Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.68 (624 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393345076 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 352 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-01-05 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
--Donna Chavez . From Booklist *Starred Review* In her exceptional history, science journalist Williams does more to enlighten us on the virtues of, workings of, and perils to women’s breasts than anyone ever has before, notwithstanding the efforts of the three H’s: Hooters, Hefner, and Hughes (Howard, inventor of the cantilever bra). Her book can be characterized as an exposé because it unveils the scandalously scanty amount of research devoted to those that define the very essence of the human race. And she does it with smarts, sass, and intent. And what have modern-day chemical exposures wrought? The answers to this question and many more are found in Williams’ remarkably informative and compelling work of discovery. To be sure, Williams covers all the cultural and anthropological information that the mostly male scientific—and not-so-scientific—community has gathered about what is euphemisticall
Frederick S. Goethel said The Human Mammary Gland In All Its Glory. The family of animals known as mammals are so named because they are the only creatures on earth that have mammary glands with which to feed their young. Of the mammals, humans are unique as we have the only mammary glands that extend from the body from the time of puberty onward. All other species in the mammal family have mammary glands that extend and become engorged for the purpose of lactation following pregnancy, but they also retract when lactation ceases and the infant is weaned. Why humans have this feature is a serious area of research and there is much debate over how this development evolved. Some scientists believe it. Humorous Treatise on Breast Functions and Diseases D_shrink The author discusses a very serious subject, in that most of book is devoted to breast cancer and its primary cause according to her which is carcinogens in the environment. Yet she approaches her subject in a humorous manner from the first page, beginning with, "We love breasts, yet we can't take them seriously. We name them affectionately, but with a bit of insult. They can turn both babies and grown men into lunkheads."She begins with a history of how and why breasts developed in lower order primates, which was originally to confer immunity to offspring from pathogens. She even has a theory that the transmission of culture occu. K. H. Murdock said A book everyone should read. Breasts begins with a list of humorous words for breasts ("Funbags. Boobsters. Chumbawumbas. Dingle bobbers") and the book contains funny anecdotes throughout. Still, at it's core, it is a serious book, chock full of important information. Williams asks: Why are girls developing breasts at a younger age than ever before? What are the toxins in our environment doing to our breasts? How do the hormones in birth control pills affect our breasts? She also addresses some less serious but truly interesting topics, such as why we have breasts to begin with (and why so many male scientists get the answer wrong). If you have breasts or hav
. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, and National Geographic among others. Florence Williams is a journalist and contributing editor to Outside magazine. Her first book, Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, was a New York Times Notable Book of 2012 and the winner of the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Science and Technology. Williams lives in Washington, DC
Her investigation follows the life cycle of the breast from puberty to pregnancy to menopause, taking her from a plastic surgeon’s office where she learns about the importance of cup size in Texas to the laboratory where she discovers the presence of environmental toxins in her own breast milk. 12 illustrations. The result is a fascinating exploration of where breasts came from, where they have ended up, and what we can do to save them. Breasts are getting bigger, arriving earlier, and attracting newfangled chemicals. Increasingly, the odds are stacked against us in the struggle with breast cancer, even among men. An engaging narrative about an incredible, life-giving organ and its imperiled modern fate. Did you know that breast milk contains substances similar to cannabis? Or that it’s sold on the Internet for 262 times the price of oil? Feted and fetishized, the breast is an evolutionary masterpiece. But in t