Who is the author of Adventures in Human Being?

The author of Adventures in Human Being is Gavin Francis.

Science

Adventures in Human Being Book Summary - Adventures in Human Being Book explained in key points

Listen to the Intro

00:00

Adventures in Human Being summary

Name: Adventures in Human Being
Rating: 4.3 (80 reviews)
Author: Gavin Francis

Gavin Francis

A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum

4.3 (80 ratings)

21 mins

Brief summary

Adventures in Human Being by Gavin Francis is a journey through the human body, exploring our anatomy, pathologies, and the history of medicine. The book shows the complexity and beauty of our bodies.

Topics

Culture The Human Condition The Body The Brain

Table of Contents

Adventures in Human Being
Summary of 7 key ideas

Audio & text in the Blinkist app

Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Transform the way you view your body.

Imagine an uncharted continent – an unexplored land full of mysterious and strange wonders. If you could, would you like to explore this uncharted continent? If you’re already packing your bags and preparing for departure, hold on a minute, because this unknown territory is closer to home than you might think.

In fact, it’s your own body.

And these blinks are your guide. As you travel from one organ to the next, you’ll gain insight into the precise physiology of each, as well as learn about the historical ideas and mythologies that inform how we imagine them.

This tour also involves a little lighthearted competition to discover the organ that’s the most uniquely human. To that end, these blinks explore how each of our organs have contributed to our becoming the singular creatures that we are.

In these blinks, you’ll also find out

how to read a corpse’s face for information about that person’s life;
how brain surgeons decide which chunks of brain it’s OK to slice out; and
why some women ejaculate while others don’t.

The human face can express a uniquely wide range of emotion.

What could be more familiar than the shape and contours of your face? You, like most of us, probably look in the mirror every day. But what does your face look like beneath the surface?

If you were to peel back the thin layer of skin protecting your face, you would see a tangle of dainty, salmon-colored fronds – the 43 muscles that control your face. The wide range of human expression is made possible by the subtle interplay of these muscles.

The key message here is: The human face can express a uniquely wide range of emotion.

During his time as an anatomy demonstrator, the author dissected the faces of over 30 cadavers. All that dissecting taught him how to read the story of their emotional lives. How? Well, since different facial muscles are responsible for different expressions, it’s possible to see which expressions were habitual during life by looking at muscle definition.

For example, consider the zygomaticus major and zygomaticus minor, the facial muscles that exhibit the greatest variation in size. They’re responsible for spreading the sides of the mouth into a smile. Thick, well-defined zygomaticus muscles imply a life rich with laughter and happiness.

Developed orbicularis oris muscles indicate that a person had love in their life, because these muscles purse the lips for kissing. On the other hand, pronounced depressor anguli oris muscles – the collection of muscles responsible for frowning – are indicative of a life marked by sadness.

Perhaps the first person to read emotion from the muscles of the face was Leonardo da Vinci. The author argues that da Vinci’s ability to depict such vivid emotion in his paintings was directly informed by his experience dissecting the faces of corpses.

Just look at The Last Supper, which depicts the twelve disciples in paroxysms of emotion following Jesus’s announcement that one of them will betray him. This painting was quite innovative for its time. Before da Vinci, the convention was to depict faces as serene and expressionless. Emotion was considered a very human characteristic – and ill-suited to the faces of saints.

But da Vinci believed it was more holy to represent humans authentically, just as God created us. What he deemed most authentic about the human face was the range of emotion it could display.

It’s precisely this ability to express a range of emotion that makes the human face so unique compared to other species. And this is why the face is our first contender for being the most human organ.

The placenta represents the sheer diversity of human culture.

Most of our organs are designed to last a lifetime. You get one brain, one heart, one liver. But there is an exception. Designed to last nine months before being expelled after childbirth, the placenta is the only temporary organ.

Today, Western society isn’t much concerned with the placenta. It usually gets burned in the hospital’s disposal incinerators. Traditionally, however, cultures have taken great interest in this enigmatic bag of jelly, imbuing it with all manner of powers and symbolism, and taking great care in its disposal. In fact, no other human organ is associated with such a wonderfully diverse array of human customs.

The brain is more resilient and adaptable than we imagine it to be.

It was gray, firm, and as cold as the laboratory in which he held it. The author was 19 years old, and he was holding a human brain for the first time.

Years later, the author began his training as a neurosurgeon, and brains, both living and dead, became part of his daily routine. One day, however, he was invited by his professor to participate in a remarkably nonroutine operation.

The heart’s pulse is important both for a personal sense of well-being and for the physical well-being of the body.

When the author was a student, he was required to listen to the sound of a beating heart on a CD. The idea was to train his ear to detect abnormalities. But, after a while, he found himself playing this CD as a form of relaxing background noise. There was something he found exceedingly reassuring in its inexorable, rhythmic pulse.

That something, the author suspected, had to do with what the pulse represents – life, vitality, and soul. In contrast, a lack of pulse is symbolic of death, soullessness, and inhumanity, which is why we’re so reluctant to attribute life to machines.

The genitals represent human sexual desire and pleasure.

This blink’s all about that most beloved of the body’s abilities, that gift of nature, that’s right – the orgasm.

The orgasm hardly needs an introduction. Yet, how it works and what it’s for remain a mystery for many of us. So, just what is an orgasm?

The kidney is a symbol for the human capacity for unconditional love and kindness.

During the author’s time as a traveling physician, he often came up against traditional beliefs about the body and its organs.

In traditional Tibetan medicine, for example, if you have trouble with your kidneys, you’re likely to receive the diagnosis of cold kidney. Treatment involves trying to warm the kidneys by avoiding wet seats, and burning herbs over the skin.

