Soul Made Flesh: How the Secrets of the Brain Were Uncovered in Seventeenth Century England

Soul Made Flesh: How the Secrets of the Brain Were Uncovered in Seventeenth Century England

by Carl Zimmer (Author)

Synopsis

At the beginning of the Europe's turbulent seventeenth century, no one knew how the brain worked. By the century's close, the science of the brain had taken root, helping to overturn many common misconceptions about the human body as well as to unseat centuries-old philosophies of man and God. Presiding over this evolution was the founder of modern neurology, Thomas Willis, a fascinating, sympathetic, even heroic figure who stands at the centre of an extraordinary group of scientists and philosophers known as the 'Oxford circle'. Chronicled here in vivid detail are their groundbreaking revelations and often gory experiments that first enshrined the brain as the chemical engine of reason, emotion, and madness - indeed as the very seat of the human soul.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 384
Edition: New e.
Publisher: Arrow
Published: 03 Mar 2005

ISBN 10: 0099441659
ISBN 13: 9780099441656
Book Overview: Praised by historians (Lisa Jardine, Judith Flanders, Ross King), novelists (Neal Stephenson) and scientists (Oliver Sacks, Steven Pinker), this is an acclaimed work of historical biography in the tradition of The Lunar Men.

Author Bio
Carl Zimmer writes the monthly essay in the US magazine Natural History, having inherited this position from Stephen Jay Gould.