John Scott Haldane (1860-1936) was one of the greatest and most colourful of British scientists, acknowledged as the leading physiologist of the era at a time when physiology and much of medical science was coming into its own. The most successful serial self-experimenter in the history of science, Haldane crawled through the carnage of underground explosions, locked himself in sealed chambers, breathed in lethal cocktails of gases, sampled his own blood, burned and healed his own flesh, and experimented on his own children, in an obsessional push to understand the nature of human respiration. What is expired air? How can you make coalmines safer? What does carbon monoxide do to people? These are just some of the vital questions to which Haldane provided the answers, saving thousands of lives in the process. He also designed the first space-suit and invented the gas-mask, among many other innovations and contributions we still benefit from today. Entertaining and enlightening in equal measure, Martin Goodman's lively and revealing biography casts new light on one of the greatest eccentrics of British scientific and intellectual life.
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A fascinating portrait of an indomitable Victorian who deserves to be better understood and celebrated. -- Daily Mail
Fascinating ... Goodman writes enchantingly -- The Literary Review
Goodman has a novelist's eye for evocative detail that lesser writers might miss and the result is as compelling as a historical novel
-- The Times
Highly enjoyable tribute to a pioneer who enabled the human body to survive at the extremes of modern life. -- Nature
Martin Goodman's vivid biography, often surprisingly funny, is a darn good yarn about a darn good man. -- The Scotsman
Fascinating ... Goodman writes enchantingly -- The Literary Review
Goodman has a novelist's eye for evocative detail that lesser writers might miss and the result is as compelling as a historical novel
-- The Times
Highly enjoyable tribute to a pioneer who enabled the human body to survive at the extremes of modern life. -- Nature
Martin Goodman's vivid biography, often surprisingly funny, is a darn good yarn about a darn good man. -- The Scotsman
About the Author
Martin Goodman is the acclaimed author of many works of both fiction and non-fiction. His novel On Bended Knees (1992) was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award, and he has written for, among others, the Guardian, Financial Times and New York Observer. Martin also teaches Creative Writing at Plymouth University. He currently lives in north London. His website is www.martingoodman.com.
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Why have we waited so long for a biography of Haldane? He was an intrepid investigator of mine disasters during the late Victorian period, and his work not only saved lives, but advanced knowledge of the way our bodies work. He pinpointed the way in which carbon monoxide acts as such a virulent poison, by combining with haemoglobin of the blood much more actively than oxygen, so depriving the body of its vital support. It was he who introduced the canary as an indicator of the deadly gas, simply because the small bird reacts so much more quickly that it gives warning of a problem in the air. Haldane also warned of the problem of breathing silica dust, leading to the disease of silicosis, which killed many miners and quarry workers. His research was ground breaking, and life saving. Indeed, it was said of him that he had saved more lives than the rest of the medical profession put together. He received little recognition from his academic peers, except towards the end of his long life, but much recognition from the miners. His methods of research, usually using himself as a guinea pig for experimentation remain an inspiration to all medical researchers. Martin Goodman should be praised for his excellent book on the life of John Haldane, both for describing his scientific achievements and his vibrant personal life.
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