Disturbances of the Mind

Reconstructs the lives of twelve psychiatrists and neurologists whose names have become synonymous with a disease, syndrome, or autistic disorder.

Douwe Draaisma (Author), Barbara Fasting (Translated by)

9780521509664, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 5 November 2009

364 pages, 47 b/w illus.
23.4 x 16 x 2.2 cm, 0.72 kg

'… a compelling series of stories that offers inspiration; perhaps also, a sense of historical nostalgia … Disturbances of the Mind is a beguiling, easy-to-read and informative text. Several of the insights, byways and references were new to me. This work should attract the general reader of the history of medicine as well as neurologists, psychiatrists and students of human behaviour disorders. It conforms to W. B. Yeats's caveat: 'think like a wise man but express yourself like the common people.' The excellent accounts he provides allow us a glimpse into the minds of the discoverers and an appreciation of their intelligent perceptions (at least the equal of our own), often struggling for knowledge in the academic darkness of their times.' BRAIN: A Journal of Neurology

Sergei Korsakoff, Alois Alzheimer, James Parkinson, Hans Asperger and other eminent scientists, are all names which have become synonymous with a disease, a syndrome, or an autistic disorder. Although the names of these psychiatrists and neurologists are familiar, we often know little about the individuals themselves and the circumstances surrounding their discoveries. What exactly did they discover, and who were their patients? Douwe Draaisma expertly reconstructs the lives of these and eight other 'names' from the science of mind and brain. Disturbances of the Mind provides a fascinating, illuminating, and at times touching insight into the history of brain research. Thanks to Draaisma's unerring eye and elegant, engaging style, the case histories of Asperger, Bonnet, Capgras, Clérambault, Korsakoff and Gilles de la Tourette syndromes; Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases; the areas of Broca and Brodmann; Jackson's epilepsy; and the Gage matrix are all brought to life and transformed into unforgettable tales.

Introduction: not the Draaisma syndrome
1. Towards dusk the images appear: Bonnet syndrome
2. A tormenting round of tremors: Parkinson's disease
3. Phineas Gage's posthumous stroll: the Gage matrix
4. The Celestine Prophesy: Broca's area
5. Sparks from a Leyden jar: Jackson's epilepsy
6. Siberian brandy: Korsakoff syndrome
7. Go to hell, idiot! Gilles de la Tourette syndrome
8. A labyrinth of tangles: Alzheimer's disease
9. The Mercator of neurology: Brodmann's areas
10. The headquarters of madness: Clérambault syndrome
11. A cup of tea for the doppelgänger: Capgras syndrome
12. Little professors: Asperger syndrome
13. The Cardan suspension of science.

Subject Areas: Clinical psychology [MMJ], Psychiatry [MMH], Health psychology [MBNH9], Psychology [JM]