Reviews
What best illustrates human physical capability? Perhaps sport—and especially an event like the Olympics, where people endure extreme challenges—can be seen as a lens reflecting humanity. Nearly everyone enjoys the Olympics, but athletes who participate appear different from ordinary people. Why do some people get the chance to compete, drawing everyone’s attention because they are taller, bigger, and more impressive? Thinking about the influence of these questions reminds me how much attention
I really like the Art Museum series from About a Book. Whenever I hear a new volume has come out, I buy it, read it, and line it up neatly on my shelf. They make me happy even just to look at; perhaps I feel proud as if everything inside has become my knowledge. This is another book by Professor Lee Jae-ho, author of The Anatomist at the Art Museum, the latest title in a series that closely interprets artworks through their connections to chemistry, physics, mathematics, medicine, and anatomy.
You may hide your expression, but it is hard to hide your eyes. Strangely, people’s gaze seems to turn toward whatever their hearts are drawn to. The Anatomist at the Olympics explores the body in sports through an anatomist’s eyes. The author explains athletes’ injuries and their causes in the language of anatomy amid fierce competition for Olympic gold. Since becoming an anatomist, the author says watching the Olympics has brought more disappointment and sadness than joy. When athletes who
Olympics and anatomy? This was easier to connect than the author's previous book, Art Museum and Anatomy, but even before opening it I was excited to see how far the story would go. The book carefully explores 28 Summer Olympic sports, from boxing to surfing, through an anatomist's perspective. It covers each sport's origins, history, rules, techniques, popularity, and recent issues, but that's not all. It also tells stories about famous people connected with each sport—from Plato, the muscular
Sports fans can sometimes become human barometers, especially fans of extreme sports, since their joints ache when the weather turns cloudy. I ride boards of all kinds. Are boards safe? No. Today I nearly got hurt in the most ridiculous way. My board slipped on a slick red-painted path covered with little bird-cherry berries, sending me flying forward. I landed on my backside and caught myself with my arms—my survival breakfall, I guess. My palms bloomed red, and the crushed berries stained my
It was a very informative book. Seeing Olympic events introduced one by one from an anatomist’s perspective, with explanations of body structure, felt fresh. The Olympics are said to include 40 events: 32 at the 2024 Summer Olympics and 8 at the 2026 Winter Olympics. This book covers 28. We enjoy watching sports, but athletes compete at their best while risking injury at any moment. Depending on severity, rehabilitation takes months or years; serious injuries can force retirement or even cost a
The Olympics are coming to Paris this summer, bringing us all into the heat of competition. I hope we can be moved as we watch athletes who have worked and sweated for years do their best across so many events. Before reading this, I thought only of the dazzling performances we see at the Olympics or Asian Games. Learning that overusing particular muscles can harm athletes' careers or health made me want to cheer them on even more. The stories of the Olympics and its athletes through an
This book made such a strong impression that it seemed likely to draw an awed 'Wow!' as soon as I saw it. Its cover feels both imposing and luxurious, and made me want to read it right away. The content is just as high-quality as the cover, which is another reason I can recommend it! It explains many Olympic sports, including taekwondo, judo, wrestling, boxing, and gymnastics. Written by an author who graduated from medical school and holds a doctorate in anatomy, it kindly and engagingly
A book that makes you look forward to the Paris Olympics! Highly recommended for anyone who loves sports or wants to feel the excitement of sports. It doesn't feel difficult or overly anatomical.
The approaching Summer Olympics will soon take place in Paris. Watching sports that have captured the world’s attention, I think it is beautiful to see athletes who have poured sweat and blood into more than four years of training do their best, regardless of winning or losing. Following The Anatomist at the Art Museum, this book selects 28 Summer Olympic events and explores athletes, their sports, and the human body through an anatomist’s eyes. Doing your best does not always mean victory;
Lee Jae-ho: Anatomist who went to the Olympics
While the world focuses on Olympic results and medal colors, an anatomist pays attention to athletes’ bodies. The bones and flesh of Olympic heroes—Ali’s fist (1964), Comaneci’s ankle (1976), Jordan’s knee (1992), Phelps’s lungs (2008), Bolt’s thigh muscles (2008–2016), and the lips of Korea’s archers (1984–2020)—hold anatomical codes that push beyond human limits. The author selects 28 Summer Olympic events and explains the body in sport through anatomy. The boxing section investigates why the International Boxing Association abolished headgear despite widespread punch-drunk syndrome, which causes fatal brain-cell damage in boxers. The judo section explains how the outer cross choke, one of over 200 techniques, can harm the carotid triangle, deprive the brain of oxygen, and cause brain damage. The track and field section examines how fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers affect sprinting and distance running, and the implications of marathoners’ athletic hearts and foot structure. Anatomical illustrations explain the calf-muscle structure behind the spinning and knuckleball kicks that changed soccer history, revealing anatomy’s layered exploration of the body. The author also explores each sport’s history and scientific, technological, and social implications, rather than confining sports to medicine.
