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Having read Mary Roach’s Stiff and Bonk, I knew what I was getting into diving into Gulp. Roach is curious and unafraid both to ask any question and to write down the unfiltered answer. And then she puts all the information she has collected into easily readable prose, even when it is on topics of health, medicine and science. To top it off, she adds plenty of sly humor.
Here, she explores all the parts of the body’s digestive system, leaving out no gory details. Anyone who doesn’t care to talk about, think about, or read about saliva or poop should probably steer clear. But if you’re medically minded or live with someone who works in the medical field (as I do), and your conversations already include potty and body talk, you’ll be just fine.
The book starts with the uppermost part of the system, exploring taste and smell. It ends with, well, the end. I learned a lot and found it all fascinating. For instance, I learned that penguins can turn down the temperature of their stomachs so they can swallow fish for their young. They often have to transport the fish for a couple of days until they can feed the little ones, so they don’t want to digest it. Making their stomach into a fridge keeps it whole for the kiddies.
I have read about the interesting research into gut microflora and how it’s possible to transplant those (via poop) from one person into another. Here, Roach observes a gastroenterologist doing this transfer to cure a patient of a lingering C diff. infection. It’s a simple procedure and doesn’t require any special equipment or pharmaceuticals, so it’s unsurprising it isn’t done regularly and supported in lots of big studies. But it could solve a number of health issues.
Roach also talks to an inmate known for smuggling phones and tobacco and other things into prisons via his rectum. She discusses Elvis’s constipation issues with his physician (it’s possible he died because of a chronically enlarged colon).
It’s all pretty cool stuff if you have curiosity (and a high tolerance for “ick” as it relates to the human body) on a par with Roach. And I do. Enjoy.
Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes one use of strong language, a dozen instances of moderate profanity (pretty much all in reference to defecation), a few uses of mild language, and a couple of instances of the name of Deity in vain.
