Anatomies

It is the inspiration for art, the subject of science and the source of some of the greatest stories ever told. From ancient body art to plastic surgery, from early anatomists to conceptual artists, grave-robbers to bionic athletes, our changing attitudes to the human body, how it works, what it should look like, how to live with it, what it means, tell us more about ourselves than almost any other subject in human history. And yet, until we fall ill, most of us take this extraordinarily complicated collection of flesh, bones and fluids entirely for granted. Blending history, science, art, literature and the everyday, the author investigates this most marvellous and mysterious of creations. The result is a treasure trove of surprising facts, remarkable stories and startling information that encompasses everything from the first finger-printing to the physiology of angels, from synaesthesia to the Clown Egg Register, from the death-mask of Isaac Newton to the afterlife of Einstein's brain. Combining science, history and culture, this guide to the human body explores every aspect of our anatomy from ancient body art to modern-day plastic surgery and discusses why some people are left-handed and why some cultures think the soul resides in the liver.