Description
Dr. Sherwin Nuland, author of the National Book Award-winning How We Die, once again combines knowledge, compassion, and elegance of expression to shed light on the workings of our bodies from the perspective of a surgeon. Dr. Nuland recounts age-old legends about the functions and “personalities” of the body’s organs and, in riveting vignettes of the surgery he has performed, he describes the connections between myth and reality. A brilliant blend of science and folklore, The Mysteries Within reveals the enigmas not only of the body but also of the human imagination. Contents INTRODUCTION 1 THE STOMACH: A LITTLE BOY’S BIG SECRET 2 THE STOMACH: SOUL, SPIRIT, AND CENTRALITY 3 THE STOMACH: GHOSTLY GASES, MYSTICAL ACIDS 4 THE LIVER: DUMB LUCK AND THE SURGEON 5 THE LIVER: SOURCE OF LIFE 6 THE SPLEEN: ORGAN OF MYSTERY, ORGAN OF MELANCHOLY 7 THE HEART: CRACKING THE VALVE 8 THE HEART: THE FIRST AND LAST DYING 9 THE UTERUS: THE HYSTERICAL PASSION 10 REPRODUCTION: BABIES IN BOXES EPILOGUE INDEX
