Gorman brings his scientific knowledge to bear on a number of eccentric subjects, such as toilet mechanisms, toothpaste pumps, fleas, the sense of humour of cats and dogs and TV evangelists, in 28 essays which aim to combine good scientific sense with a sense of humour.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A science reporter with a finely tuned sense of the ridiculous, Gorman writes the "Lighter Elements" column in Discover magazine where most of these pieces first appeared. He is an admirer of such low-tech objects as toothpaste pumps and improved flush mechanisms. He reports on a flea ranch, where dogs and cats are used to test repellent collars; on a racetrack that has turned its byproductmanureinto a thriving garden business; on overwintering Canada geese. He inspects a "micro" pig at Colorado State University, follows his horoscope by computer program, fights Japanese knotweed in his own back yard. Gorman reminisces about his collection of junior science equipment; on the subject of odor memories, crayons are to him what petit madeleines were to Proust. Other reflections range from genetic projects and antique seeds to brain chemistry. Gorman respects science but is not overawed by it.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Several years ago a formerly "serious" science writer stumbled across bezoar stones (calcified ruminant hairballs that allegedly can detoxify poisoned beverages) and hasn't been the same since. Now a columnist for Discover (where these pieces were previously published), Gorman reflects on toilet tank fill valves, the hazards of Greenwich geese, obsessive aquarists, and other equally ludicrous subjects. He may scandalously paraphrases whomever he pleases and display an outrageous sense of logic, but the result is a set of delightfully funny essays. This reviewer plans not to miss a future Gorman column. Totally irrelevant, irreverent, and highly recommended. Laurie Bartolini, Lincoln Lib., Springfield, Ill.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Man with No Endorphins and Other Reflections on Science: some light science,
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This review is from: The Man with No Endorphins and Other Reflections on Science (Paperback)
Review of "The Man with No Endorphins and Other Reflections on Science"
Author: James Gorman Publisher: Heinemann, UK, 1989 Reviewed by W. P. Palmer "James Gorman is a science writer with the soul of a stand-up comic" `Beware reading this volume in public: there are at least 1.7 uncontrollable guffaws per essay" The reader will find the comments above written on the book's cover! Does the book live up to these expectations? For this reviewer the answer is a "No!", though the essays are generally entertaining and well-written. The book is a collection of twenty-eight short essays about matters on the "whimsical fringes" of science and technology. The essays are written somewhat colloquially and were originally part of a regular feature in "Discover" magazine. Out of their context of the USA of the mid-eighties, there are quite a number of persons and events which do not make the average Australian feel at home. On the other hand there is an idiosyncratic warmth about Gorman's writing that make the essays taken as a whole a worthwhile read. Also there are some sections that are really very funny and some where the incisive knife of humour gives real food for thought. BILL PALMER (Originally reviewed in The Journal of the Science Teacher Association of the Northern Territory, Volume 13, p. 107, 1994.)
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