Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold Self-Experimenters in Science and Medicine

By Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring

Book Overview

It was August 27, 1885. In a hospital in Lima, Peru, a student named Daniel Carri n was preparing to infect himself with a dreaded disease . . . He had a small, sharp lancet ready . . . Carri n's friends and teacher from the medical school thought it was a bad idea. They knew Carri n was eager to learn more about this mysterious disease. But were the risks worth it? Science and medicine from the inside out-ten engrossing stories of self-experimentation Who are these "guinea pig scientists"? Searching for clues to some of science's and medicine's bigger (and sometimes stranger) questions, they are all the men and women who devoted their lives to help find the answers. Spanning from the 1770s to the present-and uncovering the science behind digestion, the spread of yellow fever, the development of the first heart catheter, and more-their ten stories are at once scientifically detailed and fascinatingly personal.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805073167
• ISBN13: 9780805073164
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.6" x 0.9" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 to 14 years
• Grade Range: Grades 5 to 12

Customer Reviews

Fascinating anecdotes

Guinea Pig Scientists contains nine chapters, each on a different scientist who made a difference by plaicng themself in harm's way to varying degrees. The book is hardly in depth, but it covers the most important aspects of each scientists methods and what was learned from them. This would be a great book to use to get adolescents interested in scientific inquiry. It is an engaging read, and the gross out factor will bring in even reluctant readers. Be warned: not all of the scientists survive their experiments.

A wonderful introduction

Guinea Pig Scientists is a wonderful introduction for putting a face and an exciting story behind a particular science. I expect many children (and adults) to go read further about different topics or the scientists because their appetites have finally been whetted.

A gathering of biographies and discoveries which charts bold experiments which helped change the wor

Self-experimenters in science and medicine often fostered discoveries and advancements which hastened the invention of much-needed cures, yet are seldom discussed: that's why middle school students will find Guinea Pig Scientists so important. C.B. Mordan provides black and white illustrations to this gathering of biographies and discoveries which charts bold experiments which helped change the world - and risked the lives of scientists.

Good nonfiction read

GUINEA PIG SCIENTISTS by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring share with readers ten true stories of men and women who have been so dedicated to scientific research that they have experimented on themselves. These include George Fordyce, Lazzaro Spallanzani, William Morton, Horace Wells, Daniel Carrion, Jesse Lazear, Marie and Pierre Curie, John Scott and Jack Haldane, Werner Forssmann, John Paul Stapp, and Stefania Follini. Each chapter includes several illustrations (sketchs, and/or photographs which are all captioned), several sidebars filled with additional information, and concludes with a "Now We Know" section which brings the research up to date. (The book is arranged chronologically). Also included is "History's Timetable" which lists (starting in the 1500s) key scientists and discoveries up to the present day. Hoping to encourage further study, they have included other guinea pig scientists in italicized font throughout the timetable. GUINEA PIG SCIENTISTS is well-documented. They list bibliographical references for each chapter in addition to providing bibliographical notes for each quotation. It is also indexed. GUINEA PIG SCIENTISTS is a fascinating book. With chapter titles like "Swallowing Bags, Bones, and Tubes" "The Sad Story of Laughing Gas" and "The Night of the Deadly Blue Glow" it's sure to appeal to a wide variety of readers.