Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

6 reviews

teganbeesebooks's review against another edition

funny informative fast-paced

5.0

I would be interested to see an updated edition with how practices have changed in the last 21 years. Super informative and I'm looking forward to reading her other books.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Child death, Excrement, Gore, Blood, Cancer, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Car accident, Cannibalism, and Vomit

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

challenging dark funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.5

Wasn't expecting a chapter to cover cannibalism so I guess that's where my squeamish line lies in the sand.  I knew some of the info about modern bioethics, and in contrast the historical ethics that were lacking respect, consent, and autonomy, so I was glad to hear that it is an emphasis in cadaver labs.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Excrement, Fatphobia, Medical content, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Trafficking, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Murder, Animal death, Blood, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Torture, and Confinement

random19379's review against another edition

dark funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, Gore, Body horror, and Vomit

Moderate: Racism and Classism

bronzemist's review

dark informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death, and Medical content

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Child death, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Vomit

jhbandcats's review

challenging funny informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Stiff is the first book I read of Mary Roach's, and I was an immediate fan. I first read it more than fifteen years ago and have continued to recommend it to people since. She takes a taboo topic for her book and makes it approachable, funny, and educational.

Dead bodies have all sorts of potential futures. At a funeral home they can be embalmed, cremated, or dissolved via aquamation. Donated to science, they can work in med school anatomy labs, be subjected to crashes to analyze car and airplane safety, decompose naturally to assist forensic scientists in determining time of death, or be used in surgery continuing education classes.

Roach details the history of dead bodies, including stories on Burke and Hare's murder and grave robbery scheme and the first anatomy classes. She talks about failed whole head transplant operations; body composting; and bullet, bomb, and landmine studies to improve body armor. Her curiosity drives her to ask unexpected and occasionally inappropriate questions.

I think Mary Roach is a fabulous author. I'm glad I reread this fascinating book. She has taught me so much that I likely couldn't learn elsewhere. I can't recommend this highly enough.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Animal death, Cannibalism, Car accident, Death, Gun violence, Murder, Terminal illness, and Violence

alylentz's review

funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Mental illness, and Vomit