The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons: The History of the Human Brain as Revealed by True Stories of Trauma, Madness, and Recovery

From the author of the bestsellers The Disappearing Spoon and The Violinists Thumb, fascinating tales of the brain and the history of neuroscience. Early studies of the functions of the human brain used a simple method wait for misfortune to strike-strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, lobotomies, horrendous accidents-and see how the victim coped. In many cases survival was miraculous, and observers could only marvel at the transformations that took place afterward, altering victims personalities. An injury to one section can leave a person unable to recognize loved ones some brain trauma can even make you a pathological gambler, pedophile, or liar. But a few scientists realized that these injuries were an opportunity for studying brain function at its extremes.