Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold Self-Experimenters in Science and Medicine

Written by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring

Narrated by Jonathan Fried

It's one thing for scientists to use animals for their experiments. But it's another thing entirely for them to use humans to test out a new vaccine or medical treatment-especially when the scientists are the subjects of their own experiments! Guinea Pig Scientists features brief but informative biographies of men and women who have changed the world by using their own bodies to test their scientific theories. From swallowing wooden tubes to test theories about digestion to letting oneself be bitten by diseased mosquitoes, these brave scientists have let nothing stand between their thirst for knowledge and their dedication to doing whatever is necessary to break new ground. Coauthors Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring spent more than 10 years researching the lives of the men and women featured in this fascinating work. Jonathan Fried delivers a sterling narration that perfectly conveys the inspirational and informative stories of these pioneering souls. "The accounts are lively, compelling, and not always for the squeamish. ... Riveting reading."-Booklist, starred review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470354411

Reviews for Guinea Pig Scientists

[elainevbernal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Guinea Pig Scientists," features notable physicians, scientists, and citizens who bravely experimented on themselves or put themselves in grave danger in the name of science. For example, one of the stories feature Marie and Pierre Curie and their famous work with radioactivity. The stories are well supported by extensive appendices of bibliographical and quotation resources, and each author has the appropriate background to contribute to the work - Dr. Dendy teaches biology and chemistry in University of New Mexico, Los Alamos, and Mr. Boring has taught in the K-12 setting, editor of a children's website, and author of several nonfiction picture books. The content provides rich, vivid details about the risks and rewards the self-experimenters experienced, yet there were several technical details that could have benefitted from demonstrative or explanatory visuals such as how the human body regulates temperature and how George Fordyce and Charles Blagden experimented the response of their own bodies to temperatures up to 260 degrees in dry air. The facts offered are quite interesting to someone with previous knowledge of physics and chemistry, but the style can be found too wordy especially for elementary school readers. The authentic old photos of the Curies were useful in demonstrating the deleterious effects of working with radioactive material, yet the illustrations were more decorative rather than explanatory. This book is recommended for students as early as 10 years old, but would seem to be more appropriate for 11-12 years old.