From Book News, Inc.
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.Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description
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 It will be valued as both an historical reference and as an exciting tale of scientific discovery.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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Synopsis
With over 350 illustrations, this 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 emphasizes 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 the material in a readable way without losing scholarly acumen.

Book Info
Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri. History of neuroscience for researchers and clinicians. Over 360 illustrations. DNLM: Brain physiology. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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