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The Unseen Body: A Doctor's Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy

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In this fascinating journey through the human body and across the globe, Dr. Reisman weaves together stories about our insides with a unique perspective on life, culture, and the natural world.

Jonathan Reisman, M.D.—a physician, adventure traveler and naturalist—brings readers on an odyssey navigating our insides like an explorer discovering a new world with The Unseen Body. With unique insight, Reisman shows us how understanding mountain watersheds helps to diagnose heart attacks, how the body is made mostly of mucus, not water, and how urine carries within it a tale of humanity’s origins.

Through his offbeat adventures in healthcare and across the globe, Reisman discovers new perspectives on the body: a trip to the Alaskan Arctic reveals that fat is not the enemy, but the hero; a stint in the Himalayas uncovers the boundary where the brain ends and the mind begins; and eating a sheep’s head in Iceland offers a lesson in empathy. By relating rich experiences in far-flung lands and among unique cultures back to the body’s inner workings, he shows how our organs live inextricably intertwined lives—an internal ecosystem reflecting the natural world around us.

Reisman offers a new and deeply moving perspective, and helps us make sense of our bodies and how they work in a way readers have never before imagined.

213 pages, Paperback

First published November 9, 2021

300 people are currently reading
7389 people want to read

About the author

Jonathan Reisman

2 books48 followers
Jonathan Reisman M.D. is a physician and author, as well as a naturalist, traveler, and teacher of wilderness survival and prehistoric crafts. His offbeat medical writing combines all of these passions. He has practiced medicine in some of the world’s most remote places – in the Russian and Alaskan Arctic, Antarctica, the Nepali Himalayas, urban slums of Kolkata, India, among the Oglala Sioux in South Dakota, and in rural Appalachia. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Slate, and The Washington Post. He runs a non-profit to improve healthcare and education in India, and he lives in Philadelphia with his wife and children.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews
Profile Image for Petra X.
2,455 reviews35.7k followers
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November 23, 2021
Definitely a 5 star - for writing as well as content. The author makes an extraordinary claim at one point, that doctors are said to go into their speciality on which body fluid they dislike the least. There's a few to choose from, blood, mucus, snot, pee, pus, vomit, shit...
Profile Image for Nursebookie.
2,888 reviews451 followers
December 2, 2021
I read and listened to this amazing book alongside my daughter, who is in premed. She was just so inspired by the book, and just validated her calling for the field of medicine.

Within the book we’re true stories and anecdotes by Dr Reisman’s experiences in life and in practice, taking us through a visual tour of the human body through his eyes as a physician, adventurer and lover of nature.

There was just something about the way Dr Reisman taught in his writing, that just feels as if in every chapter, you are sitting with him over coffee as he tells you about the intricacies of the human body, and where in the end you are so much smarter, and with a better understanding. I have been a nurse for many years and have learned so much.

This is a great read for anyone and everyone who has a body - and of course for you or anyone you know looking to go into the healthcare field, this is a must read. If only all textbooks were written this way…

It’s just so fun and I highly recommend!!
Profile Image for CatReader.
1,030 reviews177 followers
April 17, 2022
Fellow MD here -- this book was way too "gee whiz" for my taste. I quit midway through after my eyes threatened to roll into the back of my head after one too many "revelations" like "urine is such an interesting body fluid that there is a unique name for analyzing it - urinalysis!"
Profile Image for Thaj (TJ).
119 reviews9 followers
February 2, 2022
3.2/5.0

It's as the title suggest, 'A' doctor's journey through the human body.

There are some good insights about the human anatomy, however this book provides a perspective of *this* particular doctor's view, the ways in which he came to truly get to know it.

Format of the book goes as this, for those interested;
0: Introduction - how and why the author chose to become a doctor of human body.
1: 1/15 body part
2: A patient's story specific to the part of the body
3: The author's callback on the day he came in contact with that part as a medical student.
4: Further insight into the importance of that particular part through an anecdote from the author's life (mostly from a travel)
5: The patient's fate and the author's takeaway.

To be honest, it's a neat book for those of us who wish to take a peak into what's going on inside our body, but don't have the time to study them.
Profile Image for James (JD) Dittes.
798 reviews33 followers
October 30, 2021
There's an ability shared by the best science writers. So much of nature is unseen--from the atom to galaxies, from bacteria to the inner workings of human bodies--and this leaves science writers needing a distinct set of tools to connect readers to the unimagined worlds they are describing.

