Discoveries in the Human Brain: Neuroscience Prehistory, Brain Structure, and Function [Hardcover]

Louise H. Marshall (Author), Horace W. Magoun (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0896034356 | ISBN-13: 978-0896034358 | Publication Date: January 15, 1998 | Edition: 1st

This engaging and engrossing history of the brain and the emergence of modern neuroscience chronicles the many significant people and events that gradually produced today's understanding of brain anatomy and physiology. The book traces this unfolding story from the first findings of gross neuroanatomy in the ancient world to the functional analysis of the electrophysiology of nerve impulses; from the early discoveries of the existence and operations of the central nervous system to, finally, the development in brain chemistry and pharmacology that have now brought us to neural networks and brain modeling. Along the way it offers numerous historic and rare plates, a rich tapestry of quotations from primary sources, and concise summaries of the pathbreaking research that shaped and determined modern neuroscience.

Editorial Reviews

From The New England Journal of Medicine

As the decade of the brain draws to a close, it is worthwhile to review some of the progress made in advancing our knowledge of this fascinating and enigmatic structure. Louise Marshall (director of the Neuroscience History Archives at the Brain Research Institute) and Horace Magoun (a noted research neuroscientist who unfortunately died before the completion of this book) have taken on a huge subject, but they have succeeded in rendering it not only comprehensible, in spite of the convoluted twists and blind alleys that constitute the development of neuroscience, but also genuinely interesting. Their presentation allows the story to speak for itself as much as possible. The reader is able to appreciate how, as Thomas Kuhn noted, scientific progress is generated by cycles of concept and counter-concept that successively fit the experimental data better -- the energy generated by differences of opinion serving to drive researchers forward to find ways to support their own ideas and refute those of others.

An attractive feature of this book is due to its origin as a series of historical posters that Magoun exhibited at various international meetings. The book is highly visual, illustrated throughout with pictures that have been well chosen to help convey rapidly and accurately what the various investigators made of what they were seeing. It is also amply illustrated with pictures of the investigators themselves. These serve to break up and individualize the panoply of views presented. The book is peppered with quotations from the great figures in the history of neuroscience, and the authors have leaned heavily (as they freely admit) on the bible: Clarke and O'Malley's History of the Brain and Spinal Cord (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1968). The quotations have been well chosen to demonstrate just how carefully the investigators, perhaps mindful of the many controversies that dog their subject, interpreted their findings. One of the quotations, from Santiago Ramon y Cajal, is a warning to all current and budding neuroscientists: "The supreme dignity which surrounds the brain and the awesome complexity of its workings presuppose the existence of an extremely complicated warp, sure to ensnare those who imagine that nature unfolds multifarious exalted phenomena according to schematic formulae."

The topics covered represent a fair survey of our knowledge until the beginning of the 1970s, the stated end point of the authors. The book starts with some general issues, such as theories of phylogeny and ontogeny, and then addresses the interpretation of the cerebral structures, with the history of interpretations for each structure treated separately, culminating in syntheses of theories to explain three major integrative systems: the limbic system and memory, corticothalamic connections and cybernetics, and the brain-stem reticular formation and arousal. Although the book ends at a point where the field accelerates and diversifies rapidly, it provides a sound basis for surveying the newer developments. One stated aim of the authors is to demonstrate how collaborations between different disciplines (such as that between experimental psychology and neuroanatomy) have often led to breakthroughs in science. The strengths and weaknesses of such approaches (the former due to the extra insights gained, and the latter to the use of unjustifiable assumptions) are noted throughout, and they prove instructive.

This book is certainly sufficiently clear and well illustrated to be of interest to general clinicians as well as workers in neuroscience or the cognitive sciences. It is also refreshingly free of jargon. I highly recommend the book both as an introduction to the history of neuroscience and as a secondary source, since it includes comprehensive references. The book's quality and reasonable price (thanks to a charitable grant) should thus attract many and varied readers.

Reviewed by David Maudgil, M.R.C.P.
Copyright © 1998 Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved. The New England Journal of Medicine is a registered trademark of the MMS.

Review

". . .a remarkable work of science, art, and history. . .The rich heritage of neuroscience comes alive here, even for the general reader. . . fascinating and valuable reading"-Choice: Current Reviews of Academic Books "This excellent book. . .should be of interest to neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuroscientists, and others interested in the history of neuroscience."-Journal of the American Medical Association ". . . [a] very fine book. . .the reader will be impressed not only with the text, but also with the style and quality of presentation by Humana Press. The quality of the paper, the layout, and the reproductions of photographs are for the most part outstanding."-Einstein Quarterly "...The book is filled with interesting pictures of contributing scientists and their laboratories, as well as figures and diagrams, and will be of interest to investigators actively involved in neuroscience research. The book is well written and easy to read. It is enjoyable from the historical standpoint and also valuable for the amount of neuroscientific data available in the text and the references...the book clearly accomplishes its objective to present the discoveries in the human brain and is highly recommended to all interested in this subject."-The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: Humana Press; 1st edition (January 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896034356
• ISBN-13: 978-0896034358
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,743,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not an introduction, March 6, 2003

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J. head (littlteton, nh USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Discoveries in the Human Brain: Neuroscience Prehistory, Brain Structure, and Function (Hardcover)

I would not recommend this book unless the areas of the brain are already known to the reader. It was well written and the history of the discoveries are well explained. I had trouble when, for example, the book would say a certain section of the brain was at one time thought to be the seat of all emotions. It would list various experiments that would take place. You ended up knowing the history, but not necessarily the location within the brain, or what the final verdict of that area of the brain actually turned out to be. I am sure with a little introductory background reading about the brain this book would have made more of an impact on me. I believe the author should have expended with a few more paragraphs to tie-in and explain the final result or today's best guess about that area of the brain.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars information you need, January 6, 2000

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Carrie B. Yavari "Zen Mother" (Annandale, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Discoveries in the Human Brain: Neuroscience Prehistory, Brain Structure, and Function (Hardcover)

I read this book doing research as a criminal defense lawyer. I found it fascinating and very helpful. thanks to editors.