9780316182348

0316182346

9780316286480

0316286486

Early studies of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike--strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, horrendous accidents--and see how victims coped. In many cases their survival was miraculous, if puzzling. Observers were amazed by the transformations that took place when different parts of the brain were destroyed, altering victims' personalities. Parents suddenly couldn't recognize their own children. Pillars of the community became pathological liars. Some people couldn't speak but could still sing. Sam Kean explains the brain's secret passageways and recounts forgotten tales of the ordinary people whose struggles, resilience, and deep humanity made modern neuroscience possible.--From publisher description.

The author of the best-seller The Disappearing Spoon offers fascinating tales of the brain and the history of neuroscience.

Dueling neurosurgeons

History of the human brain as revealed by true stories of trauma, madness, and recovery

Internet Archive collection.

The dueling neurosurgeons

The assassin's soup

Wiring and rewiring

Facing brain damage

The brain's motor

The laughing disease

Sex and punishment

The sacred disease

Sleights of mind

Honest lying

Left, right, and center

The man, the myth, the legend.

Brain - physiology - Popular Works.

Neurosciences - history - Popular Works.

Brain Diseases - Popular Works.

Neurologic Manifestations - Popular Works.

Physicians - history - Popular Works.