Fergus Shanahan

When we are born, we are basically sterile. By the time we die, we are more microbe than human. Microscopic organisms are essential to the development of human life. Until Antonie van Leeuwenhoek observed his own microbes under a self-made microscope in the seventeenth century, we were not even aware that they existed. Clinician-scientist Fergus Shanahan and graphic design artist Laura Gowers shed light on the microbial world. How can we nurture microbes in the face of the climate emergency? Why do Irish Travellers have a unique microbiome? A remarkable, ground-breaking graphic book.

The practice of medicine has advanced dramatically in recent years, but the language used to discuss illness - by medical practitioners, patients and caregivers - has not kept pace. As a result, clinicians and, just as importantly, patients and their relatives and caregivers, are not able to communicate clearly in relation to illness. The upshot is misunderstanding and confusion on all sides. In this groundbreaking book, Dr. Fergus Shanahan, an eminent gastroenterologist who has practiced in Ireland, the United States and Canada, and published widely around the world, looks at memoirs of illness, and outlines the lessons we can learn from a better understanding of the words we use to describe illness. He looks at the ways in which language can act as a barrier with regard to illness, and proposes practical ways in which we can dismantle these barriers. The book is written for the general reader: as Dr. Shanahan puts it himself, he is “enough of an expert to be wary of experts." The Language of Illness, part manifesto, part memoir, and part instruction manual, is an appeal for the use of clearer, more holistic language, by all those involved with, and affected by, illness. Like the great American poet-doctor William Carlos Williams, he aims to help us develop a new language by means of which we can develop a new way of living with illness - which is an integral part of the human condition. Put simply, it is a book for all those who care about caring.

This is the state-of–the-art book on inflammatory bowel disease you have been waiting for Written and edited by international experts in gastroenterology this up-to-date volume provides a complete review of the basic science behind inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as evidence-based clinical guidance on diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of IBD. In 50 chapters the authors cover the latest and most promising treatment modalities and the science behind them. There are chapters which cover the advances in the medical and surgical treatment of conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as chapters focusing on nutrition, imaging and complementary medicine. This is an invaluable information resource for all those in the medical team treating patients with IBD. Whether you are a gastroenterologist, gastrointestinal surgeon or GI nurse specialist this book deserves a place in your library.