Scientists whose passion for research motivated them to use their own bodies in a quest for answers make high-interest subjects for this compelling volume. The element of danger that each voluntarily faced, which sometimes resulted in injury or death, prompts a cautionary sentence in the book’s introduction that discourages readers from taking risks with their own bodies (“leave the medical self-experiments to professionals”). Vivid details of Lazzaro Spallanzani’s exploration into the workings of the digestive tract make it hard to imagine anyone wanting to follow in his footsteps, however. His research required him to swallow a wooden tube filled with food and enclosed in a linen bag. He then examined the contents of the tube after it had passed through his body. He seemed unfazed, however, and reported that the package “exited happily at the end of 22 hours.” His digestive juices did their job, and this self-inflicted investigation furthered scientific understanding of a bodily function. Spallanzani’s chapter is one of ten stories presented, spanning research of men and women from six different countries, from the late 1700s to the present day. The scientists highlighted share a bold, pioneering attitude and a willingness to risk all in the pursuit of knowledge. (Ages 10–15)

It was August 27, 1885. In a hospital in Lima, Peru, a student named Daniel Carrión was preparing to infect himself with a dreaded disease . . . He had a small, sharp lancet ready . . . Carrión's friends and teacher from the medical school thought it was a bad idea. They knew Carrión 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.