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wombatnation 's review for:
The Spark of Life: Electricity in the Human Body
by Frances Ashcroft
The Spark of Life is a fascinating tour of the electrochemical system in the human body. Starting with the discovery of electricity and the subsequent evolution in the understanding of the role of electricity in the body, Ashcroft cogently explains in relatively deep technical detail the many aspects of the human electrical system. I had not known about the many different ways that tetrodotoxin (the toxin in fugu), curare, sarin, and other toxins do their damage, whether blocking shut ion channels, blocking open ion channels, preventing the breakdown of acetylcholine, etc. There’s also a good explanation, and funny picture, of myotonic (fainting) goats.
I read about 2/3 of this book before having to return it to my local library because it was closing for renovations for an extended period of time. After it reopened and I was able to check it out again, I remembered how much I enjoyed the book and I started over from the first page. I virtually never read a book twice, so that it is a very positive compliment.
My biggest criticism of the book is that some chapters, especially in the second half, come across as collections of somewhat related bits of information about electricity in the human body. Now, this info was still fascinating, but it felt at times like reading from Wikipedia pages. But very well-written ones.
I read about 2/3 of this book before having to return it to my local library because it was closing for renovations for an extended period of time. After it reopened and I was able to check it out again, I remembered how much I enjoyed the book and I started over from the first page. I virtually never read a book twice, so that it is a very positive compliment.
My biggest criticism of the book is that some chapters, especially in the second half, come across as collections of somewhat related bits of information about electricity in the human body. Now, this info was still fascinating, but it felt at times like reading from Wikipedia pages. But very well-written ones.