About the Book
Sir Charles Bell (1774-1842), the Scottish anatomist-surgeon, was a true polymath. His original ideas on the nervous system have been likened to those of William Harvey on the circulation of blood, and his privately published pamphlet detailing his ideas about the brain has been called the Magna Carta of neurology. He described the separate functions of different parts of the nervous system, new nerves and muscles, and several previously unrecognized neurological disorders, and he characterized the features of the facial palsy and its associated features now named after him. His sketches and paintings of the wounded from the Napoleonic Wars and his essays on the anatomical basis of expression changed the way art students are taught and influenced British and European artists, particularly the Pre-Raphaelites. He was a renowned medical teacher who founded his own private medical school, took over the famous Hunterian school, and helped establish the University of London and the Middlesex Hospital Medical School. So how is it that a man of such influence is virtually unknown today by most neuroscientists, biologists, and clinicians?
Sir Charles Bell: His Life, Art, Neurological Concepts, and Controversial Legacy discusses the work and teachings of this brilliant man. His reputation was tarnished by charges of intellectual dishonesty and fraud, but his work changed the way scientists and clinicians think about the nervous system and its operation in health and disease, led directly to the work of Charles Darwin on facial expressions, and influenced the way artists view the human body and depict illnesses and wounds. Masterfully written by Dr. Michael J. Aminoff in his signature approachable style, this is the perfect addition to any library of medical history.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 In the Beginning
Chapter 3 London and the Great Windmill Street School
Chapter 4 Anatomy of the Expression of Emotions
Chapter 5 Behind the Glories of War
Chapter 6 Swings and Roundabouts
Chapter 7 In and Out of the Central Nervous System
Chapter 8 The Organization of the Nervous System
Chapter 9 Clinical Observations on the Nervous System
Chapter 10 For God and Country
Chapter 11 New Classrooms: Old Struggles
Chapter 12 The Ebbing Tide
Chapter 13 To Each His Due
Appendix 1 Books Authored by Charles Bell
Appendix 2 Charles Bell's Published Papers and Lectures
Appendix 3 The Drawings and Paintings of Charles Bell
Appendix 4 Reprint of Bell's Most Famous Publication, Idea of a New Anatomy of the Brain
About the Author :
Dr. Aminoff was born in England and educated at University College London. He moved to California in 1974, where he has been Professor of Neurology at the University of California School of Medicine since 1982. He is well known as a neurologist, clinical neurophysiologist, educator, clinical investigator, author, journal editor, and medical historian. He has authored books on various neurological topics as well as edited several comprehensive textbooks that are
widely used and have gone into several editions.
Review :
"With warmth and knowledge, Michael Aminoff provides a well-rounded summary of the life and career of Sir Charles Bell. The reader enters the world of early 19th century London, travels alongside Bell through the scientific and medical avenues of descriptive neuroanatomy, and enters several darker alleys of controversy. The journey unveils provocative historical questions and new insights related to this important, largely-forgotten scientific and medical
figure."--Christopher G. Goetz, MD, Professor of Neurology, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
"Had I been asked who Sir Charles Bell was, I would have simply replied, 'The guy who described Bell's Palsy.' Now, after reading Michael Aminoff's book, I realize that Bell's Palsy was a very minor aspect of Bell's extraordinary accomplishments. He was a surgeon, neurologist, anatomist, prolific writer, and illustrator. Indeed, he was the ultimate polymath. Bell's book Idea of a New Anatomy of the Brain was described as the Magna Carta of Neurology.
Dr. Aminoff, also a polymath, captures Bell's true genius in a book that will be enjoyed by all seekers of true brilliance."- Robert B. Daroff, MD, Professor and Chair Emeritus of Neurology, Case Western Reserve
University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH
"From a forgotten corner - modern neurology's birth in the early 19th century - Michael Aminoff restores Charles Bell to our consciousness as a founding father. This is vibrant reading, providing a rich view of this brilliant, driven and flawed man and his moment in time. Aminoff offers a balanced view of Bell's foibles as well as his prodigious accomplishments. He deftly shows us how so many of the clinical syndromes, mapped in modern form over the next
century, were actually recognized by Bell and his contemporaries. Kudos to Michael Aminoff for bringing Bell out of the shadows of history." -Stephen L. Hauser, MD, Director, UCSF Weill Institute for
Neurosciences, Professor & Chair, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
"Michael Aminoff is a renowned educator of Neurology and Neurological Sciences. His writing is eclectic and this latest monograph tackles the life, works, and thoughts of Sir Charles Bell. It is by far the most detailed description of Bell ever written, full of fascinating details. Aminoff is a Physician-Scientist of considerable stature and this had given him the ability to weave Bell's discoveries into present day thinking and how observations made by Bell
have significant relevance in modern medicine. This monograph delves into England and Europe as experienced by Bell, adding charm and interest for non-physicians. No one is perfect, and Aminoff is not
shy of bringing out Charles Bell's shortcoming. Despite this I am sure that Sir Charles would thoroughly enjoy this gem, full of wonderful descriptions of his many achievements."- Andrew Eisen, MD, FRCPC, Professor Emeritus, Division of Neurology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
"This volume will be a pleasure for all of us in search of an important scientific biography that reads like a novel. A reference text in its own right, it is an intimate account of Charles Bell through his life, work, and art, and also a rich cultural history of the times in which he lived. Through extensive research, Michael Aminoff finds the humanity in a brilliant and important, but flawed figure at the birth of neuroscience." -Kerry H. Levin, MD,
Chairman, Department of Neurology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
