Brain, Vision, Memory: Tales in the History of Neuroscience(Bradford Books)

These tales describe the growth of knowledge about the brain from the early Egyptians and Greeks to the present time. The author attempts to answer the question of how the discipline of neuroscience evolved into its modern incarnation through the twists and turns of history. The first essay tells the story of the visual cortex, from the first written mention of the brain by the Egyptians to the modern work of Hubel and Wiesel. The second essay focuses on Leonardo Da Vinci's anatomical work on the brain and the eye. The third essay derives from the question of whether there can be a solely theoretical biology or biologist, highlighting the work of Emanuel Swedenborg, the 18th-century Swedish mystic. The fourth essay entails a mystery - how did the largely ignored brain structure called the "hippocampus minor" come to be, and why was it so important in the controversies that swirled about Darwin's theories? The final essay describes the discovery of the visual functions of the temporal and parietal lobes.

Table of Contents:
Part 1 From Imhotep to Hubel and Wiesel - the story of visual cortex; ancient Egyptian surgery and medicine; Greek philosopher-scientists and the beginning of brain science; the medieval cell doctrine of brain function; the rebirth of brain science; the beginning of the modern era of cortical localization; the discovery of a visual centre in the cerebral cortex. Part 2 Leonardo da Vinci on the brain and eye: Emanuel Swedenborg - a neuroscientist before his time; the Hippocampus Minor and man's place in nature - a case study in the social construction of neuroanatomy; beyond striate cortex - how large portions of the temporal and parietal cortex became visual areas.

About the Author :
Charles G. Gross, a neuroscientist specializing in vision and the functions of the cerebral cortex, is Professor of Psychology at Princeton University. He is the author of Brain, Vision, Memory: Tales in the History of Neuroscience (MIT Press, 1998).

Review :
"Brain lovers are in for a rare treat: here's a brain book that is filled with historical treasures and is a pure pleasure to read besides. An eminent neuroscientist, the author also turns out to be a master sleuth of forgotten facts as well as a thoroughly entertaining teller of tales." --Mortimer Mishkin, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health