Tools and the Organism

“Webster has written a fascinating and challenging book . . . there are provocative insights on almost every page. Above all, it enlarges our understanding of the development of Greek medical ideas by providing a bridge between medical and non-medical ideas of the human organism and between the words of philosophers and physicians and the unheard world of the artisan craftsman.”  * British Journal for the History of Science *
“Taken as a whole . . . this is an original, engaging and thought-provoking monograph. Webster raises many questions, both about his specific topic and more basic epistemological questions about how knowledge was constructed in the past—and indeed how we do so today.” * Journal of the History of Biology *
“Webster offers a novel and sophisticated analysis of the debates found in ancient medical writers' works, with an argument grounded in the societies that produced the texts.”  * Choice *
“[Webster] ends by pointing out how successful the analogy with tools and mechanisms has been both in advancing understanding of how the body functions, and as a spur to inventing machines that would do the work of the body e.g. iron lungs. This book will appeal to the classicist interested in original sources and interpretation of the Greek, to the medical historian, and any doctor with an interest in medical history.” * Classics for All *
“Tools and the Organism makes the novel and convincing argument that ancient Greek medical and philosophical conceptions of the body were influenced at a fundamental level by contemporary technologies. Webster’s observations are fresh, creative, and insightful.” -- Claire Bubb, New York University
“A compelling, enriching, and original book. Webster transforms our understanding of the relationship between technology and corporeality in the ancient world and beyond.” -- Rebecca Flemming, University of Exeter
“Tools and the Organism offers a fascinating, original, and persuasive account of how the concept of the organic body developed in feedback loops with the use of technology. Webster’s analysis is admirably nuanced in its reading of ancient Greek medical and philosophical texts in their material environment. He also shows the significance of this early history to contemporary thinking about the organism.” -- Brooke Holmes, Princeton University