Soul made flesh : the discovery of the brain-- and how it changed the world

Soul Made Flesh Is The Remarkable Untold Story Of A Dramatic Turning Point In History, The Exciting Discovery Of How The Human Brain Works. In An Unprecedented Examination Of How The Secrets Of The Brain Were Revealed In Seventeenth-century England, Award-winning Author Carl Zimmer Tells An Extraordinary Tale That Unfurls Against A Deadly Backdrop Of Civil War, Plague, And The Great Fire Of London. At The Beginning Of That Turbulent Century, No One Knew How The Brain Worked Or Even What It Looked Like Intact. By The Century's Close, The Science Of The Brain Had Taken Root, Helping To Overturn Many Of The Most Common Misconceptions And Dominant Philosophies About Man, God, And The Universe. Presiding Over The Rise Of This New Scientific Paradigm Was The Founder Of Modern Neurology, Thomas Willis, A Fascinating, Sympathetic, Even Heroic Figure Who Stands At The Center 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. Called 'as Fine A Science Essayist As We Have' By The New York Times, Zimmer Tells The Story Of This Scientific Revolution Through The Lives Of A Colorful Array Of Alchemists, Mystics, Utopians, Spies, Revolutionaries, And Kings.^ He Recreates The Religious, Ethical, And Scientific Struggles Involved In The Pioneering Autopsies Of The Brain Carried Out By Thomas Willis; The Discovery Of The Circulation Of Blood By William Harvey And His Flight From London With His Besieged King, Charles I; René Descartes's Persecution By Catholics And Protestants Alike For His Views Of The Brain And Soul; And The Experiments And Personal Dramas Of Gifted Men Who Forever Changed The Way Science Is Practiced As They Simultaneously Upended Our View Of Our Human Selves And Our Place In The World. In This Distant Mirror To Our Own Time Of Continuing Scientific Revolution And Worldwide Social Upheaval, Zimmer Brings To Life The Painstaking, Innovative Discoveries Of Willis And His Contemporaries, The Taproots Of The Amazing Work Of Today's Neuroscientists, Who Continue To Explore The Brain, Revealing The Hidden Workings Of Emotions, Memories, And Consciousness.^ Graced With Beautiful Illustrations By Christopher Wren, Soul Made Flesh Conveys A Contagious Appreciation For The Wonder Of The Brain, Its Structure, Its Many Marvelous Functions, And The Implications For Human Identity, Mind, And Morality. It Is The Definitive History Of The Dawn Of A World-changing Science And Attitude, The Age Of The Brain And Modern Consciousness. Introduction: A Bowl Of Curds 3 -- Chapter 1 Hearts And Minds, Livers And Stomachs 9 -- Chapter 2 World Without Soul 25. Carl Zimmer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 325-348) And Index.

In this unprecedented history of a scientific revolution, award-winning author and journalist Carl Zimmer tells the definitive story of the dawn of the age of the brain and modern consciousness. Told here for the first time, the dramatic tale of how the secrets of the brain were discovered in seventeenth-century England unfolds against a turbulent backdrop of civil war, the Great Fire of London, and plague. At the beginning of that chaotic century, no one knew how the brain worked or even what it looked like intact. But by the century's close, even the most common conceptions and dominant philosophies had been completely overturned, supplanted by a radical new vision of man, God, and the universe.

Presiding over the rise of this new scientific paradigm was the founder of modern neurology, Thomas Willis, a fascinating, sympathetic, even heroic figure at the center of an extraordinary group of scientists and philosophers known as the Oxford circle. Chronicled here in vivid detail are their groundbreaking revelations and the often gory experiments that first enshrined the brain as the physical seat of intelligence — and the seat of the human soul. Soul Made Flesh conveys a contagious appreciation for the brain, its structure, and its many marvelous functions, and the implications for human identity, mind, and morality.

Carl Zimmer tells the definitive story of the dawn of the age of the brain and modern consciousness. Told here for the first time, the dramatic tale of how the secrets of the brain were discovered in seventeenth-century England unfolds against a turbulent backdrop of civil war, the Great fire of London and plague. At the beginning of that chaotic century, no one knew how the brain worked or even what it looked like intact. But by the century's close, even the most common conceptions and dominant philosophies had been completely overturned, supplanted by a radical new vision of man, God, and the universe. Presiding over the rise of this new scientific paradigm was the founder of modern neurology, Thomas Willis, a fascinating, sympathetic, even heroic figure at the center of an extraordinary group of scientists and philosophers known as the Oxford circle. Chronicled here in vivid detail are their groundbreaking revelations and the often gory experiments that first enshrined the brain as the physical seat of intelligence - and the seat of the human soul. Soul Made Flesh conveys a contagious appreciation for the brain, its structure, and its many marvelous functions, and the implications for human identity, mind, and morality. - Cover [This book] is the untold story of a dramatic turning point in history - the exciting discovery of how the human brain works. In [the book, the author] tells [a] tale that unfurls against a deadly backdrop of civil war, plague, and the Great Fire of London. At the beginning of that turbulent century, no one knew how the brain worked or even what it looked like intact. By the century's close, the science of the brain had taken root, helping to overturn many of the most common misconceptions and dominant philosophies about man, God, and the universe. Presiding over the rise of this new scientific paradigm was the founder of modern neurology, Thomas Willis, a fascinating, sympathetic, even heroic figure who stands at the center 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.-Dust jacket Cover......Page 2 Dedication......Page 11 Epigraph......Page 12 Introduction: A Bowl of Curds......Page 13 Chapter One: Hearts and Minds, Livers and Stomachs......Page 19 Chapter Two: World Without Soul......Page 33 Chapter Three: Make Motion Cease......Page 47 Chapter Four: The Broken Heart of the Republic......Page 58 Chapter Five: Pisse-Prophets Among the Puritans......Page 79 Chapter Six: The Circle of Willis......Page 108 Chapter Seven: Spirits of Blood, Spirits of Air......Page 134 Chapter Eight: A Curious Quilted Ball......Page 153 Chapter Nine: Convulsions......Page 170 Chapter Ten: The Science of Brutes......Page 186 Chapter Eleven: The Neurologist Vanishes......Page 209 Chapter Twelve: The Soul’s Microscope......Page 229 Dramatis Personae......Page 261 Acknowledgments......Page 266 About the Author......Page 267 Notes......Page 270 References......Page 286 Index......Page 302 Copyright......Page 322 Describes the first examination of an intact human brain in 1663; the discovery that the brain was the central organ that governed the human body, memory, reasoning, and emotion; and the influence of that discovery on modern science