Why We Hurt: The Natural History of Pain

"Fascinating insight into the greatest mystery of all: what it means to be human."--"The Seattle Times"
Although medical science has made brilliant progress over the last century, we have yet to conquer, or even fully comprehend, pain. And as much as we fear pain, it remains curiously indispensable. A skilled writer and a compassionate physician, Dr. Frank Vertosick explores this paradox in "Why We Hurt," an expertly researched and movingly told study of pain. By sharing case studies of his patients and numerous cultural and medical anecdotes, Vertosick explains the biological nature of pain, its psychological toll, and the myriad strategies we have devised to combat it. From childbirth to angina, arthritis to carpal tunnel syndrome, he puts a human face on suffering and "transmutes the lugubrious subject of pain into a provocative and edifying treatise that tightly engages the reader" ("The New York Times Book Review").
"[Vertosick] tells personal anecdotes about his own migraines and crafts stories of emergency room horrors with a deft sense of suspense and timing. [He] is writing for a wide audience, and at least in part for chronic-pain sufferers he ends with an inspirational flourish of advice."--"Chicago Tribune"
"Fascinating . . . Falls squarely in the territory of Oliver Sacks."--"Newsday"