An edition of Body of Work (2007)

Body of work

meditations on mortality from the human anatomy lab

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Last edited by MARC Bot
August 31, 2024 | History
An edition of Body of Work (2007)

Body of work

meditations on mortality from the human anatomy lab

  • 7 Want to read
  • 1 Have read

A hauntingly moving memoir of the relationship between a cadaver named Eve and the first-year medical student who cuts her openChristine Montross was a nervous first-year medical student, standing outside the anatomy lab on her first day of class, preparing herself for what was to come. Entering a room with stainless-steel tables topped by corpses in body bags is shocking no matter how long you've prepared yourself, but a strange thing happened when Montross met her cadaver. Instead of being disgusted by her, she was utterly intrigued-intrigued by the person the woman once was, humbled by the sacrifice she had made in donating her body to science, fascinated by the strange, unsettling beauty of the human form. They called her Eve. This is the story of Montross and Eve-the student and the subject-and the surprising relationship that grew between them.Body of Work is a mesmerizing, rarely seen glimpse into the day-to-day life of a medical student-yet one that follows naturally in the footsteps of recent highly successful literary renderings of the mysteries of medicine such as Atul Gawande's Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science. Christine Montross was a poet long before she became a doctor and brings an uncommon perspective to the emotional difficulty of the first year of medical school-the dispiriting task of remaining clinical and detached while in the anatomy lab and the struggle with the line you've crossed by violating another's body once you leave it.Montross was so affected by her experience with Eve that she undertook to learn more about the history of cadavers and the study of anatomy. She visited an autopsy lab in Ireland and the University of Padua in Italy where Vesalius, a forefather of anatomy, once studied; she learned about body snatchers and grave-robbers and anatomists who practiced their work on live criminals. Her disturbing, often entertaining anecdotes enrich this exquisitely crafted memoir, endowing an eerie beauty to the world of a doctor-in-training. Body of Work is an unforgettable examination of the mysteries of the human body and a remarkable look at our relationship with both the living and the dead.

Publish Date
Publisher
Penguin Books
Language
English
Pages
295

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Body of Work
Body of Work
2008, Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Electronic resource in English
Cover of: Body of work
Body of work: meditations on mortality from the human anatomy lab
2008, Penguin Books
in English
Cover of: Body of Work
Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab
August 1, 2007, Tantor Media
MP3 CD in English - MP3 Una edition
Cover of: Body of Work
Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab
August 1, 2007, Tantor Media
Audio CD in English - Unabridged edition
Cover of: Body of Work
Cover of: Body of Work
Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab
August 1, 2007, Tantor Media
Audio CD in English - Unabridged edition
Cover of: Body of Work
Body of Work: Meditations on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab
June 21, 2007, Penguin Press HC, The
Hardcover in English - 1 edition

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Book Details


Table of Contents

Preface: mystery
Bone box
First cut
Breath and blood
Anatomical precedence
Origins of a corpse
In pursuit of wonder
The bodies of strangers
Toll
The discomfort of doctoring
An unsteady balance
Pelvis
Dismantled
Epilogue: good-bye.

Edition Notes

"A revelatory memoir of the relationship between a cadaver named Eve and the first-year medical student who cut her open"--Back cover.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-295).

Published in
New York
Other Titles
Meditations on mortality from the human anatomy lab
Copyright Date
2007

Classifications

Dewey Decimal Class
611
Library of Congress
QM28 .M66 2008

The Physical Object

Pagination
295 pages
Number of pages
295

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL27817544M
Internet Archive
bodyofworkmedita0000mont
ISBN 10
0143113666
ISBN 13
9780143113669
OCLC/WorldCat
183266838

Links outside Open Library

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History

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August 31, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 29, 2022 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 25, 2022 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
December 17, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 10, 2009 Created by WorkBot add works page