Here is a delightfully diverse, informative look at the human body, combining medical and physiological fact with articles that offer cultural, mythological, religious, historical, and artistic perspectives. In over 1200 alphabetically arranged entries, The Oxford Companion to the Body covers every aspect of human anatomy as well as related topics that range from Aggression, Aspirin, and Anxiety, to Warts, Whistling, Yoga, and X-Rays.

Attractively designed with over 400 illustrations--including 15 full-color plates focusing on human physiology--this engrossing Companion shows how the body works, how it grows, develops, and ages, how it goes wrong, and even how it has inspired artists through the centuries. There are profiles of historical figures who have made important contributions to our understanding of the body, such as Galen, Vesalius, and da Vinci. There are also concise and readable accounts of the structures of all major systems of the body, their processes, and the diseases that affect them, from the nervous system to the skeleton to the brain. But one of the pleasures of the book is the many unexpected entries to come across: Body Language and Brain Death, Freckles and Frostbite, Potty Training and Phantom Limbs, Sleep Disorders and Survival at Sea. The volume also boasts general essays that describe how the body is seen in Zen Buddhism, Islam, mythology, and other disciplines.

Written by over 250 experts, under the guidance of a distinguished editorial board, with full cross-referencing and suggested further reading, The Oxford Companion to the Body is both an authoritative resource and a browser's delight.