Mutants: On the Form, Varieties and Errors of the Human Body (Hardcover)

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Review
'Once, people with disfiguring or bizarre mutations were thought monstrous. Now they give vital clues to the dance of genes during the body's growth. Armand Leroi combines meticulous historical research, brand-new genetic understanding and consummate skill with words to tell an absorbing tale' Matt Ridley 'Mutants thrills and repels and informs us of the delicacy and wonder of growth and development. It is written with great grace' Richard Fortey 'An exquisitely life-enhancing book...Read it and marvel' Peter Little, Nature 'Mutants is much more than a description of the many damaged or unusual forms of human beings that live now and have existed in the past. It is a fun read, being a spicy mix of history, developmental biology and genetics that does the trick of being both entertaining and educational.' Peter Lawrence, author of The Making of a Fly

My first encounter with physical abnormality came as I was ferried across town in the back of a car. Gazing forwards I noticed something odd about the driver's hands. At first I was convinced that my eyes were playing tricks on me. But after numerous attempts to count otherwise, I was forced to concede that the man at the wheel did have twelve fingers. A second later I was captivated. What was it like to have an extra finger? When did the man become aware of his extra digit? Had he ever considered surgery? And did it make driving any easier? Armand Leroi has set out to examine, in detail, the varieties and errors of the human body. Armed with his expertise in developmental biology and with an eye for good writing, Leroi charts the science, history and mythology of human abnormality. And what a strange menagerie he describes: conjoined twins, a human cyclops, families of dwarves, women with extra breasts, men with no limbs and several varieties of hermaphrodite. 'Mutants,' is stimulating from the offset and feeds upon our innate curiosity in physical abnormality. But whether this interest is enough to sustain the reader over nearly 400 pages, is another matter. Leroi spends too long exploring the science behind mutations, discussing at length the genes which cause disfigurement and the nutritional deficiencies that lead to dwarfism. Perhaps he has missed the point. Mutants are exciting in their own right: and not for what they reveal of developmental biology. After all, a twelve fingered taxi driver grabs our attention, not because his hands demonstrate some great scientific wisdom concerning the development of human limbs; but simply because he has twelve fingers. (Kirkus UK)

Matt Ridley, Author of Genome
'...Armand Leroi combines meticulous historical research, brand-new genetic understanding and consummate skill with words to tell an absorbing tale'

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9 Reviews 5 star:  (7) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.8 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   13 of 13 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for everyone, 20 May 2005 By  "umh22" - See all my reviews This review is from: Mutants: On the Form, Varieties and Errors of the Human Body (Paperback) Having seen the programmes (Human mutants - Channel 4) by Armand Marie Leroi, I was compelled to find out more about the development of humans and how much has been learned from genetic mutations. This book contains everything from the series and more. Anyone who is amazed by the miracle of life would appreciate the scientific explanations of how an embryo develops. It explains everything from how organs come to be where they are in the body (eg. how do the molecules know which side is the left?)to how hands are developed. The main thing that struck me was how we really are all equal in that everyone has mutations- its just that some are more apparent than others. This really is one book that everyone should read - after all it makes sense that we should all know how we are what we are. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Mutatis Mutandis, 22 Jun 2004 By  "kat22_uk" - See all my reviews From Aboriginies to Zulus, every society through the ages has seen mutations. Many have been feared, hidden away and forgotten about, or, conversely, placed on public display for ridicule and unethical study. This book pulls away the veil of unease and exposes the genetic reasons for many mutations such as those suffered by the infamous James Merrick (the Elephant Man), Eng and Chang (conjoined twins), Uther Hermann (the Armless Fiddler) and Tognina Gonsalvus (the Hairy Child). Along the way acquainting us with euonymously named genes and proteins such as "Sonic the Hedgehog", "Scaramanda" and "Cerberus". The amazing detail which the book goes into regarding the development of an embryo is abosorbing and wonderous, and so to is the history and development of theories about these mutations. With many pictures, resources, and familiar examples this book is at times repulsive but a truly compelling read and very, very interesting. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Where are the diagrams?, 27 Oct 2006 By  happyreviewer (UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)       Where are the diagrams? Within this book there are some quite complicated descriptions - e.g. of the developing foetus or cellular machinery - that would have benefited greatly from a diagram. That old adage "A picture paints a thousand words" isn't an old adage for nothing... And quoting French without giving a translation seems to be another one of the author's sins. Also, though unavoidably, this book is chock-full of horribly long Latin names for different syndromes and disorders that can be a bit tiring after a while. Having said that, Leroi writes wonderfully and is a welcome change from the often turgid prose of other popular science writers. Overall I think that I learned a lot from this book and I enjoyed it too. Read it and be amazed! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 9 customer reviews...		Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Decent science book on evo-devo This one is all about how phenotypic mutations help us understand what's going on in genetics and embryology, so it covers lots of freakish stuff like hairy faces, extra fingers,... Read more Published 4 days ago by Jason Mills 5.0 out of 5 stars Execllent, accessible account of mutations in humans This book is a well-written account of mutants and mutation, in which the author draws not only on his considerable scientific knowledge, but also illustrates his points very... Read more Published on 6 Sep 2005 by Chie Higashino 5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous mutants Bizarre mutants have always been the mainstay of the sideshow. This book explains where they come from and what went wrong (developmentally speaking). Read more Published on 16 Sep 2004 by G. Rutter 5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, great English I was as impressed with the style of writing of this book as I was with its content. It makes such a change to read a scientific text (albeit of the slightly "popular" gendre)... Read more Published on 7 Sep 2004 by Dr. John P. Yardley 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Leroi's sumptious writing manner deals effortlessly with the ostensibly confusing subject matter of mutant gene trends. Read more Published on 22 Jul 2004 by P. Bennett 5.0 out of 5 stars Mutants review Like a contemporary Faust, Leroi is striving to explore the secrets of human genesis, human race and beauty. Read more Published on 7 Mar 2004 by Katerina Ertsou Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews › See all 9 customer reviews...

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