Armand Marie Leroi

A lengthy, detailed, and fascinating examination of the life and works of Aristotle with the position that Aristotle was the first scientist, and that since his proposed mechanisms (see the brilliant appendices) haven't aged well, his thoughts and techniques have been unjustly ignored or belittled.
This alone would be sufficient for me, but there are many interesting associated ideas here including the detective work necessary to locate Aristotle's workplace in Lesbos and to determine which animals he is referring to, the discussions of Aristotle's relationship to Darwin, the history and philosophy of biological taxonomy, some comparative anatomy to explain the source of Aristotle's classifications, some embryology, and some animal physiology and evolutionary biology to explain Aristotle's discussion of the relationship among animal size, longevity, and fecundity. As a seeming bonus we also read the author's comments on Aristotle's theory of the structure of the universe and his views on human society – including whether all modern battles over inequality ultimately turn on the question of whether "natural slaves" exist and, if so, how to distinguish them from "legal slaves".
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Words of interest include apophthegm (an aphorism, and Grammarly recommends spelling it apothegm), and although I knew that chorion and cotyledon came from the Greek, I did not know that they came so directly from the Greek.
Interesting quotes include Bertrand Russell Aristotle was the first man to write like a professor,
and Borges It has been said that all men are born either Aristotelians or Platonists.
I also liked the author's That the physical theory is wrong is irrelevant; in the long run, all physical theories are. and to be reminded of the expressions Natura non facit saltum (that Darwin liked), and the origin of virtus dormitiva.… (more)

Disclaimer: this book was published in 2003, so of course there are portions out of date (the chapter on gender for example) But otherwise this was a fascinating tour through the world of biology and genetics!

The author makes a valid point throughout that "mutant" genes should neither be gawked at nor ignored. And they don't just "happen." Nearly all of the conditions mentioned are caused by a mutation in a protein. But these mutations could be a result of nutritional deficiency, chemical poison, environmental hazard, etc. For example, the (now banned) use of Thalidomide for morning sickness! Some mutations can be traced back hundreds of years because of a unique physical trait. The author also discusses the darker treatment of those who were considered "monsters" or "freaks." Courts and princes collected them, naturalists catalogued them and theologians turned them into religious propaganda. It was thought that a pregnant woman could cause deformity in her child if she looked at an "unsightly" thing. At Auschwitz, Elizabeth Ovitz and her family (among many others) were tortured under Mengele, who was never tried for his crimes!

Among those mentioned are Ritta and Christina Parodi, Harry Eastlack (who's skeleton I saw at the Mutter Museum!), Clara and Altagracia Rodriguez, and more famous names like Charles Byrne, Eng and Chang, Joseph Boruwlaski and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. I learned about Kartagener's Syndrome, the "sonic hedgehog mutation" (it's true!), Cleppie Bells, BMPs, Hoxd13, cyclopia, osteopetrosis, the noggin molecule, sirenomelia and Robert's Syndrome just to name a few. And explaining these mutations in layman's terms is no easy feat. It's not perfect, as the study of the human body is never ending, but I gained an incredible amount of new information and starting points for more!… (more)

Mutants: On Genetic Variety and the Human body discusses exactly what it says it does. The physical effects of altered or missing genes on the various parts of the human body are discussed in some detail. Some of the "mutations" discussed in the book include conjoined twins, mermaid syndrome, cyclops syndrome, pygmies, giants, hermaphrodites, skin and skeletal issues and aging. This book is extremely interesting, without being distasteful or gory. The science (real science!!) is understandable but not overly simplified. Black and white illustrations are included regularly.


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