Explorers of the Body

Explorers of the Body

First edition
Author	Steven Lehrer
Original title	Explorers of the Body
Language	English
Genre	Nonfiction/History
Publisher	Doubleday
Publication date	1979
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	494 pp (Hardcover edition)
ISBN	0595407315 (Trade paperback edition)
Preceded by	Alternative Treatments for Cancer
Followed by	Understanding Lung Sounds

Explorers of the Body is a book by Steven Lehrer that tells the story of epochal medical discoveries which have profoundly affected human health, and the men and women who made them. ^[1] From the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians to modern medical science, the book covers the gamut of medical advances, among them:

• Edward Jenner and smallpox vaccination
• Gregor Mendel and genetics
• Marie Curie and radioactivity
• Jonas Salk and the polio vaccine
• William Harvey and the circulation of the blood
• Louis Pasteur and rabies vaccination
• Joseph Lister and the rise of modern surgery

Critical reception

• "It is healthy to have this readable antidote to the medical profession's sanitized portraits of itself...much fascinating information." ^[2]
• "Lots of good medical lore —and juicy." ^[3]
• "The author has accomplished a tour de force." ^[4]
• "An engrossing account of the medical milestones upon which 20th Century medicine is based." ^[5]
• "Factual accounts often stranger and more dramatic than fiction…Among the many lively anecdotes is the story of the unusual collaboration between bacteriologist-writer Paul de Kruif and Sinclair Lewis, which produced the latter's prize-winning novel Arrowsmith.” ^[6]
• "Here, at last, is a history of the great medical discoveries written by an author who refused to wear blinders...Explorers of the Body is a collection of many marvels." ^[7]
• "An impressive, wide ranging assortment in the 494 pages, everything from the discovery of blood circulation to the development of the polio vaccine. Many of these discoveries have been the subjects of whole books, but Lehrer covers the high points well." ^[8]
• "A sound and readable look at the 'intriguing, sometimes bizarre personalities who have prospered at the frontiers of medicine.'" ^[9]
• "Here are the great breakthroughs in humanity's struggle to understand the body, told in an anecdotal style easy to follow and digest." ^[10]

Interviews

Lehrer was interviewed on the History Channel series Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine (2003) ^[11] about Explorers of the Body, as well as on the BBC series Medical Mavericks, Episode 4, Beating Infection. ^{[12] [13]}

References

1. Explorers of the Body in the Library of Congress catalog
2. New York Times Book Review. May 20, 1979
3. Kirkus Reviews. April 1, 1979
4. Sydney Selwyn. Nature Vol. 281 27 September 1979 p323
5. Elliott Strom. Library Journal. May 15, 1979 p 1151.
6. Gevevieve Stuttaford. Publishers Weekly. March 12, 1979
7. Mitchell S. Ross. Eye of Newt. Review of Explorers of the Body, by Steven Lehrer. The National Review, July 11, 1980, p. 852
8. Dolly Katz. Review of Explorers of the Body. Detroit Free Press. 30 Sept 1979 p 26
9. Allen J. Share. Review of Explorers of the Body. The Courier Journal, Louisville, Kentucky. 28 June 1979 p 51
10. Beth Harris. Review of Explorers of the Body. The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, California. 6 October 1979, p 5.
11. Mavericks, Miracles, and Medicine on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)
12. Medical Mavericks (2005)
13. Medical Mavericks (2005) on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)