I loved this fascinating book by Edinburgh GP Gavin Francis. In it he tackles a huge range of mental and physical human transformation from the typical - birth, death, puberty - to the atypical - amputation, disease and even the "supernatural" such as the possible origins of lycanthropy and vampirism. He traces these through his own experience of practicing and medical case histories but what makes it so fascinating is his focus on sociocultural representations of transformation and their effect on our perceptions. For example, discussing the scalp he brings together the story of a patient who began growing a horn in the middle of her forehead and expands on this theme to consider horns in the Bible and other mythologies. He seamlessly brings together history, art, mythology, ethics and quotes writers as diverse as Plato and Margaret Atwood to bring a greater understanding of change and its impact on the individual as well as wider communities and cultures.

Francis's sensitivity to the experience of his subjects crosses over to his awareness of how these transformations manifest in everyday life and how they feed into current affairs, such as his discussion of pregnancy and menopause in the context of ownership over the female body. His honesty about things he has not experienced and questions that medicine has not answered for his patients or himself invite the same empathy that he shows.

The writing is intensely lyrical in a way rarely experienced with non-fiction. Francis eschews the clinical language of his profession (where this is appropriate) and demonstrates an impressive facility for effective metaphor. His descriptions of the body and the mind reveal the essential beauty to be found in all forms and states of life and are surprisingly vivid and moving, particularly his final section describing an autopsy in frank but thoughtful detail.

It's an enthusiastic, compassionate and beautifully written investigation of change and a testament to the individuality and mutability of the experience of being human.

An interesting book about the human body and transformations that it goes through.

-Netgalley Review-

I walked in reading this book with very few expectations; I have never read anything by author before, but I was interested in medical writings, and tales of the human body intrigues me as a layman with no medical expertise. This book offers a sharp and comprehensive look into the nature of humanity, how it works, and what the future have in store for us as individuals and as a collective.

The book describes humans as, to paraphrase lightly, creatures in constant change and flux. With philosophical discussion our transformations from birth to adolescence to our eventual death, the book offers a well-written medical perspective juxtaposed with philosophical and cultural context from history. An interesting read that enriched my cultural landscape and my understanding of the human body, which admittedly never extentded beyond high-school biomechanics and biology classes. The writing was not confusing nor is it filled with jargon, yet it conveys the medical expertise of the author and his intended message just fine.

An amazing read that I finished in three days due to the amazing writing and the intrinsic value offered by the book as it concluded on a philosophical note that brought his anecdotal case studies and knowledge full circle.

Would recommend to readers interested in Medical sciences and and/or philosophy in relation humans. This is an enriching read that offer sharp insights regardless of your level of medical knowledge and is bound to fascinate.