Life on the Edge. How The Body Copes With Extreme Conditions
På livets grense. Hvordan kroppen takler ekstrem natur
This is a highly original book that combines medicine and anthropology. Around the world, large groups of people have settled in extreme places and there are regular expeditions to the top of Mount Everest. People winter in Antarctica, others dive in the Mariana Trench and refugees cross scorching deserts and deep oceans. We move and live in places where we should not be able to cope.
What happens to the body when it is exposed to extreme cold, heat, altitude and depth? Which challenges are humans exposed to when diving and why do we get altitude sickness? The book looks at how different peoples and individuals have managed to acclimatise to extreme environments, and how we adapt and survive in such conditions. The author describes how our body adjusts, and discusses the more practical aspects, such as clothing and diet. Life on the Edge is a fascinating book that journeys into the body and out into the world, and joins medical knowledge and social anthropology.
The book is illustrated with photographs and instructive drawings.
