In this gripping exploration of the organs of the body and the myths associated with them, Sherwin B. Nuland M.D., the author of the award winning HOW WE DIE (Vintage), once again displays his ability to combine clarity, compassion, and knowledge to shed light on the working of our bodies from a surgeon's perspective. Dr. Nuland recounts legends about the functions and 'personalities' of the stomach, liver, heart, spleen, and uterus, and, in riveting vignettes of the surgery he has performed, describes the actual surgery and explains the connections between myth and reality. He reflects on humanity's impulse to invent explanations for things we don't understand and shows we have never abandoned long-held superstitions. Eloquent and informative, THE MYSTERIES WITHIN is an extraordinary synthesis of science and folklore, medicine and myth.

Author Biography

Sherwin B. Nuland M.D., F.A.C.S., is clinical professor of surgery at Yale School of Medicine, where he has taught since 1962. HOW WE DIE was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award. His most recent book is THE WISDOM OF THE BODY, published in paperback as HOW WE LIVE.