The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine by Michael Gershon  (11)
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Did you ever tell someone that they think with their stomach? Then you're on the cutting edge of scientific thought, according to researcher Michael D. Gershon. The title of his book The Second Brain refers to the hundred million nerve cells in and around our guts that often act entirely independently of the dictator inside our heads. This isn't so bad--there are some meals we'd rather not have to think about eating, much less digesting. Gershon tells us the stories of his development into a scientist, his determination to promote neurogastroenterology as a legitimate field of research, and the nature of "the brain gone south," all with humor and aplomb.
Did you ever tell someone that they think with their stomach? Then you're on the cutting edge of scientific thought, according to researcher Michael D. Gershon. The title of his book The Second Brain refers to the hundred million nerve cells in and around our guts that often act entirely independently of the dictator inside our heads. This isn't so bad--there are some meals we'd rather not have to think about eating, much less digesting. Gershon tells us the stories of his development into a scientist, his determination to promote neurogastroenterology as a legitimate field of research, and the nature of "the brain gone south," all with humor and aplomb.
Though not for the overly squeamish (after all, even if Gershon were to pull his punches, his subject still carries traces of old taboos), The Second Brain is a lively and invigorating read. The illustrations are superb and well labeled; this complements the text, which ranges from clinical to personal, as when the author details the events leading to his mother's tragic death following unnecessary surgery for an ulcer. The interactions between the enteric nervous system and digestion, emotion, and disease are not simple, but Gershon's patient prose explains everything in terms any interested layperson can understand.
As in the best scientific works, The Second Brain informs and inspires, surprising the reader with unexpected complexities and mysteries arising in such a seemingly primitive venue. It makes excellent after-dinner reading. --Rob Lightner
From Publishers Weekly
Gershon, who has been called the father of neurogastroenterology and is professor of anatomy and cell biology at New York's Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, has devoted his career to basic research on the nervous system of the gut. His fascination with this "second brain" is boundless, and he strives mightily to share his enthusiasm. With analogies and simple line drawings, good humor and a story-teller's love of character and plot, he describes how knowledge about the little-known enteric nervous system has been uncovered. To appreciate the wonder of this second brain, one must grasp the complexity of the system it runs, and Gershon tackles that subject in considerable detail?indeed, probably more detail than the general reader requires. While the particulars of research conducted in his and other neurobiologists' labs is also likely to overwhelm the nonbiologist, general readers will appreciate the implications of that research. As understanding emerges of how the second brain controls the behavior of the bowel, real progress is coming in the prevention, treatment and control of the belly's woes. To millions of sufferers of such diseases as heartburn and irritable bowel syndrome, this will be welcome information.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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