Researchers are developing a penis transplant to restore normal functions without the drawbacks of phalloplasty, “thanks in no small part to the transgender community.” HeatĪmerican soldiers serve in active combat mostly in hot places. Former combatants who experience urotrauma are high suicide risks when they return home with sexual intimacy problems. Phalloplasty – creating a penis using skin flaps from the underside of the forearm – helps injured combatants regain a somewhat normal sex life.

But, Roach points out, the procedure is extremely unpopular because it requires men to sit while urinating.Īdvances in combat casualty care, swifter medevacs and field hospitals closer to the action have meant that more men are surviving who need genital reconstruction. When surgeons can’t replace the urethra, they create a new urethral opening via the perineum. Mouth tissue is made for a moist environment and won’t inflame when exposed to urine. To partly reconstruct the urethra – the tube through which urine moves – surgeons use mouth tissue so minerals in urine can’t build up and obstruct flow. Roach explains that increased survival rates from IED attacks make genital reconstruction a growing concern among army surgeons. Silk underwear doesn’t fragment or contaminate wounds. Zippers chafe skin and jam when exposed to sand. The army would like…uniforms that protect against all that modern warfare has to throw at them: flames, explosives, bullets, lasers, bomb-blasted dirt, blister agents, anthrax, sand fleas. Polyester is cheap and strong, but melts and sticks to surfaces, including burn wounds. Nomex, a flame-resistant material, gives tank and air crews a potentially lifesaving five seconds to take off their clothing before it ignites. The US Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center comprises specialized laboratories that develop and test “everything a soldier wears, eats, sleeps on or lives in.” Researchers weigh the advantages of potential fabrics for uniforms. History, Science Education Research, Military Science History, Anatomy Science, War, Military Fiction, Humor, Psychology, Adult, Health, Medicine Uniform Fabrics

Roach grants readers an overview of – and appreciation for – the enormous efforts military scientists expend in keeping soldiers alive and well.īestseller Mary Roach turns her keen eye to the science that addresses the many ills that combatants face, with fascinating results. For this report, she embedded herself in obscure US Army research labs to learn seemingly mundane yet potentially lifesaving particulars of military science. Science writer Mary Roach made a name for herself by examining the hidden, the unappreciated and the forbiddingly unappetizing.

Spook by mary roach summary