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With over 350 illustrations, this impressive volume traces the rich history of ideas about the functioning of the brain from its roots in the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome through the centuries into relatively modern times. In contrast to biographically oriented accounts, this book is unique in its emphasis on the functions of the brain and how they came to be associated with specific brain regions and systems. Among the topics explored are vision, hearing, pain, motor control, sleep, memory, speech, and various other facets of intellect. The emphasis throughout is on presenting material in a very readable way, while describing with scholarly acumen the historical evolution of the field in all its amazing wealth and detail. From the opening introductory chapters to the concluding look at treatments and therapies, this monumental work will captivate readers from cover to cover. It will be valued as both an historical reference and as an exciting tale of scientific discovery. It is bound to attract a wide readership among students and professionals in the neural sciences as well as general readers interested in the history of science and medicine.

Amazon Sales Rank: #356732 in Books Published on: 2001-10-11 Original language: English Number of items: 1 Binding: Paperback 480 pages

Review "Provides a scholarly and comprehensive history of the development of concepts about brain functions. This book traces the development of the neurosciences in a logical and chronological fashion. . . . employs a scholarly but not pedantic approach; it offers a wealth of detail, yet it is quite readable." --Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal"A really comprehensive overview of the development of all the major concepts in neurobiology....Masterly, readable, and long-needed....Read from cover-to-cover, it provides a panorama of the entire field. Read by the casual reader who wants some background on a restricted topic, the book offers a series of bite-sized essays that can be munched at leisure....There is much here for both basic scientists and clinicians." --Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience"The book is packed with facts, and Finger has woven clinical observation and clinical work on animals into a fascinating story that will appeal to anyone with some knowledge of brain structure and function. . . . The book is a must for anyone researching brain function or treating diseases of the nervous system; highly recommended to anyone fascinated by how our brain works." --New Scientist"A comprehensive and well-written history of neuroscience, this book can serve either as an academic textbook or simply as a general source of historical information....The historical references are wonderful...printing is excellent, and the copious half-tone illustrations are well reproduced. Specialists in neuropsychology, neurophysiology, and neurology should all find many intriguing ideas here as should anyone with an historical interest in the neurosciences." --Perceptual and Motor Skills"Rich in illustrations....There is a useful appendix of birth-death dates, and the references are extensive. The book has no real rivals and should be in four-year college and university libraries. A well-written and valuable addition to the literature of the history of the neurosciences." --Choice About the Author Stanley Finger, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Program in Neural Sciences at Washington University, St. Louis.

Most helpful customer reviews 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Origins of Neuroscience By Michael S. Okun This book is a wonderful introduction into the history of neurosciences and our understanding of the brain. It is an excellent read for the physician, scientist, or brain enthusiast. It is easy to follow and well organized. Finger captures the excitement of the important discoveries about the brain and diseases of the brain. I highly recommend this book for anyones shelf who collects history of medicine books. 4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Origins of Neuroscience -- The History of Man's Understanding of the Brain By Allan Nevins The first thing I noticed about this book certainly differed from my expectations. It is really more of a textbook than a book designed for the casual reader. I should have noticed this from the description, but the book is 462 pages in length, nonfiction, organized into chapters like any other textbook, and is information rich. It spans an enormous amount of material, including ancient evidence of trepanning, progressing theories on brain and sensory function, a parade of landmark figures in neurological history, all the way up to treatment of brain injury in the pre-World War I era. It also includes several pages of references at the end of each chapter, for the reader's convenience. The first portion of the book deals with my primary interest in choosing this book--man's understand of the brain in antiquity. The book discusses evidence of trepanning taking place in ancient Egypt and Peru. While I was already aware of most of this, the author reveals that the frequency of surgical evidence found on the skull is far higher than I would guess. The ancient Greeks and Romans had some interesting medical ideas about the four classical elements (earth, air, fire, and water) which eventually became the four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile). Their beliefs about the human body made it taboo to dissect a human cadaver, and so much of their understanding about basic anatomy stems from either first-hand surgical knowledge, or observations based on animals. As a result, there was a lot of disagreement between scholars on the function of various anatomical features. Followers of Aristotle believed that the body's soul dwelt within the heart, not the brain, and that the brain served as a way to cool the hot-blooded passions of the heart. Despite this, the great Roman physician Galen, believed the brain to be the seat of the soul, and not the heart. Ironically, it took something as horrible as the Black Plague of the Middle Ages to bring about a much-needed paradigm shift in medicine and neurology. It became obvious that the four-humors school of medicine and anatomy was completely inadequate. Also, the shock of constant death and endless supply of cadavers made human autopsy less taboo. Physicians also strove to describe the purpose and function of the nervous system. The Greeks and Romans did not differentiate between the lymphatic system and the peripheral nerves. Galen, though, does differentiate between grey and white matter. He hypothesized that the softer tissue was able to take on sensory impressions from the world, and that the white matter was tougher and more fibrous. Galen was also the first to describe the optic nerve as an extension of the brain, and noted that the soft optic nerve would be particularly sensitive to impression. However, scientists of the Renaissance knew the difference between the nervous and lymphatic systems, and that the brain conveyed messages to the body. Their understanding of how nerves transmitted information was limited though, since electricity had yet to be discovered by this point. Instead, some hypothesized that nerves were hollow tubes that worked like a pneumatic system. Others surmised that messages were conveyed by pnumena animalis, or animal spirits--a paradigm that remained in place for a disturbingly