Description
Book SynopsisAnimal as Machine explores the life, work, and ideas of scientists who subscribed to mechanistic concepts to explain how animals process food, breathe, circulate their blood, and sense their environment. A remarkable story of the larger-than-life personalities and historical episodes that marked the emergence of animal physiology.
Trade Review“Animal as Machine is a good read for both historians who are interested in physiology and animal enthusiasts wanting to learn more about how an experimental, comparative approach has historically developed in the field of physiology. As Anctil argues, the knowledge being produced in this field promises to be fundamental for some of the challenges we humans face today. Learning from animals and adapting their capabilities to our health have always been goals of comparative animal physiology, as Anctil shows throughout the book. And, as he argues at the end, these continue to be important reasons to support the ongoing development of the field.” H-Sci-Med-Tech
“In the superb Animal as Machine, the author explains the seemingly persistent and puzzling dichotomies of physiological (and zoological) research. Anctil unveils the history of comparative animal physiology from its beginnings to its modern status as a major scientific discipline that has revealed amazing things about animal life. Highly recommended.” Choice
