Neurology and Kindness: Medicine, Religion, Morals

This book about Medical Ethics, Religion, and Morals, goes from the Clinic of Hippocrates under a Plane Tree on the Greek island of Cos, to the small one-room Cottage Hospital in Capernaum of the Gospel of St Mark, staffed by two fisherman and Christ, to reach the Maudsley Hospital in London and UCLA in California.The book explores the brain - mind interface. Do the Mechanics of Neurology and the Mind of Kindness come from the same or different material? Are they similar or different in essence? The question was asked by Plato in ancient Greece, later by Descartes in France: in the twenty-first century in the 'Higher Cortical Functions' of neuropsychologist Alexander Luria in Russia, Adam Zeman 's 'Consciousness' in Edinburgh, and by Oliver Sacks in the New York Review of Books.Neurology and Kindness deals with Neurology, Brain, Mind and the innate human quality of Kindness; reinforced by the Love of Christianity, the Charity of Islam, the Duty of Judaism. It is written as a handbook for Nurses, Doctors, and also the Church: all who care for and help the sick.

About the Author :
Dr John David Parkes is Retired Professor of Clinical Neurology, University of London King's College and Maudsley Hospital.

Review :
'Kindness is at the core of medical practice and is especially important in neurology, where there are many chronic conditions for which there is no cure at present and only partially effective treatment. As Dr. Parkes notes, Harrison's Textbook of Medicine comments that the patient is "no mere collection of symptoms, signs, disordered functions, damaged organs, and disturbed emotions. He is human, fearful, and hopeful, seeking relief, help and reassurance." The book is a wide-ranging walk through the history of neurology, key neurologists, scientists, hospitals, and caring for the sick, and how the growing understanding of the workings of the brain has interacted with philosophy, religion, and ethics. There are stops along the way at major turning points and shifts in thinking to accommodate this new knowledge. David is an exceptional teacher and mentor and an avid and widely read scholar. He exemplifies kindness towards his patients and colleagues. He is well-remembered by all of my medical school friends who were taught neurology by him at King's for his clarity, enthusiasm, and humour. The book Neurology and Kindness is a fascinating and enjoyable read, full of unexpected and wide ranging facts and connections, and is highly recommended. The book is a product of a lifetime of scholarship and is well illustrated and referenced. While religion is mentioned in the title, the book is secular in its approach. As science has enabled a better understanding of our own nature and the structure of the nervous system, and of our place in the larger universe, the emergence of consciousness and of kindness, from a complex DNA-driven system, even given unimaginable periods of time, is still astounding.'- Christopher Lock, MBBS PhD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University