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The tale of the dueling neurosurgeons [large type] : the history of the human brain as revealed by true stories of trauma, madness, and recovery / Sam Kean ; [illustrations by Andrew J. Brozyna].

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Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press, 2014.

Brain -- Popular works.

Neuropsychology -- Popular works.

Brain -- Physiology -- Popular works.

Brain -- Diseases -- Popular works.

Neurosciences -- History.

9781410471567 (large print : hardcover)

141047156X (large print : hardcover)

Thorndike Press large print nonfiction series.

679 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Part I. Gross anatomy. Introduction ; The dueling neurosurgeons -- Part II. Cells, senses, circuits. The assassin's soup ; Wiring and rewiring ; Facing brain damage -- Part III. Body and brain. The brain's motor ; The laughing disease ; Sex and punishment -- Part IV. Beliefs and delusions. The sacred disease ; "Sleights of mind" -- Part V. Consciousness. Honest lying ; Left, right, and center ; The man, the myth, and legend.

Early studies of human brain function used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike -- strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, lobotomies, accidents -- and observe how the victim coped. In many cases, survival was miraculous and observers could only marvel at the transformations that took place afterward. 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. Sam Kean explains the brain's secret passageways while recounting forgotten stories of common people whose struggles, resiliency, and deep humanity made modern neuroscience possible.

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