Stroke
A History of Ideas

Chronicles how our understanding of stroke has evolved, drawing on primary sources and written by a renowned professor of stroke.

Jan van Gijn (Author)

9781108832540, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 July 2023

250 pages
25.4 x 17.8 x 2.5 cm, 1.089 kg

Stroke, as known today, is caused by occlusion or rupture of one or more blood vessels in the brain. Its manifestations were reported as long as medical records exist; sudden collapse, loss of movement and sensation, with preserved respiration and heart action. The book chronicles how ideas about events in the brain or its blood vessels evolved over 400 years. Starting with the revival of ancient medicine in the middle of the 16th century, the narrative ends in the 20th century, when techniques for brain scanning heralded the possibility of treatment for cerebrovascular disease. The narrative is exclusively based on primary sources and shows how this part of medical knowledge evolved, including byways and blind alleys. Frequent accounts from original sources assist the reader in following how clashes of opinions led to improved understanding, making this an indispensable reference for the history of stroke research.

1. The ventricles(apoplexy in the 16th century)
2. The force of blood (apoplexy in the 17th century)
3. Congestion (apoplexy in the 'long 18th century')
4. Forgotten forms of apoplexy
5.Haemorrhage
6.Ramollissement
7. Thrombosis and embolism
8. No man's land: the neck arteries
9. Lacunes
10. Stroke warnings
11. Saccular aneurysms
12. Cerebral venous thrombosis.

Subject Areas: Neurology & clinical neurophysiology [MJN]