The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons

By Sam Kean

Book Overview

The author of the bestseller The Disappearing Spoon reveals the secret inner workings of the brain through strange but true stories.

Early studies of the human brain used a simple method: wait for misfortune to strike -- strokes, seizures, infectious diseases, horrendous accidents -- and see how victims coped. In many cases their survival was miraculous, if puzzling. Observers were amazed by the transformations that took place when different parts of the brain were destroyed, altering victims' personalities. Parents suddenly couldn't recognize their own children. Pillars of the community became pathological liars. Some people couldn't speak but could still sing.

In The Tale of the Dueling Neurosurgeons, Sam Kean travels through time with stories of neurological curiosities: phantom limbs, Siamese twin brains, viruses that eat patients' memories, blind people who see through their tongues. He weaves these narratives together with prose that makes the pages fly by, to create a story of discovery that reaches back to the 1500s and the high-profile jousting accident that inspired this book's title.

With the lucid, masterful explanations and razor-sharp wit his fans have come to expect, Kean explores the brain's secret passageways and recounts the forgotten tales of the ordinary people whose struggles, resilience, and deep humanity made neuroscience possible.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316182354
• ISBN13: 9780316182355
• Release Date: June 2015
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Super interesting read for someone who struggles to keep up with an entire story like me

Each story is short enough to keep yourself interested at any time without feeling like you're missing anything. The writing is informative without feeling like you're reading a medical journal/article too so it's very easy to follow along

super duper Informative

I am a psychology student and have always been fascinated with the brain. I did not buy this book from this cite and I wish i knew about this website before I bought any of my books! But, this book is absolutely fascinating! The chapters are long but jam-packed of interesting information and the history that influenced/founded each breakthrough in the psychology field. I loved this book and used to as a reference for a few undergraduate research papers. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to expand their knowledge on the brain, cognitive functions and psychology's history.