Print Price: $83.95

Format:
Paperback
480 pp.
342 halftones, 269 mm x 208 mm

ISBN-13:
9780195146943

Publication date:
September 2001

Imprint: OUP US

Origins of Neuroscience

A History of Explorations into Brain Function

Stanley Finger

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 It will be valued as both an historical reference and as an exciting tale of scientific discovery.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.

Readership : Professionals and students in neurology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, and the history of science and medicine

Reviews

• "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