New Arrival Blood, Sweat and Tears

A History of Bodily Fluids

‘A history of the gruesome and the grim. Fascinating.’ – Sue Black, author of All That Remains

Our ancestors didn’t just take the piss. They used it too.

The human body leaks. It oozes. It sweats and spits. It bursts, it bleeds and it squirts. Over the history of humanity, our bodies have evolved into sophisticated vessels for survival, leaving a long trail of fluids in our wake.

Whether we’re coughing it up or swallowing it down, our bodily fluids are essential to our life and health. Yet, in the past couple of centuries, we have developed a difficult relationship with these fluids: today we find pus, poo and vomit unhygienic and even repellent. But this has not always been the case.

In Blood, Sweat and Tears, Ruben Verwaal embarks on a deep dive into the story of our bodily fluids, the changing perceptions around them and the practical uses that have trickled down