Korean title: 올림픽에 간 해부학자
Korean author: 이재호
Korean publisher: 어바웃어북
ISBN-13: 9791192229393
Reviews
What best illustrates human physical capability? Perhaps sport—and especially an event like the Olympics, where people endure extreme challenges—can be seen as a lens reflecting humanity. Nearly everyone enjoys the Olympics, but athletes who participate appear different from ordinary people. Why do some people get the chance to compete, drawing everyone’s attention because they are taller, bigger, and more impressive? Thinking about the influence of these questions reminds me how much attention
I really like the Art Museum series from About a Book. Whenever I hear a new volume has come out, I buy it, read it, and line it up neatly on my shelf. They make me happy even just to look at; perhaps I feel proud as if everything inside has become my knowledge. This is another book by Professor Lee Jae-ho, author of The Anatomist at the Art Museum, the latest title in a series that closely interprets artworks through their connections to chemistry, physics, mathematics, medicine, and anatomy.
You may hide your expression, but it is hard to hide your eyes. Strangely, people’s gaze seems to turn toward whatever their hearts are drawn to. The Anatomist at the Olympics explores the body in sports through an anatomist’s eyes. The author explains athletes’ injuries and their causes in the language of anatomy amid fierce competition for Olympic gold. Since becoming an anatomist, the author says watching the Olympics has brought more disappointment and sadness than joy. When athletes who
Olympics and anatomy? This was easier to connect than the author's previous book, Art Museum and Anatomy, but even before opening it I was excited to see how far the story would go. The book carefully explores 28 Summer Olympic sports, from boxing to surfing, through an anatomist's perspective. It covers each sport's origins, history, rules, techniques, popularity, and recent issues, but that's not all. It also tells stories about famous people connected with each sport—from Plato, the muscular
Sports fans can sometimes become human barometers, especially fans of extreme sports, since their joints ache when the weather turns cloudy. I ride boards of all kinds. Are boards safe? No. Today I nearly got hurt in the most ridiculous way. My board slipped on a slick red-painted path covered with little bird-cherry berries, sending me flying forward. I landed on my backside and caught myself with my arms—my survival breakfall, I guess. My palms bloomed red, and the crushed berries stained my
It was a very informative book. Seeing Olympic events introduced one by one from an anatomist’s perspective, with explanations of body structure, felt fresh. The Olympics are said to include 40 events: 32 at the 2024 Summer Olympics and 8 at the 2026 Winter Olympics. This book covers 28. We enjoy watching sports, but athletes compete at their best while risking injury at any moment. Depending on severity, rehabilitation takes months or years; serious injuries can force retirement or even cost a
The Olympics are coming to Paris this summer, bringing us all into the heat of competition. I hope we can be moved as we watch athletes who have worked and sweated for years do their best across so many events. Before reading this, I thought only of the dazzling performances we see at the Olympics or Asian Games. Learning that overusing particular muscles can harm athletes' careers or health made me want to cheer them on even more. The stories of the Olympics and its athletes through an
This book made such a strong impression that it seemed likely to draw an awed 'Wow!' as soon as I saw it. Its cover feels both imposing and luxurious, and made me want to read it right away. The content is just as high-quality as the cover, which is another reason I can recommend it! It explains many Olympic sports, including taekwondo, judo, wrestling, boxing, and gymnastics. Written by an author who graduated from medical school and holds a doctorate in anatomy, it kindly and engagingly
A book that makes you look forward to the Paris Olympics! Highly recommended for anyone who loves sports or wants to feel the excitement of sports. It doesn't feel difficult or overly anatomical.
The approaching Summer Olympics will soon take place in Paris. Watching sports that have captured the world’s attention, I think it is beautiful to see athletes who have poured sweat and blood into more than four years of training do their best, regardless of winning or losing. Following The Anatomist at the Art Museum, this book selects 28 Summer Olympic events and explores athletes, their sports, and the human body through an anatomist’s eyes. Doing your best does not always mean victory;
