Book Review: A History of the World Through Body Parts, by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras

“A History of the World Through Body Parts” by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras
c.2022, Chronicle Books $22.95 255 pages

Give the gentleman a hand.

He did a good job, and he deserves it. Seriously, someone gave him a leg-up, he jumped in with both feet, and shortly after he put his nose to the grindstone, he found himself rubbing elbows with influential people. He shouldered some responsibility, kept his ear to the ground, and look where he’s been – so give him a hand, and read “A History of the World Through Body Parts” by Kathryn Petras & Ross Petras.

It all begins with Cleopatra’s nose.

Mathematician Blase Pascal seemed fascinated by it, not because it stood out (though it did), but because Julius Caesar and Marc Antony were both smitten with it and their obsessions changed the world. That got Petras and Petras thinking how other bodily bits might have affected history. Can “zeroing in on a body part” help make sense of our world?

Take, for instance, an anonymous woman’s hand, stenciled on the side of a cave in Australia some 30,000 years ago. It was art but, since scientists know that ancient Aboriginal people could recognize others by their handprints, it could’ve also been a message. That shows a rather sophisticated form of early communication.

According to legend, St. Cuthbert’s hair and fingernails continued to grow after his death – to the point where the deceased saint had his own stylist and manicurist. St. Cuthbert, and other Catholic saints were a part of the Church’s “big business,” selling and procuring relics in the 8th through the 16th century. Today, there’s no need for a Holy pilgrimage; if you want a Holy relic, you can buy simply one online.

The conqueror Tamerlane might have used “a very distinctive limp” to build his fearsome reputation. A “religious epiphany” came to Martin Luther in an unusual place, all because of his bowels. Henry VIII is said to have kept Anne Boleyn’s heart. And Charles II of Spain’s jaw proved that “keeping things all in the family” was really not a good idea…

No doubt, you know by now that life is full of things that make you say, “huh.” You probably come across them quite often. “A History of the World Through Body Parts” offers you a whole book full of more.

And yet – that title sounds gory, doesn’t it? Nope, authors Petras and Petras don’t go that far in their storytelling. Here, you’ll get an outline in each short-to-read account (browse-able: a feature!) but one with enough particulars to make you feel smarter. Most tales are kept relatively bloodless in detail; in fact, some of them don’t involve detachment at all.

That lack of violence leaves plenty of room for enjoyment of these tiny, esoteric – but impactful – bits of history, science, and sociology. Bonus: there are lots of sidebars with even more fun-to-know info.

Readers of unique history will devour this book, but it’s also a great way to get someone interested in a narrower version of a broader subject. Just beware: “A History of the World Through Body Parts” might make you lose your head.

The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 13,000 books.