In The Unseen Body, Jonathan Reisman wields these tools of analogy and simile with expert effect. His exploration of anatomy reminded me of Brian Greene's similarly illustrative writings on physics.

Reisman draws on two resources for his insights. His medical references are mostly from his medical residency in Boston, leading me to wonder how many years of medical practice he actually has. Still, the spirit of discovery infuses this work, and he's much closer in time to a layman's perspective than a more established doctor might be.

(I listened to this book as a confirmed layman. This is why I judge it for its ability to instruct. You'll need to find a review by someone else to evaluate his medical bona fides.)

The second resource is Reisman's experiences abroad. A kayak trip along Siberian rivers illustrates his description of the circulatory system. He travels to Israel where he legally eats lung and reports on that organ's properties. Other reports from Iceland and India are also illuminating.

The audiobook I listened to, read by Robert Petkoff, really helped me to appreciate the book, which was provided to me by MacMillan Audio and NetGalley in return for this review.
Profile Image for Yoyongg.
94 reviews3 followers
June 2, 2022
i love poo more than ever after reading this
Profile Image for Elentarri.
2,066 reviews65 followers
May 6, 2022
Rating: 3.5 stars

The Unseen Journey is Dr. Reismann's memoir exploring the human body through the lens of his medical studies, overseas travels and personal observations. This book is heavy on the personal reminiscing and light on actual anatomy/medical information. Each of the 15 chapters covers a particular topic, such as heart, feces, liver, skin, fat, lungs, blood, fingers & toes etc. Each chapter has a similar format that is a mish-mash of some random interesting fact about that body part; a patient case relevant to that body part; reminiscing about the first time Dr. Reismann came into contact with that body part as a medical student (usually while dissecting a cadaver); additional information about the importance of the relevant part, usually via anecdote from Dr. Reismann's experiences (usually while travelling); and then the patient's ultimate fate and a conclusion.

The writing is straightforward, and the book is interesting, providing you are not expecting anything too indepth or anything that isn't basic introductory material in terms of medical science and anatomy. Some sections did not particularly appeal to me, Your millage may vary with these sorts of details.


Profile Image for Patricia.
633 reviews28 followers
April 26, 2022
An interesting, wide ranging and poetic look at the body and its processes.
Profile Image for Cody Boteler.
80 reviews
May 14, 2022
I love science writing. And I especially love science writing about the human body (thank you, Mary Roach!). But this book just did not do it for me. The prose felt like it was trying too hard to be poetic. The personal anecdotes came across as self-important. While Reisman was often kind and empathetic when discussing his patients, there are a few examples where there’s a kind of callousness that’s hard to look beyond. A lot of the points felt forced too — some of the connections between the human body and Reisman’s own experiences were clunky.
9 reviews
July 6, 2022
I got the book after listening to Terry Gross interview Reisman on Fresh Air. It's a fascinating topic and he's obviously entranced by the human body. But the third time he referred to the vulva as "the vagina" I gave up on him. He's an MD, for crying out loud; he should know the difference between the vulva (the exterior genitalia, including the labia and clitoris) and the vagina (an interior chamber, also known as the birth canal, that leads from the vulva to the cervix). The fact that a lot of people mistakenly call the whole thing "the vagina" doesn't mean that Reisman, a physician, should. "Vulva" is not a dirty or unsayable word. In a book devoted to the "hidden wonders of human anatomy" the least we can expect is accuracy in naming that anatomy.
Profile Image for Rennie.
405 reviews79 followers
December 30, 2021
Patient stories are always interesting, as were these, but otherwise not all that much new to me here, and I’m not even particularly well versed in these topics.
Profile Image for BethFishReads.
675 reviews63 followers
November 28, 2021
I both read and listened to this terrific book.

Reisman introduces readers to, as the subtitle says, the hidden mysteries of what goes on in our bodies beneath the skin. He is both a doctor an an avid traveler and outdoorsman, and I loved the way he drew on his other interests to enliven his descriptions of human anatomy and physiology.

Whether you hardly remember your high school biology class or you (like me) have studied or practiced in a medically related field, you will find this book to be fascinating. I did.

