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Title details for Rumbles by Elsa Richardson - Available

Rumbles

A Curious History of the Gut: The Secret Story of the Body's Most Fascinating Organ

by Elsa Richardson
ebook
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The fascinating—and often secret—history of the body's most fascinating system: the gut.
The stomach is notoriously outspoken. It growls, gurgles, and grumbles while other organs remain silent, inconspicuous, and content. For centuries humans have puzzled over this rowdy, often overzealous organ, deliberating on the extent of its influence over cognition, mental wellbeing and emotions, and wondering how the gut became so central to our sense of self.

Traveling from ancient Greece to Victorian England, eighteenth-century France to modern America, cultural historian Elsa Richardson leads us on a lively tour of the gut, exploring all the ways that we have imagined, theorized, and probed the mysteries of the gastroenterological system. We'll meet a wildly diverse cast of characters including Edwardian body builders, hunger-striking suffragettes, demons, medieval alchemists, and one poor teenage girl plagued by a remarkably vocal gut, all united by this singular organ.

Engaging, eye-opening, and thought-provoking, Rumbles leaves no stone unturned, scrutinising religious tracts and etiquette guides, satirical cartoons and political pamphlets, in its quest to answer the millennia-old question: Are we really ruled by our stomachs?

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 1, 2024

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781639367252

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9781639367252
      • File size: 34265 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Booklist

      Starred review from September 15, 2024
      When considering all the organs of the human body, the brain and heart--powerful, prestigious, and frequently romanticized anatomic structures--reside at the top of the rankings. At the bottom of the list likely sits the gut (esophagus, stomach, small and large intestines). The alimentary canal is the Rodney Dangerfield of organ systems. Not only does the gut get little respect (until it malfunctions), but it can be socially embarrassing with its unruly noises: gurgling, belching, farting, and rumbling. Richardson, a health historian, effectively explains why the gastrointestinal tract deserves its share of esteem. Her attention is directed more toward the medical history, sociology, cultural impact, and metaphors associated with the digestive system than its physiology. ""Gut"" has both an anatomic meaning and a descriptive one (belly, paunch, entrails). Think about its usage in many popular idioms, such as ""have guts"" (courage), ""intestinal fortitude"" (resolve), and ""gut feeling"" (intuition). Richardson's discussion is populated by philosophers, literary writers, suffragettes on hunger strikes, medical scientists, bodybuilders, and psychologists. She touches on toilet habits and taboos, the gut's relationship with the brain and immune system, its microbiome, diet, and folklore. An unexpectedly absorbing, sometimes slightly strange ""scoping"" of our relationship with the gastrointestinal tract.

      COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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