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 It will be valued as both an historical reference and as an exciting tale of scientific discovery.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.
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 It will be valued as both an historical reference and as an exciting tale of scientific discovery.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.
Part I: Theories of Brain Function
1: The Brain in Antiquity
2: Changing Concepts of Brain Function
3: The Era of Cortical Localization
4: Holism and the Critics of Cortical Localization
Part II: Sensory Systems
5: Vision: From Antiquity through the Renaissance
6: Post-Renaissance Visual Anatomy and Physiology
7: Color Vision
8: The Ear and Theories of Hearing
9: Audition and the Central Nervous System
10: The Cutaneous Senses
11: Pain
12: Gustation
13: Olfaction
Part III: Motor Functions
14: The Pyramidal System and the Motor Cortex
15: The Cerbellum and the Corpus Striatum
16: Some Movement Disorders
Part IV: Sleep and Function
17: The Process of Sleep
18: The Nature of Dreaming
19: Theories of Emotion from Democritus to William James
20: Defining and Controlling the Circuits of Emotion
Part V: Intellect and Memory
21: Intellect and the Brain
22: The Frontal Lobes and Intellect
23: The Nature of the Memory Tree
24: The Neuropathology of Memory
Part VI: Speech and Cerebral Dominance
25: Speech and Language
26: The Emergence of the Concept of Cerebral Dominance
27: Expansion of the Concept of Cerebral Dominance
Part VII: Treatments and Therapies
28: Treatments and Therapies: From Antiquity through the
Seventeenth Century
29: Treatments and Therapies: From 1700 to World War I
Epilogue
Appendix: Dates of Birth and Death
Index
Stanley Finger, Ph.D., is Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Program in Neural Sciences at Washington University, St. Louis.
"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
"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
"Quite appropriate for coffee-table display. It is also suitable
for libraries..." --BioScience
"Although much material can be found elsewhere, it has now been
gathered in one book....an accession to the history of
neuroscience." --Journal of the History of Neuroscience
"Readable and long-needed book. Its organizing theme is cerebral
localization, with individual treatments of the senses, the motor
system, emotion, memory and intellect, and neurological illness and
their treatment."--Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience
"Richly illustrated and documented, the book is readily accessible
and interestingly written . . . . No one interested in the history
of neuroscience should be without this book."--Integrative
Physiological and Behavioral Science
"A mine of information."--History of Psychiatry
Reviewed in Science Books for Young People
"Finger's (Washington U., St. Louis, Missouri) impressive 1994 text
is reprinted here in a hefty but affordable paperback that will be
welcome to students of the history of science as well as the
interested reader. Many b&w illustrations accompany the text
and each chapter concludes with a lengthy list of bibliography. The
history is divided into six parts that consider the evolution of
the theory of localization of function; the history of each of
the
sensory systems; the history of sleep, dreaming, and the emotions;
the brain's higher functions, including the neurobiology of
learning and memory disorders; cerebral dominance and laterality
phenomena; and a
survey of brain damage treatments."--SciTech Book News
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