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The tale of the dueling neurosurgeons : the history of the human brain as revealed by true stories of trauma, madness, and recovery

Dueling neurosurgeons (portion title)
History of the human brain (portion title)

Kean, Sam (author.).

Summary: Early studies of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike--strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, horrendous accidents--and see how victims coped. In many cases their survival was miraculous, if puzzling. Observers were amazed by the transformations that took place when different parts of the brain were destroyed, altering victims' personalities. Parents suddenly couldn't recognize their own children. Pillars of the community became pathological liars. Some people couldn't speak but could still sing. Sam Kean explains the brain's secret passageways and recounts forgotten tales of the ordinary people whose struggles, resilience, and deep humanity made modern neuroscience possible.--From publisher description.

Record details

ISBN: 0316286486
ISBN: 9780316286480
ISBN: 0316182346
ISBN: 9780316182348
Physical Description: 407 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
print
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2014.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 383-395) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Gross anatomy. The dueling neurosurgeons -- Cells, senses, circuits. The assassin's soup ; Wiring and rewiring ; Facing brain damage -- Body and brain. The brain's motor ; The laughing disease ; Sex and punishment -- Beliefs and delusions. The sacred disease ; "Sleights of mind" -- Consciousness. Honest lying ; Left, right, and center ; The man, the myth, the legend.