Carrying the Heart: Exploring the Worlds Within Us

Carrying the Heart: Exploring the Worlds Within Us by F. Gonzalez-Crussi was a fantastic book, that explored the history of our understanding of the body. He explored the early myths and other stories and treatments for the body. He arranges the book starting with the digestive system which is appropriately where the world had and still does view the seat of the body, from feeling not right when the digestive system is upset, to some of the views we believed about the system, and some of the remedies for our perceived maladies, or true maladies of that particular system, he goes on from there through the respiratory system, the reproductive system, and finally the cardiovascular system. Mr. Gonzalez-Crussi discusses our beliefs and addresses the more unusual cures that we have used in the past to treat the various symptoms. One of my favorites that he addresses is some of the unusual enemas and the picture featured on the cover of the book is the device used to give smoke enemas. I enjoyed his book and have added some of his others to my list of books to read.