It was when we first learned to walk on two feet that we strode into our humanity.

Hands or feet – which do you think are the more uniquely human?

It’s tempting to choose the hands. Those opposable thumbs are remarkably useful. Without them, we’d be unable to use tools and manipulate the world around us.

Want to see all full key ideas from Adventures in Human Being?

Key ideas in Adventures in Human Being

More knowledge in less time

Read or listen

Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.

Find your next read

Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.

Shortcasts ^New

We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

What is Adventures in Human Being about?

Adventures in Human Being (2015) is a sort of anatomical travel guide. A series of philosophical reflections on each of the body’s major organs, the book combines a clinical perspective on the body with select stories from our cultural history. The result is a series of striking ruminations on the human condition from the unusual angle of human anatomy.

Adventures in Human Being Review

Adventures in Human Being (2015) takes us on a fascinating journey through the human body, encompassing both its physical and metaphysical aspects. Here's why this book is a captivating read:

Presenting a unique perspective on the human body, the book explores the intricate connections between anatomy, history, and culture, providing a holistic understanding of ourselves.
With its detailed exploration of different body parts, the book uncovers captivating and little-known facts about our anatomy, transforming what could be mundane into a source of wonder.
Combining personal experiences with medical expertise, the author engages readers in an informative and relatable way, making complex subjects accessible to all.

Who should read Adventures in Human Being?

Students of medicine open to a more philosophical approach to the body
Philosophers curious to hear a doctor’s perspective on the human condition
Anyone who wants to learn about the inner workings of their body

About the Author

Gavin Francis has worked as a pediatrician, a surgeon, an ER specialist, a trainee neurosurgeon, and even an expedition medic in the Arctic and Antarctic. He now lives with his family in Edinburgh, Scotland, and works as a family physician. Before this book, Francis authored two travelogues about his experiences as an expedition medic – True North: Travels in Arctic Europe and Empire Antarctica: Ice, Silence, and Emperor Penguins. The latter book won the Scottish Book of the Year Award for 2013.

Categories with Adventures in Human Being

Science Philosophy

Book summaries like Adventures in Human Being

The Story of the Human Body

Daniel Lieberman

Evolution, Health, and Disease

A Guide for Occupants

How to Get What You Need from the People in Charge

The New Science of Interviewing

Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives

17 min

Life in Three Dimensions

Shigehiro Oishi

How Curiosity, Exploration, and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life

In Business, Politics, Relationships, and Life

19 min

4.1

The Power of Self-Confidence

Brian Tracy

Become Unstoppable, Irresistible, and Unafraid in Every Area of Your Life

The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence

16 min

4.4

Freedom

Angela Merkel with Beate Baumann

5 Mindsets to Engage, Retain, and Inspire Your Team

What Killed Capitalism

The Foundations of Language, Writing, and Meaning

16 min

4.1

The ONE Thing

Gary Keller and Jay Papasan

The surprisingly simple truth behind extraordinary results

How Conflict and Repair Build Intimacy, Resilience, and Trust

20 min

4.6

The 33 Strategies of War

Robert Greene

A Comprehensive Guide to the Subtle Social Game of Everyday Life

16 min

4.1

Mindful Self-Discipline

Giovanni Dienstmann

Living with Purpose and Achieving Your Goals in a World of Distractions

Misdiagnosis and Myth in a Man-Made World

19 min

4.7

The Self-Made Billionaire Effect

John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen

How Extreme Producers Create Massive Value

Rebuild Your Personal Brand and Rethink the Way You Work

19 min

4.3

The Laws of Human Nature

Robert Greene

What affects your day-to-day life

The 9 Hard Truths About Love That Will Change Your Life

Master the Art of Deep Conversation

An uncommon guide to rapid fat-loss, incredible sex and becoming superhuman

Understanding Self-Motivation

The Art of Winning in an Age of Uncertainty

Speak Your Mind, America

The Surprising New Science of Uric Acid--The Key to Losing Weight, Controlling Blood Sugar, and Achieving Extraordinary Health

25 min

4.2

7 Rules of Self-Reliance

Maha Abouelenein

How to Stay Low, Keep Moving, Invest in Yourself, and Own Your Future

20 min

4.2

The Ride of a Lifetime

Robert Iger

Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company

The Misunderstood Science of Metabolism

28 min

4.2

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff... and It's All Small Stuff

Richard Carlson

Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life

15 min

Invention and Innovation

Vaclav Smil

A Brief History of Hype and Failure

21 min

A Walk in the Woods

Bill Bryson

Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

28 min

4.2

The Vitamin Solution

Romy Block and Arielle Levitan

Two Doctors Clear the Confusion about Vitamins and Your Health

A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

18 min

Non-Obvious Thinking

Rohit Bhargava

How to See What Others Miss

17 min

4.2

An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding

David Hume

A classic in modern philosophical literature

24 min

4.5

A Short History of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

A journey into the most intriguing and intractable questions that science seeks to answer

38 min

4.5

Change Your Questions, Change Your Life

Marilee Adams

12 Powerful Tools for Leadership, Coaching, and Choice

What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money – That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

Explore the Timeless Wisdom of This Hindu Scripture

21 min

4.3

Religion for Atheists

Alain de Botton

A Non-believer's Guide to the Uses of Religion

Chelsea Fagan and Lauren Ver Hage

A Total Beginner’s Guide to Getting Good with Money

What Ancient Philosophers Teach Us about How to Live

How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West

37 min

4.3

People ❤️ Blinkist

Sven O.

It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

Thi Viet Quynh N.

Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

Jonathan A.

Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

Renee D.

Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.