From early times, artists have been involved in the life and work of the physician in a variety of ways. Members of the medical professions have, in their turn, been central in shaping the visual canon of their profession, from the grandiose drama of the corpse anatomy theater to the intricately worked ivory and metal tools of their trade. The Physician’s Art celebrates the diversity and achievements of such collaborations, looking beyond the traditional boundaries of art to the books and artifacts used by physicians since the fifteenth century and inviting us to ponder their role and that of medicine in the culture of their time and our own.

Published as a companion catalogue to an exhibit of more than one hundred rare and remarkable “medical art” objects that was curated by Julie V. Hansen at the Duke University Museum of Art, this richly illustrated book includes an introductory essay by distinguished art historian Martin Kemp. Demonstrating how the practice of medicine and our understanding of disease and the human body have gone hand in hand with the development of techniques in art—combined with such inventions as the camera and the microscope—this book presents works that range from the fifteenth century to the twentieth, from Europe to the Far East and Africa, from detailed medical illustrations to photographs of ivory manikins and an amputation saw.

Most cultures tell the tale of a maiden who gives birth untouched by a man. Is this just a myth, or could virgin birth become the way we make babies in the future? In Like a Virgin, biologist Aarathi Prasad explores inconceivable ideas about conception, from the “Jesus Christ” lizard’s ability to self-reproduce (it walks on water, too) to the hunt for a real-life virgin mother among geneticists in the 1950s. Prasad then transports us to the maverick laboratories that today are inventing the equivalent of “non-sexual selection”, from egg-fertilizing computer chips to artificial wombs for men. This adventurous romp to the frontiers of reproductive science will forever change the way you think about sex and parenthood. Aarathi Prasad is a biologist and science writer. She has appeared on television and radio, including as host of the BBC documentary “The Quest for a Virgin Birth,” and written for publications such as Wired, New Scientist, and The Guardian. A single mother, she previously worked in research genetics at Imperial College, London. This is her first book.

Following in the tradition of Phaidon's "The Art Book", this is an illustrated dictionary which presents in alphabetical order the work of 500 great artists from the 20th century. Each artist is represented by a full-page colour plate of a key work and a short text about the work of the artist. From figures such as Monet, Cezanne, Picasso and Dali at the beginning of the century to Pollock, Beuys and Hockney in the middle years, to innovative contemporary artists including Hirst and Koons, this dictionary provides a comprehensive listing from A-Z. The book reveals the works that make up the art of this century, including oil paintings, watercolours, prints, collages, sculptures, ready-mades, installations, performances and videos. Full glossaries of terms and artistic movements are provided, alongside a directory of public museums and galleries where the works can be seen. Detailed cross-referencing of artists, styles and subject matter completes this reference, which is suitable for teenagers and adults alike.

This book contains high-quality images for use as a graphic resource, or inspiration. All images are stored on the accompanying CD-ROM in professional-quality, high-resolution format and can be used on either Windows or Mac platforms. CD-ROM: 300 HI-RES pictures in colour and B/W. Size 150mm x 150mm.

"Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque", Tales of Horror and Suspense", "Tales of Ratiocination".