The RE / Search Guide to Bodily Fluids (RE / Search, No. 16) [Paperback]

Paul Spinrad (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 094064228X | ISBN-13: 978-0940642287 | Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Mucus, saliva, sweat, vomit, urine, farts, feces, earwax and more are humorously (and seriously) described in this anthropological/historical investigation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

For popular culture mavens, there is really no substitute for the RE/Search series of guides and homages to various strange and wonderful components of the contemporary scene. In this volume, the subject is bodily fluids; fortunately (?) fluidity is not necessarily the same as liquidity here, as such chapter headings as "Feces," "Flatus," "Vomit," etc., attest. Lest the faint-of-stomach find these terms repellent, it must be noted that Spinrad's treatment of these subjects is detached and tasteful, so far as that is possible. Like previous RE/Search volumes (Incredibly Strange Music and Incredibly Strange Films, for instance), the book is both entertaining and informative. There is really no other place to find information on excreta in medicine and a biography of Thomas Crapper under the same cover with data from surveys of various personal excretory habits and a brief life of Joseph Pujol, the "Fartiste." The appended publications list and survey methodology and questionnaire comprise the icing on this, uh, cake. Mike Tribby

From the Back Cover

Bringing bodily functions out of the (water) closet into polite conversation...This guide sparks a radical rethinking of our relationship with our bodies and Nature, humorously (and seriously) spanning the gamut of everything you ever wanted to know about bodily functions and excreta. Each bodily function is discussed from a variety of viewpoints: scientific, anthropological, historical, mythological, sociological, and artistic.

Topics include: constipation (such as its relationship to cornflakes and graham crackers!); the history and evolution of toilet-paper; farting (spotlighting the famous Joseph Pujol, a turn-of-the-century Fartiste who was so famous internationally for his fart-singing and comedy routines that a street was named after him in Paris); urine (including little-known facts about urinalysis); as well as many other engrossing topics.

As our culture undergoes profound transformation concerning its relationship with Nature and Earth, how can we realign with nature globally if we can't deal with our own excreta taboos and bodily functions?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: RE/Search Publications (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 094064228X
• ISBN-13: 978-0940642287
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,648,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Plain speaking about the unspeakable, April 15, 2007

By 

Schtinky "Schtinky" (California) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: The Re/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids (Paperback)

"No matter how ready your minds and souls are to live in an eternal abstract world of language, reason, truth, beauty, and card games, you're still trapped inside an aging meat machine," says author Paul Spinrad. While the book covers mucus, saliva, sweat, vomit, urine, pooting, poo, earwax, toe-cheese, and others, its main focus remains on poo.

How were things "handled" before toilet paper? Ever contemplate the history of the enema? Did you know that loose bowels were once treated with opium? Learn the story of Joseph Pujol, "The Fartiste", famous for his flatulence. Is vomit an "involuntary food review"? Drinking urine is a cure? An antiseptic? (the ammonia in unine) Did you know there's much more to mucus than just a few boogies?

How about bodily functions in literature (Shakespeare, The Marquis de Sade, Dante, Picasso, James Joyce, Mark Twain, Burroughs, Selby, and adding one of my own, modern writer Edward Lee), or in classic cinema? What is Cockle Bread? What about Freud's connection between poo and $exuality?

There are poo quotes from famous people from Shakespeare to Tiny Tim, an extensive look into the invention of the toilet, a glance at toilets across the world, poo in religion and folklore, and even poo in art. The world of poo is amazingly artistic and intellectual world. There's even a brief mention to the hilarious cartoon 'Ren & Stimpy' in the 'Art, Music, & Criticism' chapter, showing an elaborate research from ancient to modern references.

This book includes Spinrad's Survey Methodology, a copy of the survey itself, a detailed 'Recommended Reading' section, an extensive Bibliography, and a full Index. Unfortunately, there are no pictures, and I felt that a few pictures would have spiced up the book a little bit. At only 121 pages, the book is large sized but slim, making reading easy and enjoyable. So ... Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Extremely Amusing, July 26, 2001

By 

Chris Ward (Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Re/Search Guide to Bodily Fluids (Paperback)

The perfect mixture of scholarship and humor, this book, with its "icky" topic, is worthy of serious attention. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that the reason I love it most is that it makes me laugh-- on several occasions I laughed so hard that I woke up my wife, who was trying vainly to sleep next to me. As Spinrad's sources tell about their own habits regarding their precious bodily fluids, it's impossible not to recognize how much we share in regards to these daily substances-- and impossible not to laugh at how we treat these taboos.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely superb, January 30, 1999

By 

Roland Hall ([e-mail]) (london, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The RE / Search Guide to Bodily Fluids (RE / Search, No. 16) (Paperback)

Spinraid is a genius and his guide to bodily fluids is totally brilliant. He deals with countless taboo subjects with a sanity and clarity that many 'mainstream' publishers would be proud of. Anyone with any vague interest in how their body secretes and excretes and the sociological aspects of bodily functions (think about it - that must be everyone in the whole world) should buy two copies of this book, because one copy of this magnificent tome will be stolen.