Stiff - The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Mary Roach
W. W. Norton & Company (2003)
In Collection
#2265
0*
Social Science, Science
Dead, Human Dissection, Human Experimentation In Medicine
Hardcover 9780393050936
English
An oddly compelling, often hilarious forensic exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers--some willingly, some unwittingly--have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries--from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.
Product Details
LoC Classification R853.H8 .R635 2003
LoC Control Number 2002152908
Dewey 611
Cover Price $23.95
No. of Pages 224
Height x Width 8.3 x 5.5  inch
Personal Details
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Links Library of Congress