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About The Book

Has an animal saved your life?

Studying Arctic birds helped resuscitate those suffering from hypothermia.
An ECG on the 150kg heart of a humpback whale has extended the lives of patients with heart failure.
Understanding giraffes' long necks has led to improved asthma treatment.

Learning how animals survive and thrive has led to life-saving advances for human health. But we still have a long way to go. Intensive care doctor Matt Morgan looks at why animals can be the key to understanding how our bodies work - and how to fix them when they go wrong.

About The Author

(c) Jake Morley

Dr Matt Morgan is a British intensive care doctor. His open letter addressed to patients during the 2020 COVID pandemic has been read by over half a million people worldwide and viewed by over two million times after featuring on the Channel 4 news.

His articles have featured in the Guardian, the Telegraph, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Mirror and Huffington Post. A regular writer for the internationally acclaimed British Medical Journal, his article 'A letter from the ICU' is one of their most popular ever opinion article, read by over 130,000 people in 2020.

His first book, Critical, has been translated into four languages. He lives in Australia with his family, enjoys CrossFit, photography, cold beer and even colder ice cream.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (March 14, 2024)
  • Length: 288 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781471173103

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Raves and Reviews

'290 pages of inspiration doctors can either take from animals or already have'

– The Times

‘Funny, fascinating and beautifully written. More than that it is moving and awe inspiring… I can’t think of a more important topic for everyone on the planet to engage with right now'

– Dr Xand van Tulleken

'Morgan draws on the similarities between humans and animals to show how much we can learn from them by understanding them better'

– Peter Singer

'A fun and fascinating dive into the physiology of the animal kingdom and what it means for the medicine we practise'

– Kevin Fong

'In humanity's quest to tackle some of our biggest health challenges, the animal kingdom can provide a rich and often surprising source of inspiration. In this dazzling book, full of extraordinary revelations, the reader is transported on an intriguing journey through the natural world and how it is helping to inspire doctors around the world on the frontiers of medicine'

– David Cox

'Anyone interested in a One Medicine approach will find this book an interesting introduction. Reciprocity is not just what animals can do for humans, but what humans can do for animals. We are stronger together and that is why Dr Morgan’s book is a wonderful step in that direction'

– Joe Bailey, CEO, Humanimal Trust

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