The audiobook was brilliantly read by Robert Petkoff. He perfectly captured the author's enthusiasm and deep interest. Note that the print book does not include illustrations, so you miss nothing by listening instead of reading.
Profile Image for Eva Van Pelt.
107 reviews
December 24, 2021
Easy to read and had some interesting parts but I feel like I could’ve read this in middle school
Profile Image for Claire.
37 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2023
it was very interesting….I liked how he recognizes the beauty and intricacy of the human body, but he used some really weird adjectives and descriptions, and that was just a little hard to get past for me haha. I still appreciate his writing style, and I’d recommend this book just with a warning that it’s quite a deep exploration of the human body.
Profile Image for Andrew Shine.
150 reviews2 followers
March 25, 2024
Still kinda bitter that I never could take Anatomy as a course in school. Anyways, this did the trick. I generally think it's good to have things you know the basics of re-explained to you as an adult. It reads like an actually decent TED talk, with plenty of interesting anecdotes. Plus, it's barely 200 pages so it's a breeze of a read.
Profile Image for Madeline.
147 reviews7 followers
June 20, 2022
Ahhh, what a delightful little treat this was. I decided to break from my history and sociology marathon to learn about a topic that I previously knew absolutely nothing about, despite the fact that I am the sole owner of one... the human body.
I lowkey suffer from hypochondria and every ache feels ominous, yet anatomy is a concept that wholly eludes my understanding. What hurts? You tell me. Could be any organ in there. When I went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain and was informed that I would be undergoing emergency appendix removal surgery, visions of sterile surgery suite walls drenched in my blood and my torso gaping open on a stainless steel table haunted me. (In reality, the walls were only lightly drizzled with blood and my extremities remained intact.)
Well, no more, friends. Thanks to Dr. Reisman, I know things now.

The Unseen Body is a pretty stellar book, combining stories of world travel (beautiful imagery- did you know that marijuana grows abundantly in its native land on the trail heading to Everest base camp?) with anatomy lessons, each chapter delving into a different organ or bodily fluid. Reisman utilized his experience as a general practitioner working with the public to make insightful observations on the world and society, like the chapter on fat that examines the lack of quality care for obese individuals in the United States or the feces chapter that looks at cross cultural practices and asks us to reconsider what we view as "gross" in Western societies.

The writing and the way the information was presented read very similarly to Michael Pollan's work, so obviously I was thrilled. I'd read a 35 page "terms and conditions" agreement if that man wrote one, so fans of Pollan and pre-fans of Pollan alike will appreciate this book. You will only cringe in disgust a few times, but will come away with a greater understanding of the worlds within us as they relate to the world we live in.

A small cache of fun little facts I learned -

"Urine is water filtered out of the blood stream." (if you knew this, just shut up, okay, SHUT UP)

"Archeologists know when our human ancestors began cooking food over fires by the presence of black soot in their lungs, another post mortem story told by our bodies long after we've abandoned them."

"The reported menstrual synchrony of women living in close quarters appears to be an inconsistent finding."

"Anatomically, bone marrow is the body's most perfect food for cooking. The cavities within our largest bones filled with pockets of stem cells couched in fat for frying and all of it contained within a bone cooking vessel that enhances the flavor: simply add heat."
Profile Image for Elizabeth Stoltzfus.
30 reviews
December 31, 2024
this book is to anatomy as Dale Siegenthaler is to math

aka

I enjoyed it immensely

I especially loved how every chapter on a different feature of the body was accompanied by personal anecdotes from the author's life - it helped me see the real life application of what can easily be to us unstudied folk just a hypothetical understanding of how our bodies work

also, did you know that leeches are still used by medical professionals in specific situations?
Profile Image for Jordan Spangenberg.
20 reviews1 follower
March 16, 2023
Honestly I read this bc I saw it in a bookstore and thought it would inspire me for starting OT school anatomy in June hahah. But it is actually really good if you like science/have any interest in a basic understanding of human anatomy!! It’s written more like a novel, which makes it easy and fun to read. Also learning about the human body always makes me more in awe of the one who created it!
Profile Image for Nikki Stanton.
143 reviews3 followers
January 27, 2025
I use my body probably every day but I actually don’t really know much about it. Like yes my heart beats but HOW. The day I read the chapter on the eyeball I thought I lost a contact forever behind my eyeball and into my brain but thank goodness for this book because I knew that to be impossible. It came out the next day. Anywho. The chapter on the esophagus is exceptionally fascinating. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Stephen Duquaine.
64 reviews8 followers
May 2, 2023
It was well written, very interesting and informative, and just the right length. I loved all of the stories too.
Profile Image for Chantelle Tuffigo.
277 reviews4 followers
January 31, 2025
I’ve read a lot of medical books and this one was the most unique! I love how well the author tied in the topics of nature and travel. Really not sure why it doesn’t have a higher rating tbh.
Profile Image for McKenna.
385 reviews
November 14, 2022
This is written in a way that is very easy to understand.

