baker who is in accident and is led on a journey of medical history by a doctor stepping out of a painting is a bit weird. The story is quickly but emotionally told in wordless strips that are very beautiful. A whole story more heavily like this would be wonderful.
May 22, 2018
Questa graphic novel è la perfezione 😍😍
Può essere descritta come un viaggio tra sofferenza e accettazione in seguito all’amputazione di un arto.
L’autrice racconta in maniera scientifica e quindi puntale ma al tempo stesso molto in maniera molto divertente come nasce la tecnica dell’amputazione, lo sviluppo delle protesi, approfondisce il concetto di dolore e sensibilità collegati alla sindrome dell’arto fantasma fino ad arrivare al transumanesimo.
Meravigliosa!
Può essere descritta come un viaggio tra sofferenza e accettazione in seguito all’amputazione di un arto.
L’autrice racconta in maniera scientifica e quindi puntale ma al tempo stesso molto in maniera molto divertente come nasce la tecnica dell’amputazione, lo sviluppo delle protesi, approfondisce il concetto di dolore e sensibilità collegati alla sindrome dell’arto fantasma fino ad arrivare al transumanesimo.
Meravigliosa!
May 17, 2022
This is an interesting read, it presents the concept of the character losing his arm because of an accident and from there on the book easily took the reader into the history, consequences of prosthetics, and toward the end of the story brought about the concept of transhumanism. This is a unique book in a field where the medium is definitely limited with books about this specific disability.
May 3, 2023
I really enjoyed this graphic novel I found on the shelves of the library. It’s a great blend of medical humanities and history. The story is divided into a few different parts: 1- surgical amputation history and mechanics, 2- nervous system anatomy and phantom limb considerations, 3- prosthetics, & 4- the future through the lens of transhumanism.
May 5, 2023
“Whether we decide to embrace technology or renounce it, this is a choice that will determine our future in this universe.”There is some necessary scientific and medical explanation littered throughout this book, but the author does well trying to make it engaging. I learned a lot, so I’d say it’s effective.
3.5
October 2, 2025
Esthétiquement parlant, c'est un superbe ouvrage, les couleurs liées aux différentes thématiques apportent vraiment quelque chose. Ceci dit, cela reste de la vulgarisation et j'ai préféré l'apport historique aux informations scientifiques et sociétales. Je pense que c'est une BD qui peut facilement être mise dans les mains d'enfants ou de patients concernés.
April 19, 2022
Interesting history of disability and prosthesis, starting in ancient times and leading to the future. It goes into some scientific depth about stuff like neurological pathways. Its stance on posthumanism seemed a bit dim, though.
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