The secret history of our most vital organ--the human heart
Rob Dunn is an associate professor in Ecology and Evolution in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. The author of The Wild Life of Our Bodies and Every Living Thing, his magazine work is published widely, including in National Geographic, Natural History, New Scientist, Scientific American, and Smithsonian. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut and was a Fulbright Fellow. He lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.
"These true stories about the heart pulsate with information and
intrigue. Meshing medical history, biography, physiology, and
evolutionary science, biologist Dunn scrutinizes a living pump that
is simultaneously strong and vulnerable."--Tony Miksanek,
Booklist
The Man Who Touched His Own Heart has "page-turning detail that at
times reads more like a novel than nonfiction."--Leslie Barker,
Dallas Morning News
"The Man Who Touched His Own Heart is a captivating journey through
the history of the human heart. Author Rob Dunn weaves a
fascinating tale of the science and humanism that underlie how
mankind has worked to understand and control our most vital
organ."--Aaron Baggish, Associate Director of the Cardiovascular
Performance Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Heart
Center
"A lively, sometimes humorous, and very helpful book."--Terri
Schlichenmeyer, Naples Daily News
"A perfect mix of science, history and biology, The Man Who Touched
His Own Heart is a delightful page-turner that reminds us of all
that we have learned by standing on the shoulders of giants. Dunn
recognizes the importance of historical and comparative
perspectives -- historical in terms of our intellectual ancestors,
and more broadly in terms of our evolutionary history."--Charles
Nunn, Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and Global Health at
Duke University and author of The Evolution of Sleep
"A suspense-filled account of error and discovery, peopled with
creative and obsessive scientists, daring and compassionate
doctors, inventors, improvisers and experts in odd things,
including fungus, pollution and mummies.... Dunn combines his
knowledge of scientific method with his impressive narrative powers
to reveal the personal and scientific drama behind our
understanding of the heart.... Dunn's great strength is his breadth
of vision.... By the end of this expansive book, Dunn's readers
will find in their hearts a deep sense of connectedness to the
plants and animals of our magnificent planet, and they'll owe Dunn
a heartfelt thanks for leaving us so enriched."--Elizabeth Dreesen,
The News & Observer
"An encounter with Rob Dunn can change the way you look at the
world. Dunn is a modern day explorer who fearlessly and humbly
ventures into the unknown. In his latest book, The Man Who Touched
His Own Heart, Dunn brings his scientific curiosity, humanity, and
uncanny eye for a good story to what many have called "the seat of
our souls." In Dunn's telling, the human heart is an entrée to
understand our basic biology, our connections to other animals on
our planet and, even, one of the greatest scientific
frontiers."--Neil H. Shubin, Senior Advisor to the President and
Robert R. Bensley Distinguished Service Professor of Anatomy at the
University of Chicago
"Dunn paints a detailed picture of the myriad ways our hearts can
break and the men and women brave enough to try putting them back
together."--Brenda Poppy, Discover
"Dunn reminds us that the heart remains a fascinating,
far-from-understood organ with an incredible biologic and cultural
history.... A clear, engaging account of the heart's long and
gruesome history.... Dunn is an impressive storyteller."--Bret
Stetka, Slate
"Dunn's books are always lively, informative, and full of
fascinations, but The Man Who Touched His Own Heart is especially
so, because he goes straight to the little-known history, medicine,
and heart of our most symbolic organ."--Diane Ackerman, author of
The Human Age
"Fascinating.... [An] enticing weave of biography, social history
and heart-related scientific drama.... Dunn's book is a great
contribution to our understanding of the lifelong work of our
beating hearts."--Alden Mudge, BookPage
"From the tale of the African American doctor in a poor hospital
who first dared pierce a beating heart with a surgical needle, Rob
Dunn's stirring chronicle of the triumphs and tragedies that have
informed our fragile understanding of the heart beats with the
energy and emotion worthy of his subject."--Jamie Shreeve, Science
Editor at National Geographic
"In this story of one of the body parts I worry about most, Rob
Dunn brings the skills of a great writer and the knowledge of a
fine evolutionary biologist together in the form of a gripping
drama that gallops across thousands of years and from graveyard to
surgical theatre to modern doctor's office. In the process Dunn
sheds light not just on our own hearts but also those of all of the
other animals with which we share Earth."--Paul R. Ehrlich,
co-author of The Population Bomb and Hope on Earth
"The account is brisk and accessible...knowledge hoarders will
relish Dunn's vivid historical scenes and explanations of
cutting-edge research, not to mention the lifeblood pumping through
them: the author's enthusiasm."--Brian Howe, The Independent
Weekly
"The writing in this book is clear and understandable.... An
extensive collection of medical anecdotes and fascinating
history.... I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in the
heart, in medical history, or in dramatic and improbable stories
from the field of medicine."--Yevgeniya Nusinovich, Science
"This delightful book is a page-turner, whose pulse never slows. In
Dunn's hands, the evolution and history of the human heart is as
engrossing, surprising, and vital as the heart itself."--Dan
Lieberman, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard
University and author of The Story of the Human Body
"We've all got to have heart, and Rob Dunn's wonderful book will
help us have a better one. Or at the very least, it will help us be
more informed about the heart we have, with its peculiar history
and its fragile yet sturdy operation. Over the course of two
billion beats, hearts break and are mended, and Dunn is there to
chronicle their stories. In a gripping style, he shows us how our
hearts are linked to those of ancient Egyptians, chimpanzees and
lungfish, and how these linkages help us solve the modern heart's
mysteries."--Marlene Zuk, Professor of Ecology, Evolution and
Behavior at the University of Minnesota and author of
Paleofantasy
"With the engaging prose that has become his trademark, Dunn plumbs
the depths of the heart, through the eyes of the ancients, early
researchers, and contemporary scientists."--Bob Grant, The
Scientist
A "fascinating book on the mysteries of the human heart.... Rob
Dunn's The Man Who Touched His Own Heart shows that the organ's
complexities extend beyond the science."--Sam Kean, Wall Street
Journal
An "entertaining history of cardiac research and
treatment."--Publishers Weekly
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