Self-experimentation, the deliberate design and implementation of an experiment using the experimenter's own body, is more common than is generally known. In fact, as this captivating reference book shows, hundreds of individuals over the centuries have used themselves as guinea pigs to test a theory or to understand a disease. The author provides a detailed history of the practice through numerous dictionary-style entries on self-experimenters and their experiments.

Each entry begins with biographical information about the experimenter and includes a brief narrative about the...