Spare Parts

This book sheds light on human body parts once considered extraneous, but now proven to play an important role in our healthy survival. With wit and research-honed wisdom, health writer Carol Ann Rinzler explains in layman's language why we need “bonus” body parts such as:The appendix, once derided as “the worm of the intestines,” but now believed to play an important role in our immune systemThe coccyx, a.k.a. the “tailbone,” once considered the remnant of a human tail, but now considered the keystone of the boney pelvic arch where muscles meet and stabilize our seatingWisdom teeth, that “extra” set of molars for which many “evolved” human jaws lack space, but that are still required by higher primates for extra chew powerHaving highlighted the still-important parts, Rinzler adds a chapter on dispensables: parts that we can indeed happily give up. Along the way, Rinzler weaves in Darwin’s theories of evolution and shares insights on what the human body may be like millennia from now.