The stories and the writing are exquisite. Good writing and interesting stories.

If you’re someone who finds the human body fascinating this book will intrigue you.

I wasn’t expecting all of the stories but overall I enjoyed this greatly
Profile Image for Nadine.
2,560 reviews57 followers
February 29, 2024
Interesting tour around the body with medical cultural and food factoids
Profile Image for Barb.
322 reviews1 follower
June 12, 2022
I have not read a book like this before. Reisman, a very observant, youngish doctor, explores the parts of the body that have been inspirational to him as he learns about and practices medicine. His own body is not exempt from exploration, thus the book is also a bit of a memoir and travelogue. Beware, he seems to have a strange irresistible urge to savor the organs he discusses (various meat animals stand in for humans, thank God) with his mouth as well as brain. I recommend that you not be squeamish but enjoy the journey into the parts of the body that most of have but rarely think about. I'm hoping Reisman is working on his next book of parts and would like to suggest he gather some good stories about the gall bladder. I have lost mine (all but 12 stones my surgeon gifted me to use as a necklace) and want to know what I am missing.
Profile Image for Twainy.
1,099 reviews
October 16, 2021
THIS WAS TOTALLY MY JAM! 💯

I loved the medical information being imparted through funny, awkward & heartwarming real life studies. You will hear stories about different cultures, interesting places & even poop!

Dr Reisman takes you on a trip through your insides. You’ll learn something interesting & laugh while you’re at it. I loved the book!!

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio, I pre-ordered the book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Profile Image for Amy Campbell.
12 reviews
August 16, 2022
Very cool way to learn about the body (something I know very little about). Learning about the body makes you innately feel more connected to it, and though the author doesn’t talk much about health, feeling more connected to these systems made me more aware of how I am treating them. Very entertaining (I listened to it on a road trip).
Profile Image for Casey.
290 reviews21 followers
October 4, 2021
The Unseen Body explores anatomy through a unique lens. Dr. Reisman combines medicine with travel stories and nature metaphors to explain the complex, beautiful ecosystem of the human body. This certainly could be understood by a reader with any level of knowledge on the body. The writing is straightforward and digestible. I bet it would be great on audio.
The book was less travel-forward than expected, but overall, a well-rounded and interesting read. I particularly enjoyed the patient stories tied into each chapter.
It includes specific detail on the human body and animal bodies which could make readers squeamish. I had a hard time with a scene in a slaughterhouse. Folks should consider their comfort levels before diving in.
I would recommend to science-oriented readers for a refreshing take on the body or anyone looking to learn about the body without it feeling like a textbook.
Profile Image for Lisa Lajmo.
402 reviews10 followers
November 5, 2021
What a fast-paced multi-faceted journey into the unseen body. For a naturalist turned doctor, this was quite the ride from learning about tanning animal hides to high altitude sickness to trekking through the wilderness in Russia. It was a perfect mix between anecdotes and medical terminology. Enough medical history and yet current medical references (Coronavirus as an example).

“Like skin; every part of the human body can be broken down into layers.”

Although the author has only been practicing medicine for 10 years, I was very surprised and impressed by his valuation of the current medical system. Having the foresight but also the resolve to discuss things such as not waking patients due to the importance of uninterrupted sleep was refreshing but at the same time irritating because so many physicians still do this. Another example was blood tests which require blood samples which in turn has the sometimes consequence of causing anemia.

I greatly appreciated his discussion of obesity and navigating the medical system. Again, l appreciated his “hot take” on fat shaming as well the mixed messages (some) physicians give overweight patients. The thoughtfulness of this section and WHY obesity is still seen as a choice when diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and even addictions do not have the same visceral reactions from the medical community as well as our community as a whole.

Overall, this book was a great surprise and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is definitely a 5/5 star non-fiction read (listen) for me and I will most definitely recommend this to others. This book would be a perfect Segway for lovers of “Body: An Guide for Occupants” by Bill Bryson.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy to listen to and share my humble thoughts and opinions.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 316 reviews

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