Balance: In Search of the Lost Sense
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Book Overview
Although vital to our well-being and even to our success as a species, the physical sense of balance has never attained the same recognition as sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste. Now, with an epidemic of debilitating falls sweeping America's aging population, the time is ripe for a lively and illuminating tour of the human body's most exquisitely intricate and least understood faculty. Balance is the first book written for a general audience that examines the mysteries of the human balance system -- the astonishingly complicated mechanisms that allow our bodies to counteract the force of gravity as we move through space. A scientific, historical, and practical exploration of how balance works, Balance also provides the keys to remaining upright for as long as humanly possible. From simple motion sickness to astronauts' "space stupids," and from fetal somersaults to the Flying Wallendas, McCredie guides readers on a delightful quest to elevate balance to its rightful place in the pantheon of the senses.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0316011355
ISBN13:9780316011358
Release Date:June 2007
Publisher:Little Brown and Company
Length:304 Pages
Weight:1.00 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.4" x 8.5"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Balance book is thorough
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This is a wonderful layman's description of how the balance system works, and about individual vestibular problems. It should be of interest to anyone with a vestibular problem, including Parkinsons, Menieres, BPV etc.Family members and friends should read it too.
Full of amazing revelations
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This is a fantastic book. Fun, clear, easy to read, and full of amazing facts I never knew before which have changed the way I see things.
Balance
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Mr. McCredie, while on a hike with his father, witnesses his dad simply drop from sight...he fell, lost his balance. From here Mr. McCredie shares with us his research on this sense. I was hitherto unaware of the magnitude of its importance. Happily, I am not in small minded company as Aristotle, Scott writes, did not include balance in his original list of our senses. Balance's history has been facinating...sea sickness, cognitive thinking, a walk in the park, pilots' training, infants' cognitive abilities, camels, Lawrence of Arabia, Lord Nelson, war, astronauts, birds and cats,the mentally ill, and John F. Kennedy, Jr. are just a few of the people and subjects Scott connects by this sense. I am glad I read the book. As a literary interviewer for Washington Talking Book & Braille Library, I choose Scott McCredie's book initially because his writing style is compatible with my reading style, i.e.,tell me or teach me information on almost any subject, have it reach my brain in an interesting way and do it cleanly and clearly. Scott does all the above despite my having to grapple with science.
a fun read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This was a fascinating book. Mccredie makes a convincing case for including balance as a 6th sense, supporting his thesis with interesting examples from medical research, historical examples, and personal accounts. The bit about JFK Jr's plane crash attributed to a confused vestibular system was particularly good, and the other stories (the "brainport" device, for one) lent contemporary credence to his ideas. He's a great writer, and covers all the bases. I learned a lot. Highly recommended.
Great book!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
entertaining & informative! very well written & researched... I'd love to meet the author & find out more...
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